Editing The Blues Brothers

{{short description|American blues and soul band}}
{{about|the American band|the 1980 film|The Blues Brothers (film){{!}}''The Blues Brothers'' (film)|other uses|Blues Brothers (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist|<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProjectMusicians -->
| name              = The Blues Brothers
| image             = BluesBrothers.jpg
| caption           = Elwood and Jake Blues and the Bluesmobile
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = [[Calumet City, Illinois]], U.S.
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Blues]]
* [[rhythm and blues]]
* [[Soul music|soul]]
* [[blues rock]]|}}
| years_active      = {{start date|1978}}–1982<br/>1988–present
| label             = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| website           = {{url|https://bluesbrothersofficialsite.com/}}
| current_members   = *[[Dan Aykroyd|Elwood J. Blues]]
*[[Jim Belushi|Zee Blues]]
*''Blues Brothers Band:'' 
*[[Steve Cropper]]
*[[Lou Marini]]
*[[Alan Rubin]]
*Jonny Rosch
*[[Eddie Floyd]]
*[[John Belushi|Jake Blues]]
*[[Donald "Duck" Dunn]]
*[[Steve Jordan (drummer)|Steve Jordan]]
*[[Willie Hall (drummer)|Willie Hall]]
*[[Tom Malone (musician)|Tom Malone]]
*[[Matt Murphy (blues guitarist)|Matt Murphy]]
*[[Paul Shaffer]]
*[[Murphy Dunne]]
*[[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]]
*[[John Goodman|"Mighty Mack" McTeer]]
*[[Larry Thurston]]
*Tommy McDonnell
}}

'''The Blues Brothers''' (formally, '''The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue''') are an American [[blues]] and [[soul music|soul]] revue band founded in 1978 by comedians [[Dan Aykroyd]] and [[John Belushi]], who met and began collaborating as original cast members of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.

The Blues Brothers Musical Revue consisted of lead vocalist "[[Joliet Correctional Center|Joliet]]" Jake Blues (Belushi) and his brother, Elwood (Aykroyd), who played a [[harmonica]] that he carried onstage in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The duo were usually dressed in matching black suits, black pencil ties, black [[Trilby|trilby hats]] and sunglasses. The band itself was carefully constructed, and made up of experienced musicians of the time, including [[Steve Cropper|Steve "The Colonel" Cropper]], [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]], [[Matt "Guitar" Murphy]], [[Lou Marini|"Blue" Lou Marini]], [[Tom Malone (musician)|Tom "Bones" Malone]], and [[Alan Rubin|Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin]].

The act debuted as musical guest on the April 22, 1978 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', hosted by comedian [[Steve Martin]]. After recruiting a full band, the group opened for Martin during a residency at the Universal Amphitheatre in September 1978.  Recordings from those performance were released on November 28 as a live album, ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]''. The album rose to the top of the charts and was a platinum seller. Several subsequent albums followed. The act opened for the [[Grateful Dead]] at the closing of [[Winterland Ballroom|Winterland Arena]] in San Francisco, and gained further fame after spawning the comedy film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' in 1980. They remain the most successful blues revue act of all time.

Belushi died in 1982, but the Blues Brothers continued to perform with a rotation of guest singers and other band members. The band re-formed in 1988 for a world tour and again in 1998 for the sequel film ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]''.

==Band history==
===Origins===
[[File:NROL-7 Mission Patch.png|thumb|262x262px|The Blues Brothers featured on the [[National Reconnaissance Office]] launch number 7 (NROL-7) mission patch]]
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 (SNL)|The Killer Bees]]" sketches.<ref name="Vanity Fair 2013">{{cite news |last=Zeman |first=Ned |date=January 2013 |title=Soul Men: The Making of The Blues Brothers |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/making-of-blues-brothers-budget-for-cocaine |access-date=August 17, 2018 |newspaper=Vanity Fair}}</ref> 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 rock|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 [[blues]]. 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]]'', 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.{{refn|group=note|Aykroyd played with Downchild in the fall of 2009, during the band's 40th anniversary tour: "...when one thinks of blues music in Canada, the first name that springs to mind is DOWNCHILD. It's been 40 years since Donnie 'Mr. Downchild' Walsh and his late brother Hock, formed the renowned group that would be the inspiration for the world famous Blues Brothers. DOWNCHILD plans to celebrate this anniversary in style, with some very special friends—including blues brother and movie icon DAN AYKROYD."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linusentertainment.com:80/downchild/news.php |title=Downchild Announces 40th Anniversary Tour With Very Special Guest Dan Aykroyd |date=2009-07-21 |website=Downchild |publisher=Linus Entertainment |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310153055/http://www.linusentertainment.com/downchild/news.php |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |access-date=March 20, 2021 }}</ref> When the Blues Brothers played the [[Casino Rama]] in 2005, Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh appeared as their guest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/blues-brothers-news/8440-downchild-blues-band-w-elwood.html |title=Downchild Blues Band (w/Elwood) |date=4 August 2009 |website=BluesBrothersCentral.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921064627/http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/blues-brothers-news/8440-downchild-blues-band-w-elwood.html |archive-date=September 21, 2009}}</ref>}} Aykroyd encountered the band in the early 1970s, around the time of his attendance at [[Carleton University]] in [[Ottawa, Ontario]], Canada, and where his interest in the blues developed through attending and occasionally performing at Ottawa's [[Le Hibou Coffee House]]. As Aykroyd described it:

