The Blues Brothers

The band The Blues Brothers was formed in New York, in 1978 by the famous actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Initially, the band was created for the show Saturday Night Life but then it went beyond the TV. The lineup included a big variety of musicians, who managed to record full-time albums.

The Blues Brothers band started as a simple duo of Jake Blues (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd). Josh Belushi was a vocalist, while Aykroyd also sang and played the harmonica. In 1977, the band worked as an opening act to entertain the audience of the popular TV show Saturday Night Live. Since childhood, Dan and John were big fans of blues. Using their experience, the duo managed to create a great impersonation of the golden days of soul and rhythm and blues from the 1950’s. Black large suits, felt hats, thin ties, and sunglasses helped them create a great image.

In the 1970’s when the music industry was torn between punk and pop, The Blues Brothers seemed to be an anachronism. However, their fun-filled and lively performances were gaining great popularity. By using humor and artistic qualities, the band managed to compensate for the music talent limitations. They did their act so well that soon the band became an integral part of Saturday Night Live.

In 1978, The Blues Brothers recorded their first studio album, which included rhythm and blues era hits. In 1979, the LP was certified platinum and two of the songs entered top-20 of Billboard Hot 100. The Blues Brothers became an extremely popular band.

In 1980, the movie The Blues Brothers brought 32 million dollars in just two months. The band members were upfront about their opinions about their work. They readily accepted the fact that they didn’t bring anything new to the industry music-wise. However, they managed to do an immense job making blues popular. They revived the public’s interest in such famous musicians as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and James Brown. When The Blues Brothers were at the peak of their popularity, they performed with the blues industry celebrities, including Steve Cropper, Donald Duck Dunn, and Matt Guitar Murphy. The death of James Belushi put an end to the band’s activities for some time. But 15 years later, they were reborn.