The Blues Brothers: An SNL Skit Turned Musical Phenomenon—The Daily Earworm
How did a 1978 sketch on Saturday Night Live turn into a musical and cultural phenomenon? How did Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi turn a Sam & Dave song on a late-night sketch comedy show into an empire that included albums, tours, movies, a musical, and more? Today, the Daily Earworm examines the story behind the legend that is the Blues Brothers.
How It All Began
The origin story of the Blues Brothers starts before Saturday Night Live. Aykroyd and Belushi actually met in the former’s native Canada, in a club where the Downchild Blues Band was playing over the sound system. Aykroyd had been a blues fan, but Belushi was into rock and metal. That meeting created a spark that would eventually ignite into a flame.
Talk of the duo creating a blues band together grew from that meeting and furthered as the two hung out with the SNL cast and crew in a blues club after tapings. The deciding moment for Belushi came when he was filming “National Lampoon’s Animal House” in Eugene, Oregon, between SNL seasons. He heard blues singer/harmonica player Curtis Salgado play at a hotel there, and he was hooked. He sat and talked with Salgado for hours, and the musician lent him some albums to listen to. It would not be long before Belushi had purchased hundreds of albums of his own.
Back on the set of SNL, band leader Howard Shore, Aykroyd, and Belushi hatched a plan, one that was furthered in their post-taping blues club loungings. Soon, the Blues Brothers act was born. Belushi had been a part of the recurring “Killer Bees” sketches. The three steered that series into this musical performance:
Video footage courtesy of NBC and Jednooki Jack on Vimeo.
That landmark sketch led to the one that everyone remembers. Shore and Paul Shaffer recruited musicians, Aykroyd and Belushi shed the bee costumes, and this magic was the result:
The Blues Brothers were introduced, and out they came in their trademark black suits, shades, and hats, with Aykroyd handcuffed to a briefcase containing his harmonica. The music hit, and they broke into their patented dance moves. Along with the band, they proceeded to tear it up, performing the Sam & Dave classic “Soul Man.” The Blues Brothers had arrived.
The Blues Brothers Hit Number One
From that dynamic moment on April 22, 1978, it would be only a few short months until Belushi and Aykroyd, along with their hand-picked band, released their live debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues. Recorded live on September 9, 1978, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles (when the band opened for comedian Steve Martin), the album featured covers of blues and soul standards from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Briefcase Full of Blues rocketed to the top of the Billboard 200 and quickly was certified double-platinum. The band finished out 1978 by opening for the Grateful Dead at the closing of Winterland Arena in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.
“The Blues Brothers” Movie (1980)
Briefcase Full of Blues’ liner notes fleshed out the storied history of “Joliet” Jake Blues (Belushi) and his brother Elwood Blues Aykroyd). That story would soon become the basis for the 1980 film simply titled “The Blues Brothers.” There was nothing simple about the movie, though—car chases/crashes, explosions, jilted lovers, gunfire, ticked-off country western bands, Illinois Nazis—the movie had it all.
Most importantly, the film had music and stars. The soundtrack, featuring classics like “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Gimme Some Lovin’,” peaked at #13 on the charts and was certified platinum in seven countries. As for stars, who wasn’t in “The Blues Brothers”? Beyond the band, there were music stars like James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Joe Walsh, and Cab Calloway. The film had a plethora of big-name actors and industry icons, as well, although some had not yet hit it big. John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steve Lawrence, Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman), Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, John Landis, and ’60s supermodel Twiggy all had roles.
The Blues Brothers Become a Nationwide Phenomenon
A week after the movie hit theatres, The Blues Brothers went on tour. During the tour, the band recorded its second live album, Made in America, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. By this time, the band had become pop culture icons. People performed in high school talent shows as Jake and Elwood Blues. They still dress as the duo for Halloween. Fans bought movie and concert posters, albums, replica Bluesmobiles, collectable figurines, action figures, toys, and Blues Brothers and Ray’s Music Exchange t-shirts, and still do.
A Lasting Legacy
Though Belushi died tragically in 1982, fans still clamoured for more. A second movie was made, Blues Brothers 2000, starring Aykroyd, John Goodman, Joe Morton, and another who’s who of musicians. More albums were released. The band continued to perform with Belushi’s brother Jim and John Goodman filling in on lead vocals. Licensed tribute bands still perform at Universal Studios theme parks. Both movies still air frequently, and new generations of fans continue to recite lines from the original. There was an animated series. There was even a full stage musical in New Zealand for a while.
Belushi, Cab Calloway, Steve Cropper, and others may be gone now, but the legend of the Blues Brothers lives on. The movies, the music, and all the pop culture references continue to stand the test of time.
The Daily Earworm is a daily column that tells the stories, from the historic to the lesser-known, of some of the music industry’s greatest songs, albums, and artists. Here are some other music tales that you may find interesting:
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