{{blockquote|So I grew up (in Ottawa), in this capital city. My parents used to work for the government, and I went to elementary school, high school, and the university in the city. And there was a place on [[Sussex Drive (Ottawa)|Sussex Drive]] (Sussex Drive is where the Prime Minister's house is, right below [[Parliament Hill]]), and there was a little club there called Le Hibou, which in French means 'the owl.' And it was run by a gentleman named [[CHEZ-FM|Harvey Glatt]], and he brought every, and I mean every blues star that you or I would ever have wanted to have seen through Ottawa in the late '50s, well I guess more late '60s sort of, in around the Newport jazz rediscovery. I was going to Le Hibou and hearing [[James Cotton]], [[Otis Spann]], [[Pinetop Perkins]] and [[Muddy Waters]]. I actually jammed behind Muddy Waters. S. P. Leary left the drum kit one night, and Muddy said 'anybody out there play drums? I don't have a drummer.' And I walked on stage and we started, I don't know, “[[Little Red Rooster]]”, something. He said 'keep that beat going, you make Muddy feel good.' And I heard [[Howlin' Wolf]] (Chester Burnett). Many, many times I saw Howlin' Wolf. And of course [[Buddy Guy]], Buddy Guy and [[Junior Wells]], [[Sonny Terry]] and [[Brownie McGhee]]. So I was exposed to all of these players, playing there as part of this scene to service the academic community in Ottawa, a very well-educated community. Had I lived in a different town I don't think that this would have happened, because it was just the confluence of educated government workers, and then also all the colleges in the area, [[University of Ottawa|Ottawa University]], Carleton, and all the schools—these people were interested in blues culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austinsound.net/author/roger-gatchet/page/2/ |title=Still on a mission from God |first=Roger |last=Gatchet |date=May 18, 2007 |website=Austinsound.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413124119/http://www.austinsound.net/author/roger-gatchet/page/2/ |archive-date=2010-04-13}}</ref>}}

The [[Toronto]]-based Downchild Blues Band, co-founded in 1969 by two brothers, Donnie and [[Richard "Hock" Walsh]], served as an inspiration for the two Blues Brothers characters. Aykroyd modeled [[Elwood Blues]] 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, and [[Curtis Salgado]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography – Curtis Salgado |url=https://www.curtissalgado.com/biography/ |access-date=2023-09-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> In their first album, ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]'' (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]].<ref name=Slotekdon>{{cite web |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/D/Downchild_Blues_Band/2000/02/04/744667.html |title=Bye to blues brother: Downchild's Donnie Walsh talks about late sibling |first=Jim |last=Slotek |date=February 4, 2000 |website=Jam! Music |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717075050/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/D/Downchild_Blues_Band/2000/02/04/744667.html |archive-date=2012-07-17}}</ref> 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]], filming ''[[Animal House|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]]'', he said:
{{blockquote|I was growing sick of [[rock and roll]], it was starting to bore me{{nbsp}}... and I hated [[disco]], so I needed some place to go. I hadn't heard much blues before. It felt good.}}
In an interview with ''[[Crawdaddy (magazine)|Crawdaddy]]'' he added:
{{blockquote|I couldn't stop ''playing'' the stuff! I bought hundreds of records and singles{{nbsp}}... I walked around playing that shit ''all'' the time. And then I knew Danny had played the harp in Canada, and I always could sing, so we created the Blues Brothers.<ref>''Crawdaddy'', December 1978</ref>}}
Salgado lent him some albums by [[Floyd Dixon]], [[Charles Brown (musician)|Charles Brown]], [[Johnny "Guitar" Watson]], and others. Belushi was hooked.<ref>''[[Eugene Register-Guard]]'', January 4, 1979.</ref>

