Featuring
Steve
"The Colonel" Cropper - Guitar
Donald "Duck" Dunn - Bass
Matt "Guitar" Murphy - Guitar
Lou "Blue Lou" Martini - Sax
Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin - Trumpet
Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell - Vocals
Leon Pendarvis - Organ
Birch "Slide" Johnson - Trombone
Steve Potts - Drums
With
Special Guest
Eddie "Knock on Wood" Floyd - Vocals
The
Blues Brothers Band is alive and well. Five
original members hand-picked by John Belushi
And Dan Aykroyd have assembled the ultimate
rhythm and blues review and have emerged as a
powerful entity in their own right. The Blues
Brothers Band is best known for the Universal
Pictures feature film "The Blues
Brothers" and the Atlantic Record
triple-platinum album "Briefcase Full Of
Blues."
Steve
Cropper and Duck Dunn played on their first
hit for Stax Records When they were still in
high school in Memphis in 1961 with "Last
Night" by the Markees. The next year they
teamed up with Booker T. Jones to form Booker
T. and the MG's. They had a string of hits
including "Green Onions," "Hip
Hug Her," and "Time is Tight."
The MG's became the staff rhythm for Stax
Records. They played on such hits as
"I've Been Loving You Too Long,"
"Respect," and "Dock of the
Bay," for Otis Reading; "In the
Midnight Hour" for Wilson Pickett;
"You Don't Know Like I Know,"
"Hold on, I'm Comin'" and "Soul
Man" for Sam and Dave.
In
1968, a young singer-songwriter, named Eddie
Floyd, came to Detroit from Memphis and teamed
up with the MG's. He soon hit the charts with
"Knock On Wood" written by Floyd and
Cropper. Eddie also wrote such hits as
"643-5789" and "Ninety-Nine and
a Half"(Wilson Pickett), "Do the
Breakdown"(Rufus Thomas) and "Raise
Your Hand"(Bruce Springsteen)
When
John Belushi was putting the band together he
consulted blues songwriter Doc Pomus. Doc
described Matt "Guitar" Murphy as
"the best living blues guitar
player," John called Matt and hired him
immediately. Matt "Guitar" Murphy
was born and raised in Sunflower County,
Mississippi. He moved to Memphis as a young
man and later to Chicago where he met and
played with Memphis Slim, Chuck Berry, James
Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon,
Etta James and other legendary blues
musicians.
In
1975, Lou "Blue Lou" Martini and
Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin became
part of the horn section for the TV comedy
show "Saturday Night Live." John
Belushi, an actor in the show, loved hearing
the horn section for "SNL" play with
such artists as Joe Cocker, Aretha Franklin,
Jimmy Cliff, The Band, Dr, John, and Chuck
Berry. Belushi Chose Lou and Alan to be the
Blues Brothers horns.
Since
regrouping in 1988, the band has triumphantly
performed each year in international venues
large and small. In Europe the band played an
unprecedented three sold-out nights in Paris'
prestigious Olympia Theatre where the seats
were removed for the first time in the history
of the theatre to accommodate the excitement
exchanged between the band and the audience
during their performance. They have headlined
at most of the Jazz and Blues Festivals
throughout Europe such as Nimes Fair, France;
North Sea Jazz Festival, The Netherlands;
Pistoia Blues Festival, Italy; Montreux Jazz
Festival in Switzerland; and to audiences
estimated up to 80,000 in one performance.
The
Blues Brothers Band's album "Live in
Montreux" was recorded at the Montreux
Jazz Festival and is available on WEA, as is
their second album "Red, White, and
Blues" which featured guest Dan
"Elwood Blues" Aykroyd on vocals and
harmonica.
Recent
highlights of the Blues Brothers
"Mission" include performing in
Atlanta coinciding with the Grand Opening of
the Summer Olympics, headlining in the Super
Bowl in New Orleans along with James Brown and
ZZ Top and starring in their full length film
"Blues Brothers 2000" with Dan
"Elwood Blues" Aykroyd and John
"Mighty Mack Blues" Goodman.
