Our Managing Director Leah Gallin is backstage here at BluesFest with some of the original members in The Blues Brothers Band. They are singing a rare poster Leah sourced, it’s an insert from the original program of the cult film, you can see in the movies scene with Aretha Franklin.

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from “The Blues Brothers” recurring musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed. It features musical numbers by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. It features non-musical supporting performances by Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier and John Candy.

The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respectively, as lead vocalist ‘Joliet’ Jake Blues and harmonica player/vocalist Elwood Blues. The band was composed of well-known musicians, and debuted as the musical guest in a 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live, opening the show performing “Hey Bartender”, and later “Soul Man”.

With the help of pianist-arranger Paul Shaffer (Letterman Show), Belushi and Aykroyd started assembling a collection of studio talents to form their own band. These included SNL band members saxophonist “Blue” Lou Marini and trombonist-saxophonist Tom Malone, who had previously played in Blood, Sweat & Tears. At Shaffer’s suggestion guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, the powerhouse combo from Booker T and the M.G.’s and subsequently almost every hit out of Memphis’ Stax Records during the 1960s, were signed as well. Juilliard-trained trumpeter Alan Rubin was brought in, as was guitarist Matt “Guitar” Murphy, who had performed with many blues legends.