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*In the 2005 film ''[[Fun with Dick and Jane (2005 film)|Fun with Dick and Jane]]'', one of the disguises worn by Dick and Jane are matching Blues Brothers' outfits.
*In the 2005 film ''[[Fun with Dick and Jane (2005 film)|Fun with Dick and Jane]]'', one of the disguises worn by Dick and Jane are matching Blues Brothers' outfits.
*In the Italian film ''[[Caterina in the Big City ]]'' an Australian boy who lives near Caterina has a cardboard cut-out of Jake and Elwood.
*In the Italian film ''[[Caterina in the Big City ]]'' an Australian boy who lives near Caterina has a cardboard cut-out of Jake and Elwood.
*The [[anime]] [[musical comedy]] TV series [[Nerima Daikon Brothers]] is about fat and skinny bothers and their cousin who are in a band, wear dark suits and try to raise money to build concert dome to perform in.


===Video games===
===Video games===

Revision as of 14:37, 5 March 2007

This article is about the rhythm and blues band. For the film and other uses, see Blues Brothers (disambiguation).
The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers are an American rhythm and blues band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. Belushi and Aykroyd, respectively in character as lead vocalist "Joliet" Jake Blues and harpist/vocalist Elwood Blues, fronted the band, which was composed of well-known and respected musicians. The band made its debut as the musical guest on the April 22, 1978, episode of Saturday Night Live.

The band then began to take on a life beyond the confines of the television screen, releasing an album, Briefcase Full of Blues, in 1978, and then having a Hollywood film, The Blues Brothers, created around its characters in 1980.

After the death of Belushi in 1982, the Blues Brothers have continued to perform with a rotation of guest singers and other band members. The original band reformed in 1988 for a world tour and again in 1998 for a sequel to the film, Blues Brothers 2000. It makes regular appearances at musical festivals worldwide.

Band members

Original lineup

While not all members appeared in the original film, the full band included:

File:Bluesbrothersjail.JPG
The band in the 1980 film performs "Jailhouse Rock" in prison, from left, Steve Cropper, Matt Murphy, Elwood Blues, Willy Hall, Duck Dunn, Jake Blues, Bones Malone, Alan Rubin and Blue Lou.

Other members

At various times, the following have been part of the act:

Band history

Origins

The genesis of the Blues Brothers was a January 1976 Saturday Night Live skit. 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" sketch.

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 mainly for the purpose of parking his Harley Davidson motorcycle. The bar cost less than a parking spot.[citation needed] Dan and John filled a jukebox with songs from many different artists such as Sam and Dave and the Viletones punk band. John bought an amplifier and they kept some musical instruments there for anyone who wanted to jam. It was here that Dan wrote a lot of the initial story draft of 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. Even though Belushi was from Chicago he was not familiar with such music. An interest soon became a fascination and it wasn't long before the two began singing with local blues bands. Jokingly, SNL band leader Howard Shore suggested they call themselves "The Blues Brothers".

Belushi's budding interest in the blues solidified in October 1977 when he was in Eugene, Oregon, 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 he said:

I was growing sick of rock and roll, it was starting to bore me...and I hated disco, so I needed some place to go. I hadn't heard much blues before. It felt good.

Salgado lent him some albums by Floyd Dixon, Charles Brown, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and others. Belushi was hooked.[1]

Belushi began to appear with 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":

I said Woman, you going to walk a mile for a Camel
Or are you going to make like Mr. Chesterfield and satisfy?
She said that all depends on what you're packing
Regular or king-size
Then she pulled out my Jim Beam, and to her surprise
It was every bit as hard as my Canadian Club.

These lyrics were used again for 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 and trombonist-saxophonist 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 and the M.G.'s and subsequently almost every hit out Memphis' Stax Records during the 1960s, were signed as well.

Belushi wanted a powerful trumpet player and a hot blues guitarist, so Juilliard-trained trumpeter Alan Rubin was brought in, as was guitarist Matt Murphy, who had performed with many blues legends.

For the brothers' look, Belushi borrowed John Lee Hooker's trademark sunglasses and soul patch. The suits were inspired by beatnik fashion, as well as the modern mythic image of the "Men in Black".

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 80s.

The sound

While the music of the Blues Brothers is based on R&B, blues, and soul, it also drew heavily on rock and jazz elements, usually taking a blues standard and bringing a rock sound and style to it. The band could be drawn into three sections: the four-man horn section, the traditional rock instruments of the five-man rhythm section, and the two singing brothers. The sound of the band was a synthesis of two different traditions: the horn players all came from the clean, precise, jazz-influenced sound of New York City; while the rhythm section came from the grittier soul and blues sound of Chicago and Memphis. The success of this meld was due both to Shaffer's arrangements and to the musicians' talents.

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

The album liner notes fleshed out the fictional back story of Jake and Elwood, having them growing up in a Roman Catholic orphanage 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 of Elmore James.[2]

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 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, which 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 was released; this album would be the first of several compilations and hits collections issued over the years.

1982 and beyond

On March 5, 1982, John 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 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 1988, Cropper, Dunn, Murphy, and others re-formed The Blues Brothers Band for a world tour. They released an album of new material in 1992 entitled Red White and Blues, which included a guest appearance from Elwood Blues.

In 1997, an animated sitcom with Jake and Elwood was planned, but scrapped after only eight episodes were produced. [1]

To promote Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and John Goodman performed at the halftime of Super Bowl XXXI, 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 raucous innuendo-laden performance was considered somewhat scandalous at the time.

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, an international chain of nightclubs. In character as Elwood, he also hosts the syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour.

John Belushi's brother, James Belushi, toured with the band for a short time as "Zee Blues", and recorded the album, Blues Brothers & Friends: Live from House of Blues, with Dan Aykroyd but he didn't appear in "Blues Brothers 2000". It's rumored he was approached to play not the role of "Mighty Mack" (played by John Goodman), but the role of the local Sheriff "Cab" Chamberlain (which eventually went to Joe Morton). 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. The musical was written and composed with approval and permission from both the John Belushi estate (including his widow, Jackie 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 James Belushi's Sacred Hearts Band.

The Blues Brothers Band tours the world regularly. The only original members still in the band are Steve Cropper, Lou Marini, and Alan Rubin. The lead singer is Rob "The Honeydripper" Paparozzi, and they are frequently joined by Eddie Floyd.

Films

The Blues Brothers

Main article: The Blues Brothers (film)

In 1980, The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis, was released. Featuring epic car chases involving the Bluesmobile and musical performances by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker, the story is set in and around Chicago, Illinois. It is a tale of redemption for the paroled convict Jake Blues and his brother Elwood as they decide to take on a "mission from God" and reform their blues band in order to raise funds to save the Roman Catholic orphanage where they grew up. Along the way, the brothers are targeted by a "mystery woman" (Carrie Fisher) and chased by the Illinois State Police, a country and western band called the 'Good ol' Boys' and "Illinois Nazis". The film had a limited run when it was screened theatrically, but has since become popular through television, home video and late-night cinema screenings. It is the second-highest grossing film based on a "Saturday Night Live" sketch and sixth-highest grossing musical film.[3]

Blues Brothers 2000

Main article: Blues Brothers 2000

With Landis again directing, the sequel to The Blues Brothers was made in 1998. It fared considerably poorer 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. He is once again prevailed upon to save some orphans, and with a 10-year-old boy named Buster Blues 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 Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Sam Moore, Taj Mahal and Jonny Lang, 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, the band eventually ends up in Louisiana, 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.

Video games

Main article: The Blues Brothers (video game)

A video game involving the characters was made for various platforms by Titus. The same company produced another video game for the Gameboy, PC and Super NES. A Nintendo 64 game titled Blues Brothers 2000 was also released.