Steve
Cropper (Guitar)
Whenever one hears Sam and Dave or Jack Blues
shout "Play it, Steve" in the
towering '60's hit "Soul Man," It
can only mean MG Steve Cropper, Stax Records
house producer and author of more than 400
songs. One of the legends of rock 'n' soul,
Cropper has collaborated with Otis Reading,
Wilson Pickett, Booker T. Jones, Nashville's
Razzy Balley, and Eddie Floyd, among others.
He has also scored several motion pictures.
Recently, he toured with Jimmy Buffet, Dave
Edmunds, and the reunited MG's during time off
from The Blues Brothers Band. "It's like
a beautiful dream, playing the music I love
for so many people all over again,"
Cropper says, "And Duck and I have each
other's move's down to a tee. When we lock in
we can really kick with this band." In
January, 1992, Cropper and the rest of the
MG's were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall
Of Fame.
Matt
"Guitar" Murphy (Guitar)
The first musician hired by John Belushi
(a.k.a. Jake Blues) to play in The Blues
Brothers Band, Matt Murphy is no less than one
of the greatest blues guitar players ever.
Born in the Mississippi Delta, raised in
Memphis, and musically bred in post-war
Chicago, he has played behind stellar talent
including Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Etta
James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim,
Chuck Berry, James Cotton, and many others. He
also leads his own band. "I never said
that I couldn't learn anymore," Murphy
says of his longevity, "I'm always trying
to improve, to bring something new to my
playing." And The Blues Brothers Band he
notes, "is about togetherness. Each of us
gets to show our stuff, but this is truly a
group effort. This is a great band."
Lou
"Blue Lou" Martini (Saxophone)
Founding Blues Brother Lou Martini starting
out playing clarinet in his native Ohio.
Encouraged by his father, a saxophonist, he
discovered Stan Getz and formed his own band
at age 13. "I was a Jazzer until I went
to school in Texas," Martini Recalls.
"Then I tasted the R&B scene in
Dallas and I fell in love with the way the
R&B crowd love to shake their ass. That
deep groove got to me, the way people were
bopping." In New York, Martini became a
sought-after session player recording with
such diverse acts as Dr. John, The Band, Eric
Clapton, Woody Herman, Frank Zappa, Eddie
Palmieri, et al. And he was a mainstay of the
SNL band for nine years. "It's sort of
mysterious the way things worked. The Blues
Brothers started as a warm up for the show.
But we couldn't put out the fire. It got too
hot."
Alan
"Mr. Fabulous" Rubin (Trumpet)
Like Lou Martini, Brooklyn-born Alan Rubin was
hand-picked to be a Blues Brothers horn by
John Belushi. Classically trained at Julliard
but self schooled in the music of Clifford
Brown and Miles Davis, Rubin in the 1970's
staked out a lucrative career as a session
player and joined the SNL band. The Blues
Brothers, then and now, astounds him.
"The sound was/is ferocious," he
says. "We are essence players, we go for
the jugular. I get on the bandstand and
something happens. It comes from a deep, dark,
magical place, we take each other to new
levels. We're very proud players. Being a
Blues Brother is a very Zen experience."
Tommy
McDonnell (Vocalist)
Tommy McDonnell grew up on the streets of New
York City's East Bronx. His Mother, a singer
and Rockette introduced him to the joys of
performance at a young age. By ten years old,
Tom began studying drums and by age 15 was
already performing in an established band. Ten
years later, Tommy decided to step out from
behind his drums and embark on a singing
career that met instant success. His first
solo recording, "Never Gonna Leave
You" with the SOS Allstars immediately
put him on the charts, and what followed was a
string of sessions with some of today's finest
musicians, including David Spinozza, Will Lee,
Dave Weckl and Steve Kahn. Tommy's unique
vocal style, uncanny sense of melody, and
heartfelt interpretation bring a familiar, yet
fresh and current dimension to the stage.
Birch
"Slide" