The Blues Brothers are an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

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 att ...

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, respectively, as lead vocalist ' Joliet' Jake Blues and harmonica player/vocalist Elwood Blues, donning black suits with matching fedoras and sunglasses. The band was composed of well-known musicians, and debuted as the

musical guest {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 A musical guest is a singer, band, or other musician who makes a brief musical appearance on a television program of a non-musical nature. While some shows have a format that traditionally includes numerous per ...

in a 1978 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', opening the show performing " Hey Bartender", and later " Soul Man". In 1978, the band released their debut album, ''

Briefcase Full of Blues ''Briefcase Full of Blues'' is the debut album by The Blues Brothers, 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 S ...

'', and opened for the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

at the closing of Winterland Arena in San Francisco. They gained further fame after spawning a Hollywood comedy film in 1980, '' The Blues Brothers''. After Belushi's death in 1982, the Blues Brothers continued to perform with a rotation of guest singers and other band members. The band reformed in 1988 for a world tour and again in 1998 for a sequel film, ''

Blues Brothers 2000 ''Blues Brothers 2000'' is a 1998 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis from a screenplay written by Landis and Dan Aykroyd, both of whom were also producers. The film, starring Aykroyd and John Goodman, is a sequel to the 1980 fi ...

''.

Band history

Origins

The genesis of the Blues Brothers was a January 17, 1976, ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch. In it, " Howard Shore and his All-Bee Band" play the Slim Harpo song " I'm a King Bee", with Belushi singing and Aykroyd playing harmonica, dressed in the bee costumes they wore for " The Killer Bees" sketches. In 1978, guitarist Arlen Roth was performing on SNL with Art Garfunkel who was that week's host of the show. Before the actual live show, Belushi and Aykroyd asked Roth and others to join them onstage in the outfits that would later become the Blues Brothers' look. Roth taught Belushi the lyrics to "Rocket 88" so they could perform it that night. This was also discussed on Aykroyd's "Elwood's Bluesmobile" radio show, when Roth was interviewed about his Slide Guitar Summit album, and the song "Rocket 88". Following tapings of ''SNL'', it was popular among cast members and the weekly hosts to attend Aykroyd's Holland Tunnel Blues bar, which he had rented not long after joining the cast. Aykroyd and Belushi filled a jukebox with songs from Sam & Dave, punk band The Viletones and others. Belushi bought an amplifier and they kept some musical instruments there for anyone who wanted to jam. It was at the bar that Aykroyd and Ron Gwynne wrote and developed the story which Aykroyd turned into the draft screenplay for the ''Blues Brothers'' movie, better known as the "tome", because it contained so many pages. It was also at the bar that Aykroyd introduced Belushi to the

. An interest soon became a fascination, and it was not long before the two began singing with local blues bands. Jokingly, ''SNL'' band leader Howard Shore suggested they call themselves "The Blues Brothers". In an April 1988, interview he gave to the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

'', Aykroyd said the Blues Brothers act borrowed from Sam and Dave and others; the ''Sun-Times'' quoted him as explaining: "Well, obviously, the duo thing and the dancing, but the hats came from John Lee Hooker. The suits came from the concept that when you were a jazz player in the '40s, '50s '60s, to look straight, you had to wear a suit." The band was modeled in part on Aykroyd's experience with the Downchild Blues Band, one of the first professional blues bands in Canada, with whom Aykroyd played on occasion. Aykroyd encountered the band in the early 1970s, around the time of his attendance at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and where his interest in the blues developed through attending and occasionally performing at Ottawa's

Le Hibou Coffee House Le Hibou Coffee House was an internationally known coffee house established in Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operating from 1960 to 1975. History Denis Faulkner, an Ottawa francophone, was the founding owner manager from 1960 to 1968. It w ...

