Toronzo Cannon, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Make MOJO's Top Ten of 2016
TORONZO CANNON & LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS MAKE MOJO'S TOP TEN BLUES ALBUMS OF 2016
Cannon's The Chicago Way Is #1 Blues Album Of 2016
The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Is #7
New releases from world-renowned Chicago blues stars Toronzo Cannon and Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials both made MOJO magazine's influential list of Top Ten Blues Albums Of 2016. Cannon's The Chicago Way landed at the #1 spot. Williams, who recently guested on TBS-TV's CONAN, hit #7 with The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials.
ABOUT TORONZO CANNON:
MOJO says, "Toronzo Cannon rises to the front rank of Chicago bluesmen. Old School he may be in some ways, but there is nothing conventional about his songwriting. Cannon and co-producer Bruce Iglauer have created wide-screen modern arrangements for these wry, thoughtful songs, molding an ensemble sound that’s both tempestuous and scrupulously controlled."
Cannon’s songs – from searing blues anthems to swinging shuffles to soulful ballads to roof-raising rockers – tell timeless stories of common experiences in uncommon ways. The Chicago Way earned the 2016 Living Blues Producer Of The Year Award for Cannon and Iglauer. The Chicago Way features all self-penned songs, inspired by Cannon's deep, homegrown Chicago roots and powered by his blistering guitar playing and soul-baring vocals.
Through the sheer force of his music, his songs and his live charisma, Cannon is among the city's most popular and recognizable blues artists. He’s battled his way to the top of the ultra-competitive Windy City blues scene, has already played multiple tours of Europe and continues to drive his bus by day and deliver roof-raising performances around the world by weekend night.
ABOUT LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS:
Blues & Rhythm writes, "What’s not to like about the raucous sound of Chicago slide guitar maestro Lil' Ed Williams and his long serving trio? Great music that often seems spontaneous will have you bopping like crazy. Superlative guitar and piercing slow-burn slide will surely gain your immediate attention. Enthusiastic and passionate."
Currently celebrating 27 history-making years together, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials ply their musical talents with skills that have been honed to a razor's edge. They have won many awards over the years, including the Living Blues Critics' and Readers' Awards for Best Live Performer and the coveted Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year. The Chicago Sun-Times says, “Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials are the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor.”
The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials mixes smoking slide guitar boogies and raw-boned shuffles with the deepest slow-burners. Lil' Ed Williams and his Blues Imperials -- bassist (and Ed's half-brother) James "Pookie" Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton -- deliver gloriously riotous, rollicking and intensely emotional blues. The Chicago Tribune calls Lil' Ed "a guitarist extraordinaire" who plays "electrifying, raucous, pure Chicago blues."
