''Briefcase Full of Blues'' is the debut album by
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...
, released on November 28, 1978, by
Atlantic Records. It was recorded live on September 9, 1978, at the
Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, when the band opened for comedian
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
. The album consists of covers of
blues and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
songs from the 1950s to 1970s.
The album reached number one
[ on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went ]double platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
; according to Blues Brothers member Dan Aykroyd, the album has sold 3.5 million copies in all.[ on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, " Soul Man", which reached number 14, and "]Hey Bartender
"Hey Bartender" is a song written by Dossie Terry, copyright filing EU389235 dated 10 March 1955 and renewed RE180048 on 11 March 1983.
It was first recorded by Floyd Dixon in 1955 on Cat Records 114; the label credits "Terry" as composer. A co ...
", which did not chart.[
The album is dedicated to ]Curtis Salgado
Curtis Salgado (born February 4, 1954, in Everett, Washington, United States) is a Portland, Oregon-based blues, blues rock, and blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter. He plays harmonica and fronts his own band as lead vocalist.
Career
Salgado b ...
, the inspiration behind John Belushi's creation of the Blues Brothers characters.
Track listing
Personnel
* "Joliet" Jake Blues (John Belushi
John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...
) – lead vocals
* Elwood Blues ( Dan Aykroyd) – backing vocals, harmonica, lead vocals on "Rubber Biscuit"
* Paul "The Shiv" Shaffer – Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano
The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...
, acoustic piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, backing vocals, musical director
* Steve "The Colonel" Cropper – guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
*Matt "Guitar" Murphy
Matthew Tyler Murphy (December 29, 1929 – June 15, 2018), known as Matt "Guitar" Murphy, was an American blues guitarist. He was associated with Memphis Slim, The Blues Brothers and Howlin' Wolf.
Early life
Murphy was born in Sunflower, Missi ...
– guitar
* Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
* Steve "Getdwa" Jordan – drums, backing vocals
* Lou "Blue Lou" Marini – tenor and alto saxophones, backing vocals
* Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin – trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
, backing vocals
* Tom "Triple Scale" Scott – tenor and alto saxophones, backing vocals
* Tom "Bones" Malone – tenor and baritone saxophones, trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
, trumpet, backing vocals
Charts
Singles
Certifications
References
External links
Album Information on Blues Brothers Central
(archive)
{{Authority control
The Blues Brothers albums
1978 debut albums
1978 live albums
Atlantic Records live albums
Albums produced by Bob Tischler
Covers albums
Live blues albums