. As Aykroyd described it: The

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

-based Downchild Blues Band, co-founded in 1969 by two brothers, Donnie and

Richard "Hock" Walsh Richard "Hock" Walsh (December 19, 1948 – December 31, 1999) was one of the first professional blues singers in Canada. He is particularly notable as the co-founder of the Downchild Blues Band and was the original singer of that band's best- ...

, served as an inspiration for the two Blues Brothers characters. Aykroyd modeled

Elwood Blues 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, respectiv ...

in part on Donnie Walsh, a harmonica player and guitarist, while Belushi's Jake Blues character was modeled after Hock Walsh, Downchild's lead singer. In their first album, ''

'' (1978), Aykroyd and Belushi featured three well-known Downchild songs closely associated with Hock Walsh's vocal style: "I've Got Everything I Need (Almost)", written by Donnie Walsh, "Shotgun Blues", co-written by Donnie and Hock Walsh, and "Flip, Flop and Fly", co-written and originally popularized by Big Joe Turner. All three songs were on Downchild's second album, ''Straight Up'' (1973), with "Flip, Flop and Fly" becoming the band's most successful single, in 1974. Belushi's budding interest in the blues solidified in October 1977 when he was in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, ...

, filming '' National Lampoon's Animal House''. He went to a local hotel to hear 25-year-old blues singer/harmonica player Curtis Salgado. After the show, Belushi and Salgado talked about the blues for hours. Belushi found Salgado's enthusiasm infectious. In an interview at the time with the ''

Eugene Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene ...

'', he said: In an interview with '' Crawdaddy'' he added: Salgado lent him some albums by Floyd Dixon, Charles Brown,

Johnny "Guitar" Watson John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording caree ...

, and others. Belushi was hooked. Belushi began to join Salgado on stage, singing the Floyd Dixon song "Hey, Bartender" on a few occasions, and using Salgado's humorous alternate lyrics to "I Don't Know": These lyrics were used in the band's debut performance on ''SNL''.

Band formation

With the help of pianist-arranger Paul Shaffer, Belushi and Aykroyd started assembling a collection of studio talents to form their own band. These included ''SNL'' band members saxophonist "Blue"

Lou Marini Louis William Marini Jr. (born May 13, 1945), known as "Blue Lou" Marini, is an American saxophonist, arranger, and composer. He is best known for his work in jazz, rock, blues, and soul music, as well as his association with The Blues Brot ...

and trombonist-saxophonist Tom Malone, who had previously played in Blood, Sweat & Tears. At Shaffer's suggestion, guitarist

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, the powerhouse combo from Booker T. & the M.G.'s and subsequently almost every hit out of Memphis' Stax Records during the 1960s, were signed as well. Belushi wanted a powerful

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 ...

player and a hot blues guitarist, so Juilliard-trained trumpeter Alan Rubin was brought in, as was guitarist Matt "Guitar" Murphy, who had performed with many blues legends. For the brothers' look, Belushi borrowed John Lee Hooker's trademark Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses and soul patch. Their style was fresh and in many ways, different from prevailing musical trends: A very raw and "live" sound compared to the increasing use of sound synthesis and vocal-dominated music of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Sound

In ''Stories Behind the Making of The Blues Brothers'', a 1998 documentary included on some DVD editions of the first ''Blues Brothers'' film, Cropper noted that some of his peers thought that he and the other musicians backing the Blues Brothers were

selling out "Selling out", or "sold out" in the past tense, is a common expression for the compromising of a person's integrity, morality, authenticity, or principles by forgoing the long-term benefits of the collective or group in exchange for personal g ...

to Hollywood or using a gimmick to make some quick money. Cropper responded by stating that he thought Belushi was as good as (or even better than) many of the singers he had backed; he also noted that Belushi had, early in his career, briefly been a professional drummer, and had an especially keen sense of

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

Albums, early gigs, character backgrounds

The Blues Brothers recorded their first album, ''

'', in 1978 while opening for comedian Steve Martin at

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

' Universal Amphitheatre. The album reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, went double platinum, and featured Top 40 hit recordings of Sam & Dave's " Soul Man" and The Chips' "

Rubber Biscuit "Rubber Biscuit" is a novelty doo-wop song performed by the vocals-only team the Chips, who recorded it in 1956. It was covered by the Blues Brothers on their 1978 debut album, ''Briefcase Full of Blues'', among many other artists, as well as bein ...

