The Blues Brothers

Genres:	Blues • Pop / Rock • R&B / Soul • Television
Descriptive "tags":	blues • rhythm and blues • soul • rock • soundtrack
Decades Active:	1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s

Biography

Formed in 1978, this US group was centred on comedians John Belushi (24 January 1949, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 5 March 1982, Los Angeles, California, USA) and Dan Aykroyd (b. 1 July 1952, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Renowned for contributions to the satirical National Lampoon team and television’s Saturday Night Live, the duo formed this 60s-soul-styled revue as a riposte to disco. Assuming the epithets Joliet ‘Jake’ Blues (Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Aykroyd), they embarked on live appearances with the assistance of a crack backing group, which included Steve Cropper (guitar), Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn (bass) and Tom Scott (saxophone). Briefcase Full Of Blues topped the US charts, a success that in turn inspired the movie The Blues Brothers (1980). Although reviled by several music critics, there was no denying the refreshing enthusiasm the participants brought to R&B and the venture has since acquired a cult status. An affectionate, if...

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