The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack

The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, released on Atlantic Records in 1980. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack

The Blues Brothers really needs no introduction. The 1980 musical comedy classic starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd has become a pop culture phenomenon, with the titular characters spawning a successful 1980 album, a number of live tours, and a subsequent 1998 sequel. The soundtrack to the film was released in June 1980 on Atlantic Records and featured music recorded by Aykroyd and Belushi with several well-known blues and soul artists. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2003, the TV network VH1 ranked The Blues Brothers as the seventy-sixth greatest album of all time.

The Making of The Blues Brothers

The film The Blues Brothers was released in 1980, but the story of how the movie came to be is much earlier. In 1978, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd appeared on Saturday Night Live as musical guests, performing blues songs as “The Blues Brothers.” The characters were so popular that they soon got their own album, Briefcase Full of Blues, which was certified platinum.

After the success of the album, Belushi and Aykroyd decided to turn The Blues Brothers into a full-length movie. They recruited director John Landis and began working on the script. To create the perfect atmosphere for the film, they assembled an all-star cast of musicians, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, and John Lee Hooker.

The film was a commercial success, grossing over $100 million at the box office. The soundtrack was also extremely popular, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In total, six songs from the soundtrack were released as singles, including “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “Sweet Home Chicago.”

The Legacy of The Blues Brothers

The story of The Blues Brothers is as iconic as the movie itself. Originally conceived as a Saturday Night Live sketch, the characters of Jake and Elwood Blues quickly took on a life of their own, culminating in the release of an album and a movie.

The album, titled The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack, was released in 1978 and featured some of the biggest names in blues and soul music at the time, including James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway. The movie, released two years later in 1980, featured even more big names, including John Lee Hooker, Steve Cropper, and Matt “Guitar” Murphy.

The movie was a commercial and critical success, cementing The Blues Brothers as one of the most popular pop culture duos of all time. The soundtrack album was also a success, reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and going platinum three times over.

Nearly 40 years later, The Blues Brothers are still revered by music fans all over the world as one of the greatest musical acts of all time.

The Music of The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, released on Atlantic Records in 1981. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and reached multi-platinum status.

The album features songs performed by actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in character as “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues. It also features appearances by, among others, James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and John Lee Hooker. Most of the songs featured in the film are included on the soundtrack album, with a few notable exceptions.

The album was reissued in 1998 with four bonus tracks, and again in 2003 with eight bonus tracks.

The Influence of The Blues Brothers

The 1980 film The Blues Brothers, starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, had a lasting influence on American music. The movie featured some of the biggest names in blues and soul, including James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. The soundtrack album went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.

The Blues Brothers also spurred a revival of interest in the blues and helped to popularize artists like Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. In the years since the movie’s release, The Blues Brothers have become iconic figures in American pop culture.