". The album liner notes fleshed out the fictional backstory of Jake and Elwood, having them growing up in a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...

in Rock Island, Illinois and learning the blues from a janitor named Curtis. Their blood brotherhood was sealed by cutting their middle fingers with a string said to come from the

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 string ...

of Elmore James. The band, along with the New Riders of the Purple Sage, opened for the

for the final show at Winterland, New Year's Eve 1978. With the film, came the soundtrack album, which was the band's first studio album. " Gimme Some Lovin'" was a Top 40 hit and the band toured to promote the film, The tour began on June 27, 1980 at Poplar Creek Music Theater. The tour also led to a third album (and second live album), '' Made in America'', recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in 1980. The track "Who's Making Love" peaked at No 39. It was the last recording the band would make with Belushi's Jake Blues. Belushi's wife, Judith Jacklin, and his friend, Tino Insana, wrote a book, '' Blues Brothers: Private'', that further fleshed out the Blues Brothers' universe and gave a back story for the first movie. In 1981, ''

Best of the Blues Brothers ''Best of the Blues Brothers'' is the fourth and final Blues Brothers album released before John Belushi's death in 1982. It is the first compilation album by the band and it was released by Atlantic Records on November 30, 1981. Along with track ...

'' was released, with a previously unreleased track, a version of The Soul Survivors' "

Expressway to Your Heart "Expressway to Your Heart" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by the Soul Survivors. It appeared on their 1967 album, ''When the Whistle Blows Anything Goes'', which was produced by Gamble and Huff. The song reached # ...

", and alternate live recordings of " Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Rubber Biscuit"; this album would be the first of several compilations and hits collections issued over the years. A 1998 British CD compilation, ''The Complete Blues Brothers'', exclusively featured

The Lamont Cranston Band The Lamont Cranston Band is an American blues band, based in Hamel, Minnesota. It was founded in 1969 by brothers Pat and Larry Hayes and continues today with Pat as the band's frontman. The band is named after the alter ego of the pulp hero Th ...

's "Excuse Moi Mon Cheri", from the L.A. ''Briefcase'' recordings, originally available only as the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the "Soul Man" 45 rpm single. On March 5, 1982, Belushi died in Hollywood of an accidental overdose of heroin and cocaine. After Belushi's death, updated versions of the Blues Brothers have performed on ''SNL'' and for charitable and political causes. Aykroyd has been accompanied by

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom '' According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include '' Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security' ...

and

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, ...

in character as "Zee" Blues and "Mighty Mack" McTeer. The copyright owners have also authorized some copycat acts to perform under the Blues Brothers name; one such act performs regularly at the Universal Studios Florida theme park in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

and Universal Studios Hollywood. In 1995, the Band collaborated with the Italian singer Zucchero Fornaciari, who had been invited to the event in memory of John Belushi's 46th birthday. After a concert together, they registered the videoclip of the famous Zucchero song "Per Colpa Di Chi?" at the House of Blues. In 1997, an animated sitcom with Jake and Elwood was planned, but scrapped after only eight episodes were produced. Peter Aykroyd and

replaced their brothers as the voices of Elwood and Jake. To promote ''

'' (1998), Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi and John Goodman performed at the

Super Bowl XXXI halftime show The Super Bowl XXXI halftime show took place on January 26, 1997 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show was titled "Blues Brothers Bash" and featured actors Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, and Jim Belushi as The Blues Broth ...

, along with ZZ Top and James Brown. The performance was preceded with a faux news report stating the Blues Brothers had escaped custody and were on their way to the

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Sain ...

