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Biography <p>What started as a joke <i>on Saturday Night Live</i> turned into million-selling records and a movie featuring comedians John Belushi (Jake Blues) and Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues). In fall 1977 Belushi and Aykroyd concocted the Blues Brothers as a preshow warmup act for <i>SNL</i> studio audiences. Dressed in baggy Fifties-style suits, narrow ties, fedoras, and Ray-Ban sunglasses, Belushi sang Sixties soul songs and Aykroyd played middling harmonica.</p><p>Their top-notch backing band included such Memphis session musicians as guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald &quot;Duck&quot; Dunn (members of Booker T. and the MG's), who'd performed on some of the original hits the Blues Brothers covered (Sam and Dave's &quot;Soul Man&quot; and &quot;Hold On, I'm Comin'&quot;). During a September 1978 engagement opening for comedian Steve Martin in Los Angeles, they recorded <i>Briefcase Full of Blues</i> live. With two hit singles -- &quot;Soul Man&quot; (#14) and &quot;Rubber Biscuit&quot; (#37) -- the album was platinum by 1979. They toured occasionally, particularly to promote their 1980 film &quot;biography,&quot; <i>The Blues Brothers,</i> which grossed over $32 million in its first two months of release. They had further hits with covers of the Spencer Davis Group's &quot;Gimme Some Lovin'&quot; (#18, 1980) and Johnnie Taylor's &quot;Who's Making Love&quot; (#39, 1980). Belushi died in Hollywood of an accidental drug overdose.</p><p>In 1988 the Blues Brothers Band (Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Matt Murphy, Alan Rubin, and Lou Marini) reunited and began touring the world, often with soul singer Eddie (&quot;Knock on Wood&quot;) Floyd. The lineup has expanded to include keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, trombonist Birch Johnson, drummer Steve Potts, and vocalist Larry Thurston. In 1992 this group released <i>Red, White &amp; Blues,</i> on which Aykroyd made a guest appearance.</p><p><b> Formed 1977, New York City, New York</b></p><p><b>Jake Blues (b. John Belushi, Jan. 24, 1949, Chicago, Ill.; d. Mar. 5, 1982, Los Angeles, Calif.), voc.;<br>Elwood Blues (b. Dan Aykroyd, July 1, Ottawa, Can.), harmonica, voc.</b></p><p><b>1978 -- <i>Briefcase Full of Blues</i> (Atlantic) <br>1980 -- <i>Made in America; The Blues Brothers</i> soundtrack <br>1981 -- <i>The Best of the Blues Brothers</i> <br>1992 -- <i>The Definitive Collection </i><br></b></p><p><b>Rolling Stone Press</b></p>