Lil Green (probably born Lillie May Johnson; December 22, 1901[1] (some sources give 1905, 1910 or 1919)[nb 1] – April 14, 1954)[3] was an American classic female blues singer and songwriter.

She was among the leading female rhythm and blues singers of the 1940s, with a sensual soprano voice.

Her two biggest hits were her own composition "Romance in the Dark" (1940),[10] which was later covered by many artists, such as Dinah Washington and Nina Simone (in 1967) (Billie Holiday recorded a different song with the same title), and Green's 1941 version of Kansas Joe McCoy's minor-key blues- and jazz-influenced song "Why Don't You Do Right?

[9] As well as performing in Chicago nightclubs, Green toured with Tiny Bradshaw and other bands but never broke away from the black theatre circuit.

[11] She died of pneumonia in Chicago in April 1954 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Gary, Indiana.