The Blues Brothers: The Wildest, Most Expensive Comedy in Music History
In 1980, after a long and expensive production—largely due to the antics of lead actor John Belushi—the musical comedy The Blues Brothers was released in cinemas around the world.
The film follows two brothers on a mission to “put the band back together again” in order to raise money and save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised by nuns. As they famously put it: “We’re on a mission from God.”
Pursued by the police for unpaid parking tickets and driving without a licence, the brothers travel around the country playing gigs to raise funds for their holy cause.
The film’s soundtrack features covers of soul and blues classics such as She Caught The Katy, Gimme Some Lovin’, Rawhide, Shake a Tailfeather, Everybody Needs Somebody, Think, Minnie the Moocher, Soul Man, Sweet Home Chicago, and Jailhouse Rock.
The cast includes an incredible line-up of musical legends: Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, James Brown, Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn, John Lee Hooker, Joe Walsh, and Chaka Khan.
The two lead characters, played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, were inspired by the soul duo Sam & Dave.
The film became a cult classic and spawned tribute bands that still perform the soundtrack today. It also helped spark a revival of soul and blues music, at a time when disco had just faded and the public was ready for something fresh.
The Blues Brothers remains essential viewing for any musician—rivalled only by The Commitments, released a decade later.
The Blues Brothers Tunes | Related Pages
Gimme Some Lovin’ | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Gimme Some Lovin’ by the Blues Brothers using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | Bb | C | Eb |
So glad we made it. So glad we made it. You’ve got to…
Jailhouse Rock | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Jailhouse Rock by the Blues Brothers using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E | E Eb |
The warden threw a party in the county jail…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Shake A Tail Feather | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Shake A Tail Feather by the Blues Brothers using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D5 (D6) | G (G6) |
Well, I heard about the fellow you’ve been dancin’ with…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Shake A Tail Feather (Ray Charles) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Soul Man | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Soul Man by the Blues Brothers using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, a backing track, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| G G7 G | G G7 G |
Coming to you, on a dusty road…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Soul Man – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Think | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Think by the Blues Brothers using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recordings.
| Bb | Eb Bb |
You better think (think). Think about what you’re trying to do to me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Think (Aretha Franklin) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Blues Brothers on the web
