The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack

The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, released on Atlantic Records in June 1980. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Story of The Blues Brothers

The story of The Blues Brothers began in 1978 when John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical act. The characters they created, Jake and Elwood Blues, were brothers who had been orphaned and raised in an orphanage run by Catholic nuns. They had formed a band called “The Blues Brothers” and were dedicated to spreading the blues music they loved.

The sketches they did on Saturday Night Live were so popular that they led to the making of a movie, The Blues Brothers, in 1980. The movie was a huge success and the soundtrack album, which featured a mix of classic blues and R&B songs, was even more successful.

The Blues Brothers became an iconic pop culture phenomenon and their music continues to be enjoyed by fans all over the world.

The Making of The Blues Brothers

The making of The Blues Brothers was a labor of love for all involved. It began as a sketch on Saturday Night Live, but quickly became so much more.

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the stars of the film, were passionate about the music. They recruited some of the best musicians in the business to join them, including John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown.

The result was a movie that was funny and exciting, but also featured some incredible music. The soundtrack album was a huge success, and the songs have become classics.

The Music of The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 film about a pair of ex-convict brothers who embark on a “mission from God” to save the Catholic orphanage in which they were raised. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, and features cameo appearances by many real-life blues and soul musicians. The soundtrack album to the film was released in 1980 and features songs by many of the same artists who appear in the film.

The Songs

The movie The Blues Brothers features some of the most popular and well-known musicians of the time. The film’s soundtrack includes songs like “Rawhide”, “She Caught the Katy”, “Peter Gunn Theme”, and “Minnie the Moocher”. All of these songs were performed by popular artists like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and John Belushi himself. The film also features original songs like “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “Sweet Home Chicago”, which were written specifically for the movie.

The Musicians

Many well-known and respected musicians appeared in The Blues Brothers and contributed to the film’s soundtrack. These musicians included:

-John Lee Hooker
-Aretha Franklin
-Ray Charles
-James Brown
-Cab Calloway
-John Belushi
-Dan Aykroyd
-Steve Cropper
-Matt “Guitar” Murphy

The Legacy of The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues. The film’s soundtrack features several songs by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues artists. Released on June 20, 1980, by Atlantic Records, the film’s double album spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

The filmmakers used an eclectic mix of old blues, R&B, and soul songs written or popularized by such greats as Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker, and Paul Butterfield. The Blues Brothers band also performed songs written by Eric Clapton, Steve Cropper, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Wilson Pickett (with whom they also recorded an album), Elmore James (for whom they named their concert tour), Willie Dixon (“Who Do You Love?”), Lennon–McCartney (“I Saw Her Standing There”), growing up in the Chicago area.

In addition to the original soundtrack release on Atlantic Records (SD 19260), Atlantic released a two-record live album entitled Made in America (SD 2-90003) on October 6th 1980. On May 6th 1997 Rhino Records reissued The Blues Brothers soundtrack on CD with six bonus tracks.