In July 2024, John Belushi's ''[[Facebook]]'' page revealed that Belushi's wife Judith had a prominent role in the development of the Blues Brothers, stating that "Her unwavering dedication and creative genius alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi gave birth to ‘The Blues Brothers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/JohnBelushi/posts/pfbid032FMZXaLW2rjCNrjtiU7Ecs3r89u9w3SNwmsZ8ar5SWzftJfofnFKqWbgUC2bNocrl|title=Today, our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to our sweet Judy. Her unwavering dedication and creative genius alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi gave birth to The Blues Brothers, a timeless testament to the power of music and laughter. In the years following John's passing in 1982, Judy honored his life and championed his legacy and Blues Brothers brand. As we bid farewell, we pledge to continue her work, ensuring that John's legacy, and the Blues Brothers will never fade. There was no one like her. Judy made everyone feel loved. She was nonjudgmental, light, funny and pure. You could be truly yourself around her, that alone was a gift. The Belushi and Pisano families will carry your love in their hearts forever.|first=John|last=Belushi|publisher=Facebook|date=July 6, 2024|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref><ref name=togoodjudy>{{cite news|url=https://wgntv.com/news/deans-list/judith-belushi-pisano-widow-of-chicago-icon-john-belushi-dies-at-73/|title=Judith Belushi Pisano, widow of Chicago icon John Belushi, dies at 73|first=Michael|last=Johnson|publisher=WGN|date=July 8, 2024|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mvtimes.com/2024/07/06/judith-belushi-pisano-passes/|title=Judith Belushi Pisano dies at 73|first=Eunki|last=Seonwoo|publisher=Martha's Vineyard Times|date=July 6, 2024|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref>

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":
{{blockquote|
I said Woman, you going to walk a mile for a [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]]<br/>
or are you going to make like Mr. [[Chesterfield (cigarette)|Chesterfield]] and satisfy?<br/>
She said, that all depends on what you're packing, <br/>
regular or king-size.<br/>
Then she pulled out my [[Jim Beam]] and to her surprise<br/>
It was every bit as hard as my [[Canadian Club]]
}}

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.<ref name="Vanity Fair 2013" /> These included ''SNL'' band members saxophonist "Blue" [[Lou Marini]] and trombonist-saxophonist [[Tom Malone (musician)|Tom Malone]], who had previously played in [[Blood, Sweat & Tears]]. At Shaffer's suggestion, guitarist [[Steve Cropper]] 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]] player and a hot blues guitarist, so [[Juilliard School|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]].

===Sound===
In ''Stories Behind the Making of The Blues Brothers'', a 1998 [[Documentary film|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]] 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]].

===Albums, early gigs, character backgrounds===
The Blues Brothers recorded their first album, ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]'', in 1978 while opening for comedian [[Steve Martin]] at [[Los Angeles]]' [[Gibson Amphitheatre|Universal Amphitheatre]]. The album reached #1 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], went [[RIAA certification|double platinum]], and featured [[Top 40]] hit recordings of [[Sam & Dave]]'s "[[Soul Man (song)|Soul Man]]" and [[The Chips]]' "[[Rubber Biscuit]]".

The album liner notes fleshed out the fictional backstory of Jake and Elwood,<ref name="Vanity Fair 2013" /> having them growing up in a [[Roman Catholic]] [[orphanage]] in [[Rock Island, Illinois]] and learning the blues from a janitor named Curtis. Their [[blood brother]]hood was sealed by cutting their middle fingers with a string said to come from the [[guitar]] of [[Elmore James]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/fitzgerald/12/bio.html |title=Biography of the Blues Brothers from their album, A Briefcase Full of Blues |website=fortunecity.com |access-date=November 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007024814/http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/fitzgerald/12/bio.html |archive-date=2008-10-07}}</ref>

The band, along with the [[New Riders of the Purple Sage]], opened for the [[Grateful Dead]] for the final show at [[Winterland]], New Year's Eve 1978.

With the film came the [[Blues Brothers w/ Ray Charles|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 (The Blues Brothers 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]]'' was released, with a previously unreleased track, a version of [[The Soul Survivors]]' "[[Expressway to Your Heart]]", 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]]'s "Excuse Moi Mon Cheri", from the L.A. ''Briefcase'' recordings, originally available only as the [[A-side and B-side|b-side]] to the "Soul Man" 45 rpm single.

