March 2026 • Volume 52, Number 05 • www. illinoisentertainer. com
Photo: Paul Natkin
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LIL’ ED AND THE BLUES IMPERIALS hicago Blues guitar icon, Lil’ Ed Williams, has been churning out his brand of classic yet contemporary blues compositions for over four decades.
Born in 1955 in the heart of Chicago’ s notorious west side, Williams grew up in the Garfield Park neighborhood. Given the bad reputation some west-side neighborhoods had at the time, Williams had a pretty normal childhood.“ Actually, I didn’ t have to deal with( any bad stuff),” Williams explains during a recent phone interview.“ Where I grew up, it seemed like everybody was getting along. There were a few little issues. There were some gang members around at the time, and we used to look out the window and see them fighting every once in a while. As far as racial activity there, there wasn’ t really anything because there were a couple of white people who stayed right around where we were, and they were nice people.”
Lil Ed’ s 10th album, Slideways( Alligator Records) is a dynamite collection of 13 blues compositions. The album title is an obvious play on words, as Williams’ uncle J. B. was sometimes called“ The King of the Slide,” while Williams considers himself a slide-slinger. After 40 years as a band, The Blues Imperials are celebrating their legacy. Kelley Simms spoke to the blues legend.
06 HELLO MY NAME IS CRISPIAN...
Kula Shaker founder Crispian Mills has stumbled upon quite a few self-evident spiritual truths over his 37 years in music. The most recent one? When you recognize an opportune, possibly fleeting moment, do not hesitate. Strike while the iron is hot. Hence, the relatively rapid-fire release of his quartet’ s inspired latest album, Wormslayer, less than two years after its equally adventurous predecessor, Natural Magick.
The 52-year-old Mills— who was raised in a renowned showbiz family, as the son of actress Hayley Mills and the grandson of thespian Sir John Mills— learned the performance ropes early. Tom Lanham spoke to Mills.
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4 illinoisentertainer. com april 2019 Contributing Editors Curt Baran Tom Lanham illinoisentertainer. com march 2026
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