. Aykroyd has continued to be an active proponent of blues music and parlayed this avocation into foundation and partial ownership of the House of Blues franchise, a national chain of nightclubs. In Italy the franchise is now owned by Zucchero, who used the brand during the tour promoting his album '' Black Cat'' of 2016. Jim Belushi toured with the band for a short time as "Zee Blues", and recorded the album '' Blues Brothers and Friends: Live from Chicago's House of Blues'' with Dan Aykroyd. Jim would later reunite with Aykroyd to record yet another album, not as the Blues Brothers but as themselves: ''Belushi/Aykroyd – Have Love Will Travel'' (Big Men-Big Music). In 2004, the musical ''The Blues Brothers Revival'' premiered in Chicago. The story was about Elwood trying to rescue Jake from an eternity in limbo/

purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

. The musical was written and composed with approval and permission from both the John Belushi estate (including his widow, Judith Belushi-Pisano) and Dan Aykroyd. The Blues Brothers featuring Elwood and Zee regularly perform at House of Blues venues and various casinos across North America. They are usually backed by Jim Belushi's Sacred Hearts Band. The Original Blues Brothers Band tours the world regularly. The only original members still in the band are

and

. The lead singers are Bobby "Sweet Soul" Harden, Rob "The Honeydripper" Papparozi and Tommy "Pipes" McDonnel. They are occasionally joined by Eddie Floyd. Aykroyd most recently hosted a radio show as his character Elwood Blues on the weekly ''House of Blues Radio Hour'', heard nationwide on the Dial Global Radio Network until 2017. It has now been succeeded by ''The Sam T. Blues Revue'' which airs Wednesday nights on KHBT.

Films

''The Blues Brothers''

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

, ''The Blues Brothers'', directed by

John Landis John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American comedy and fantasy filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977), ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978 ...

, was released. It featured epic

car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle in pursuit, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive i ...

s involving the

Bluesmobile The Bluesmobile is a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan that was prominently featured in the 1980 Universal Pictures film ''The Blues Brothers''. The car is described as a decommissioned Mount Prospect police car, purchased by Elwood Blues at an auction aft ...

and musical performances by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

, James Brown, Cab Calloway,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

and John Lee Hooker. The story is set in and around

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It is a tale of redemption for the

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

d convict Jake Blues and his brother Elwood, who after a visit to Sister Mary Stigmata ( Kathleen Freeman), otherwise known as "The Penguin" at the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

where they grew up, choose to take on a "mission from God" and reform their old blues band in order to raise funds to save the orphanage. Along the way, the brothers are targeted by a "mystery woman" ( Carrie Fisher) and chased by the

Illinois State Police Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...

, a country and western band called the Good Ol' Boys, and " Illinois Nazis". The film grossed $57 million domestically in its theatrical release, making it the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1980, and grossed an additional $58 million in foreign release.

''Blues Brothers 2000''

With Landis again directing, the sequel to ''The Blues Brothers'' was made in 1998. It fared considerably worse than its predecessor with fans and critics, though it is more ambitious in terms of musical performances by the band and has a more extensive roster of guest artists than the first film. The story picks up 18 years later with Elwood being released from prison, and learning that his brother has died. He is once again prevailed upon to save some orphans, and with a 10-year-old boy named Buster Blues (

J. Evan Bonifant J. Evan Bonifant (born August 19, 1985) is an American actor. As a child actor, he played small parts on television shows such as ''One Life to Live'' and starred in several films, including the lead role in Todd Haynes's ''Dottie Gets Spanked ...

) in tow, Elwood again sets about the task of reuniting his band. He recruits some new singers, Mighty Mack (

) and Cab ( Joe Morton), a policeman who was Curtis' son. All the original band members are found, as well as some performers from the first film, including

and James Brown. There are dozens of other guest performers, including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Floyd,

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bil ...

, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore,

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, ...

and Jonny Lang, Blues Traveler, as well as an all-star supergroup led by B.B. King called the Louisiana Gator Boys. On the run from the police, Russian mafia and a racist

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, the band eventually ends up in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

, where they enter a Battle of the Bands overseen by a voodoo practitioner named Queen Moussette ( Erykah Badu). During a song by the Blues Brothers (a Caribbean number called "Funky Nassau"), a character played by Paul Shaffer asks to cut in on keyboards, which Murph allows. This marks the first time in a film that the Blues Brothers play with their original keyboardist.

Discography

Soundtrack albums

* 1980 – '' The Blues Brothers'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

)

Live albums

* 1978 – ''

'' (

) * 1980 – '' Made in America'' (

) * 1997 – '' Blues Brothers and Friends: Live from Chicago's House of Blues'' (House of Blues)

Compilation albums

* 1981 – ''

'' (

) * 1983 – '' Dancin' Wid Da Blues Brothers'' (

) * 1988 – ''Everybody Needs Blues Brothers'' (

) * 1992 – ''The Definitive Collection'' (

) * 1995 – ''

The Very Best of The Blues Brothers ''The Very Best of The Blues Brothers'' is a 1995 greatest hits album by The Blues Brothers. It is one of several compilations of the band's recordings, following ''Best of The Blues Brothers'' (1981) and '' Dancin' wid da Blues Brothers'' (1983) ...

'' (

/EastWest) * 1998 – ''The Blues Brothers Complete'' (

/EastWest) * 2003 – ''The Essentials'' (

) * 2005 – ''Gimme Some Lovin' & Other Hits'' (Flashback Records) * 2008 – ''American Music Legends'' (Rhino Custom Products/Cracker Barrel Old Country Store) * 2017 – ''An Introduction to Blues Brothers'' (Atlantic Records/

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

) * 2017 – ''Drop the Needle on the Hits: The Best of the Blues Brothers'' (

)

Singles

Other appearances

* 1998 – ''

'' (various tracks) ( Universal Records)

The Elwood Blues Revue

Live albums * 1988 – '' Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary'' (

) (as The Elwood Blues Revue) Other appearances *1988 – '' The Great Outdoors'' soundtrack (

) (as The Elwood Blues Revue) * 1992 – '' Nothing but Trouble (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (Warner Bros / WEA) (as The Elwood Blues Revue)

The Blues Brothers Band

Studio albums * 1992 – ''

Red, White & Blues ''Red, White & Blues'' is the eighth album by The Blues Brothers, released in 1992. It is their first studio album, other than the soundtracks from the movies ''The Blues Brothers'' (1980) and ''Blues Brothers 2000'' (1999). It is also the only ...

'' ( WEA) * 2017 – ''The Last Shade of Blue Before Black'' (The Original Blues Brothers Band, Severn Records) Live albums * 1990 – ''

The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux ''The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux'' is an album by The Blues Brothers band. It was released in 1990 on the heels of the band's reunion tour and it's the first album recorded by the band after the death of founding member John Belushi ...

'' ( WEA) Other appearances: Blue Brothers Horns * 1995 – Jesse "Wild Bill" Austin: ''Baby's Back'' (Roesch Records) * 2000 – Matt "Guitar" Murphy: ''Lucky Charm'' (Roesch Records) * 2014 – Johnny Winter: ''Step Back'' ( Megaforce)

Band members

Original lineup

While not all members appeared in the original film, the full band included: * "Joliet" Jake E. Blues – lead vocals * Elwood J. Blues – harmonica, vocals *

Steve "The Colonel" Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

and rhythm guitar (former Booker T & the M.G.'s) * Matt "Guitar" Murphy –

and rhythm guitar ( Howlin' Wolf, other artists) * 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 ...