The Blues Brothers Bar

The Blues Brothers Bar was an illegal basement tavern operated on Wells Street In Chicago's Old Town in the 1970s and 1980s which was started by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. The Bar was down the street from The Second City theater. In the DVD commentary of the film Thief (a film shot in Chicago in 1981), James Caan mentions the bar. The bar was run by a college friend whom Belushi met at College of DuPage, the friend often operated as a bouncer. As the bar was unlicensed, alcohol was bought by the purchase of 'tickets' which were then traded to the bartender for the drinks.

There have been many takeoffs and parodies of the Blues Brothers, most notably in the Chicago area.

Sports

  • During their drive to the Super Bowl in 1985, the Chicago Bears, members of the "Black and Blue Division" of the NFL, issued a poster of nine of their offensive linemen wearing sunglasses and black hats. The poster was titled, "The Black and Blues Brothers". The poster was an incredible success, and led to a series of similarly-themed television commercials which parodied scenes from the movie. The catch phrase of the commercials was, "We're on a mission", eliminating the "from God" portion of the original phrase.
  • The Chicago Cubs produced a TV ad similar to the movie scene in which the brothers arrive at a brownstone apartment seeking some former band members. When the landlady asks, "Are you the police?" they answer, "No, ma'am, we're Cubs fans". Then they launch into a parody of "Soul Man": "Comin' to ya... In the summertime... Cubs baseball... Here on Channel 9... I'm a Cubs fan... I'm a Cubs fan..."
  • A similar idea was used in a Budweiser ad campaign featuring Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray in the Blues Brothers costume, also known as the "Cubs Fan Bud Man" campaign.
  • During the Oakland Athletics' run of success from 1988 to 1992, sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire were tagged "the Bash Brothers" and appeared in Blues Brothers costumes for a promotional poster.
  • During the early 80s, the San Antonio Spurs featured George Johnson, Dave Corzine, Kevin Restani, Paul Griffin, Mark Olberding, and Reggie Johnson. For their defensive prowess in rebounds and blocked shots, they were referred to as the "Bruise Brothers."
  • While the NBA's Chicago Bulls were making their championship runs in the 1990s, an act called "the Bulls Brothers" often performed at halftime, with the performers bearing striking resemblances to Belushi and the younger, thinner Aykroyd.
  • In college basketball, some schools have students who do routines at big games dressed as the Blues Brothers. This has been a tradition at North Carolina Tar Heels basketball games for a number of years.
  • At a select football game every year at the University of Michigan, the Michigan Marching Band performs its famous "Compression Drill" (also known as "the Cake") as they play "Can't Turn You Loose." Band announcer Carl Grapentine introduces the song with a variation of Elwood's famous introduction, ending with "And now, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jamie Nix and his blues band!"

Films and television

Video games

  • The Blues Brothers make two – albeit unnamed – appearances in the Space Quest video game series. They are seen performing in a bar in both versions of the game. Attempting to talk to them in the 1991 version ellicits the respone, "They don't have the time to talk to you, they're on a mission from God." One character is tall and thin, the other short and fat, both dressed identical to the Blues Brothers. In the Space Quest IV sequel, the player is returned to the same cantina via a time travel pod. The exact same set is shown with the same characters dancing and singing the same tunes.
  • In Bully civilian cars bear the license plate number of the Bluesmobile(BDR 529)

Music

Trivia

Discography

References

  1. ^ This is detailed in an article in the January 4, 1979, edition of the Eugene Register-Guard.
  2. ^ Biography of the Blues Brothers from their album, A Briefcase Full of Blues, retrieved on November 30, 2006.
  3. ^ "Box Office Mojo". The Blues Brothers. Retrieved December 16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ The Blues Brothers Live in Montreaux, BluesBrothersCentral.com (retrieved on January 8, 2007).
  5. ^ Red, White & Blues, BluesBrothersCentral.com (retrieved on January 8, 2007).
  6. ^ The Blues Brothers Complete, BluesBrothersCentral.com (retrieved on January 8, 2007).
  7. ^ The Essential Blues Brothers, BluesBrothersCentral.com (retrieved on January 8, 2007).
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