On March 5, 1982, Belushi died in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] of an accidental overdose of [[Speedball (drug)|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]] and [[John Goodman]] 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]] 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 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 [[Jim Belushi]] replaced their brothers as the voices of Elwood and Jake.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472243/episodes |title=The Blues Brothers Animated Series (TV Series 1997– ) |website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>

To promote ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'' (1998), Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi and John Goodman performed at the [[Super Bowl XXXI halftime show]], 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]].

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 (Zucchero 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 showband revue ''The Blues Brothers Revival'' premiered in Chicago. The story was about Elwood trying to rescue Jake from an eternity in [[limbo]]/[[purgatory]]. The revue 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 [[Steve Cropper]] and [[Lou Marini]]. 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.977thebolt.com/bluesrevue |title=The Sam T. Blues Revue |website=977thebolt}}</ref>

==Films==
===''The Blues Brothers''===
{{main|The Blues Brothers (film)}}

In [[1980 in film|1980]], '''''The Blues Brothers''''', directed by [[John Landis]], was released. It featured epic [[car chase]]s involving the [[Bluesmobile]] and musical performances by [[Aretha Franklin]], [[James Brown]], [[Cab Calloway]], [[Ray Charles]] and [[John Lee Hooker]].<ref name="Vanity Fair 2013" /> The story is set in and around [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]. It is a tale of [[Redemption (theology)|redemption]] for the [[parole]]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 [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[orphanage]] where they grew up, choose to take on a "mission from [[God]]" and re-form 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]], a [[country music|country and western]] band called the Good Ol' Boys, and "[[National Socialist Party of America|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.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |title=The Blues Brothers |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluesbrothers.htm | access-date=2008-08-02}}</ref>

===''Blues Brothers 2000''===
{{main|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]]) in tow, Elwood again sets about the task of reuniting his band. He recruits some new singers, Mighty Mack ([[John Goodman]]) 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 [[Aretha Franklin]] and [[James Brown]]. There are dozens of other guest performers, including [[Eric Clapton]], [[Steve Winwood]], [[Junior Wells]], [[Lonnie Brooks]], [[Eddie Floyd]], [[Wilson Pickett]], [[Isaac Hayes]], [[Sam Moore]], [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]] and [[Jonny Lang]], [[Blues Traveler]], as well as an all-star [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] led by [[B.B. King]] called the Louisiana Gator Boys. On the run from the police, [[Russian mafia]] and a [[racism|racist]] [[militia]], the band eventually ends up in [[Louisiana]], where they enter a [[Battle of the Bands]] overseen by a [[Louisiana Voodoo|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.

==Full stage musical==

'''The Blues Brothers Musical''' 

In 2020, the first Blues Brothers full stage musical premiered in Tauranga, New Zealand. Written and directed by New Zealand writers Gordy Lockhart and Liam Hagan and produced by Tauranga Musical Theatre, Lockhart and Hagan spent years in discussions with Judy Belushi prior to signing an agreement with Belushi and Aykroyd to use Blues Brothers intellectual property. 
The main task of the writers was to create a stage show based on a new storyline as complications with rights ownership meant the original movie script could not be adapted for the stage. The result was The Blues Brothers - First Contact. 

'''The Blues Brothers – First Contact'''

''Show Synopsis''

Jake and Elwood Blues are conditionally released from Joliet Detention Facility and are conscripted to the US military on direct orders from the Commander in Chief. 

Five years previously, SETI Project Scientists detected a faint signal from Gamma Proteous 5 in the Carina Nebula. Now, in a highly classified CIA led operation, First Contact and the arrival of alien visitors on Planet Earth is scheduled for 7-23pm on Tuesday 24th August at Area 56 in the Dark Mountains of Global Region Echo. 

However, the President has intelligence that suggests the morale of American forces, Joint Special Forces Operations Command (JSOC), based at Area 56 are at an all-time low.
POTUS believes that following five years of arduous preparation far from home, the appalling quality of entertainment at the region's main base to be the core of the issue. 

His solution? He instructs the Joint Chiefs to find the only musical act that has a hope of raising morale, so saving the world and developing intergalactic relations.