(former Booker T & the M.G.'s) * Paul "The Shiv" Shaffer – keyboards, arranger (Saturday Night Live Band, does not appear in the film) * Murphy Dunne – keyboards,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

(appears in the film due to Paul Shaffer's commitment to perform with Gilda Radner in ''Gilda Live!'', and toured with the band in the summer of 1980) * Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin –

(Saturday Night Live Band) * "Blue" Lou Marini –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

(Saturday Night Live Band) * Tom "Triple Scale" Scott –

(does not appear in the film, but played on the soundtrack) *

Tom "Bones" Malone Thomas "Bones" Malone (born June 16, 1947) is an American jazz musician, arranger, and producer. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone but he also plays saxophone, trumpet, tuba, flute, and bass guitar. He has been a member of ...

–

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 ...

(Saturday Night Live Band) * Birch "Crimson Slide" Johnson –

(does not appear in the film) * Willie "Too Big" Hall – drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(formerly of the Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes' band, appears in the film) * Steve "Getdwa" Jordan – drums,

( Saturday Night Live Band, appears only on the albums)

Other members

At times, other members have included: *

(as "Brother" Zee Blues) – vocals *

(as "Mighty Mack" McTeer) – vocals * Buster Blues – harmonica, vocals (acted by

in ''

'', actual harmonica recorded by John Popper) * Joe Morton (as Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain) – vocals * Cab Calloway – vocals (d. 1994) * Larry "T" Thurston – vocals * Eddie "Knock on Wood" Floyd – vocals * Sam "Soul Man" Moore – vocals * Bobby "Sweet Soul" Harden – vocals *

Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 f ...

– harmonica, vocals * Rob "The Honeydripper" Paparozzi – harmonica, vocals * Leon "The Lion" Pendarvis – piano, vocals, arranger * David "Spin" Spinozza – guitar * Danny "G-Force" Gottlieb – drums * Jimmy "Jimmy B" Biggins – saxophone * "Dizzy" Daniel Moorehead – saxophone * Anthony "Rusty" Cloud – clavinet, Wurlitzer, piano and organ * Eric "The Red" Udel – bass * John "Smokin" Tropea – guitar
Jimmy "Mack" Hodge
– guitar * Lee "Funky Time" Finkelstein – drums *

Steve Potts Steve Potts may refer to: *Steve Potts (jazz musician) (born 1943), American jazz saxophonist * Steve Potts (footballer) (born 1967), American-born English football coach and former professional footballer * Steve Potts (drummer), drummer with Book ...

– drums *

Anton Fig Anton Fig (born 8 August 1952 in Cape Town, South Africa), known as "The Thunder from Down Under", is a South African session drummer, perhaps best known as the drummer and second-in-command for Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band ...

– drums * Larry "Trombonius Maximus" Farrell – trombone * Alto Reed – saxophone * Steve "Catfish" Howard – trumpet * Jonny "The Rock & Roll Doctor" Rosch – vocals, harmonica *

Francisco Simon Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

– guitar

Notes

References

External links

Official DVD site

Fan Site
*
House of Blues Radio Hour (Hosted by Dan Aykroyd)

Interview (MP3) with John Belushi biographer Tanner Colby and widow Judith Belushi Pisano
on the public radio program '' The Sound of Young America'' regarding their book, ''Belushi''. Includes clips from Belushi's work on The National Lampoon Radio Hour.
The Blues Brothers DVD
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blues Brothers Bands with fictional stage personas American rhythm and blues musical groups American blues rock musical groups American soul musical groups American musical duos Musical groups from Chicago Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups reestablished in 1988 Atlantic Records artists Booker T. & the M.G.'s Dan Aykroyd

Band history

Origins

Band formation

Sound

Albums, early gigs, character backgrounds

Films

''The Blues Brothers''

''Blues Brothers 2000''

Discography

Soundtrack albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Other appearances

The Elwood Blues Revue

The Blues Brothers Band

Band members

Original lineup

Other members

See also

Notes

References

External links