The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers was a rhythm and blues band fronted by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in character. Belushi (as vocalist Joliet Jake Blues) and Aykroyd (as harpist Elwood Blues) were both members of the original cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The Blues Brothers and their alternate identities first appeared in 1977

How the band was formed

The genesis of the Blues Brothers could be found in a January 1976 SNL 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 harp, dressed in the bee costumes they wore for the "Killer Bees" sketch.

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In the January 4, 1979 edition of the Eugene Register-Guard, an article provides key details about the real origins of Belushi's serious interest in blues music. Belushi was in Eugene, Oregon, filming National Lampoon's Animal House. In October 1977, 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, interviewed for the article, found Salgado's enthusiasm infectious, saying:

Related Topics:
January 4 - 1979 - Eugene Register-Guard - Eugene, Oregon - National Lampoon's Animal House - Curtis Salgado

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:I was kind of sick of rock and roll and I hated disco, so I needed some place to go. I hadn't heard much blues before. It felt good.

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

Related Topics:
Floyd Dixon - Charles Brown - Johnny "Guitar" Watson

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Belushi began to appear with Salgado on stage, singing the Floyd Dixon song "Hey, Bartender" on a few occasions. He used Salgado's humorous alternate lyrics to "I Don't Know" that Salgado used in his act. Salgado gave the innuendo-laden lyrics to him:

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:I said Woman, you going to walk a mile for a Camel

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:Or are you going to make like Mr Chesterfield and satisfy?

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:She said That all depends on what your packing

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:Regular or kingsize

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:Then she pulled out my Jim Beam, and to her surprise

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:It was every bit as hard as my Canadian Club.

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In the Blues Brothers debut SNL performance, he used the lyrics, and also borrowed Salgado's trademark shades and soul patch for his Jake Blues character.

Related Topics:
Shades - Soul patch

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Belushi made it a point to credit Salgado whenever he could, dedicating the first Blues Brother album to Salgado, and sending him a photo of Belushi and Aykroyd in character, writing on it "Without you, we'd still be just TV actors." They regularly used his name in the introdution of their live show.

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