==Discography==

=== Soundtrack albums ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br />
|-
| 1980
| ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)#Soundtrack|The Blues Brothers]]''
| 13
| [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
|}

===Live albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br />
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]''
| 1
| rowspan="2" | [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Made in America (The Blues Brothers album)|Made in America]]''
| 49
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Blues Brothers and Friends: Live from Chicago's House of Blues]]''
| —
|(House of Blues)
|}

===Compilation albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br />
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Best of the Blues Brothers]]''
| 143
| rowspan="4" | [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Dancin' wid da Blues Brothers]]''
| —
|-
| 1988
| ''Everybody Needs Blues Brothers'' 
| —
|-
| 1992
| ''The Definitive Collection''
| —
|-
| 1995
| ''[[The Very Best of The Blues Brothers]]''
| —
| rowspan="2" | Atlantic/EastWest
|-
| 1998
| ''The Blues Brothers Complete''
| —
|-
| 2003
| ''The Essentials''
| —
| Atlantic
|-
| 2005
| ''Gimme Some Lovin' & Other Hits''
| —
| Flashback Records
|-
| 2008
| ''American Music Legends''
| —
| Rhino Custom Products/Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
|-
| 2017
| ''The Blues Brothers: An Introduction''
| —
| Atlantic Records/[[Rhino Records]]
|-
| 2017
| ''Drop the Needle on the Hits: The Best of the Blues Brothers''
| —
| Rhino Records
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| align="left"| "[[Soul Man (song)|Soul Man]]"
| 14
| rowspan="2" align="left" | ''[[Briefcase Full of Blues]]'' (1978)
|-
| align="left"| "[[Rubber Biscuit]]"
| 37
|-
| 1980
| align="left"| "[[Gimme Some Lovin']]{{-"}}
| 18
| align="left"| ''[[The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack]]'' (1980)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| align="left"| "[[Who's Making Love]]"
| 39
| rowspan="2" align="left" | ''[[Made in America (The Blues Brothers album)|Made in America]]'' (1980)
|-
| align="left" | "Going Back to Miami"
| 108
|}

=== Other appearances ===

* 1998 – ''[[Blues Brothers 2000 (soundtrack)|Blues Brothers 2000]]'' (various tracks) ([[Universal Records]])

=== The Elwood Blues Revue ===
'''Live albums'''

* 1988 – ''[[Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary]]'' ([[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]) (as The Elwood Blues Revue)

'''Other appearances'''

*1988 – ''[[The Great Outdoors (film)#Soundtrack|The Great Outdoors]]'' soundtrack ([[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]) (as The Elwood Blues Revue)
* 1992 – ''[[Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)#Music|Nothing but Trouble (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)]]'' (Warner Bros / [[Warner Music Group|WEA]]) (as The Elwood Blues Revue)

=== The Blues Brothers Band ===
'''Studio albums'''
* 1992 – ''[[Red, White & Blues]]'' ([[Warner Music Group|WEA]])<ref name="Red White">{{cite web |title=Red, White & Blues |url=http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/albums.php?album_id=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313031708/http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/albums.php?album_id=7 |archive-date=2009-03-13 |access-date=January 8, 2007 |website=BluesBrothersCentral.com}}</ref>
* 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]]'' ([[Warner Music Group|WEA]])<ref name="Montreaux">{{cite web |title=The Blues Brothers Live in Montreaux |url=http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/albums.php?album_id=6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313031702/http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/albums.php?album_id=6 |archive-date=2009-03-13 |access-date=January 8, 2007 |website=BluesBrothersCentral.com}}</ref>
'''Other appearances: Blue Brothers Horns'''
* 1995 – Jesse "Wild Bill" Austin: ''Baby's Back'' (Roesch Records) ([[Lou Marini]], [[Alan Rubin]] & [[Birch Johnson]])
* 1997 – [[Eddie King (musician)|Eddie King]]: ''Another Cow's Dead'' (Roesch Records) ( [[Lou Marini]], [[Alan Rubin]] & [[Birch Johnson]] plus [[Ronnie Cuber]])
* 2000 – [[Matt "Guitar" Murphy]]: ''Lucky Charm'' (Roesch Records) ([[Lou Marini]], [[Alan Rubin]] & [[Birch Johnson]])
* 2014 – [[Step Back (album)|Johnny Winter: ''Step Back'']] ([[Megaforce Records|Megaforce]]) ([[Lou Marini]] & [[Tom Malone (musician)|Tom Malone]])

==Band members==
===Original lineup===
While not all members appeared in the original film, the full band included:
* [[John Belushi|"Joliet" Jake E. Blues]] – [[lead vocalist|lead vocals]]
* [[Dan Aykroyd|Elwood J. Blues]] – [[blues harp|harmonica]], [[lead vocalist|vocals]]
* [[Steve Cropper|Steve "The Colonel" Cropper]] – [[lead guitar|lead]] and [[rhythm guitar]] (former [[Booker T & the M.G.'s]])
* [[Matt Murphy (blues guitarist)|Matt "Guitar" Murphy]] – [[lead guitar|lead]] and [[rhythm guitar]] ([[Howlin' Wolf]], other artists)
* [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] – [[bass guitar]] (former Booker T & the M.G.'s)
* [[Paul Shaffer|Paul "The Shiv" Shaffer]] – [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[arrangement|arranger]] (Saturday Night Live Band, does not appear in the film)
* [[Murphy Dunne]] – [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[tambourine]] (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 Rubin|Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin]] – [[trumpet]] (Saturday Night Live Band)
* [[Lou Marini|"Blue" Lou Marini]] – [[saxophone]] (Saturday Night Live Band)
* [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom "Triple Scale" Scott]] – [[saxophone]] (does not appear in the film, but played on the soundtrack)
* [[Tom Malone (musician)|Tom "Bones" Malone]] – [[trombone]], [[trumpet]], [[saxophone]] (Saturday Night Live Band)
* [[Birch Johnson|Birch "Crimson Slide" Johnson]] – [[trombone]] (does not appear in the film)
* [[Willie Hall (drummer)|Willie "Too Big" Hall]] – [[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]] (formerly of the [[Bar-Kays]], [[Isaac Hayes]]' band, appears in the film)
* [[Steve Jordan (drummer)|Steve "Getdwa" Jordan]] – [[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]] ([[Saturday Night Live Band]], appears only on the albums)

===Other members===
At times, other members have included:
* [[Jim Belushi]] (as "Brother" Zee Blues) – vocals
* [[John Goodman]] (as "Mighty Mack" McTeer) – vocals
* Buster Blues – harmonica, vocals (acted by [[J. Evan Bonifant]] in ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'', actual harmonica recorded by [[John Popper]])
* [[Joe Morton]] (as Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain) – vocals
* [[Cab Calloway]] – vocals (d. 1994)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/ |title=The Blues Brothers |website=IMDb}}</ref>
* [[Larry Thurston|Larry "T" Thurston]] – vocals
* [[Eddie Floyd|Eddie "Knock on Wood" Floyd]] – vocals
* [[Sam Moore|Sam "Soul Man" Moore]] – vocals
* [[Bobby Harden|Bobby "Sweet Soul" Harden]] – vocals
* Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell – harmonica, vocals
* [[Rob Paparozzi|Rob "The Honeydripper" Paparozzi]] – harmonica, vocals
* [[Don Gregory Blues]] - vocals
* [[Andrea Mingardi]] - harmonica, vocals
* [[Leon Pendarvis|Leon "The Lion" Pendarvis]] – piano, vocals, arranger
* [[David Spinozza|David "Spin" Spinozza]] – guitar
* [[Danny Gottlieb|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 Tropea|John "Smokin" Tropea]] – guitar
* Jimmy "Mack" Hodge – guitar
* Lee "Funky Time" Finkelstein – drums
* [[Steve Potts (drummer)|Steve Potts]] – drums
* [[Anton Fig]] – drums
* Larry "Trombonius Maximus" Farrell – trombone
* [[Alto Reed]] – saxophone
* Steve "Catfish" Howard – trumpet
* Jonny "The Rock & Roll Doctor" Rosch – vocals, harmonica
* Francisco Simon – guitar

==See also==
* [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches|Recurring ''Saturday Night Live'' characters and sketches]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050924163751/http://bluesbrothers.com/ Official DVD site]
* [https://web.facebook.com/thebluesbros Fan Site]
* {{allmusicguide | id = mn0000047421 | label = The Blues Brothers}}
* [http://www.thebluesmobile.com House of Blues Radio Hour (Hosted by Dan Aykroyd)]
* [http://traffic.libsyn.com/media/tsoya/tsoya111905.mp3 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 Inc|National Lampoon]] Radio Hour.
* [https://www.uphe.com/movies/the-blues-brothers The Blues Brothers DVD]

{{The Blues Brothers}}
{{Saturday Night Live}}
{{Tom Scott (saxophonist)}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blues Brothers}}
[[Category:The Blues Brothers| ]]
[[Category:Bands with fictional stage personas]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups]]
[[Category:American blues rock musical groups]]
[[Category:American soul musical groups]]
[[Category:American musical duos]]
[[Category:American comedy musicians]]
[[Category:Fictional siblings]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Chicago]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1976]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1988]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Booker T. & the M.G.'s]]
[[Category:Dan Aykroyd]]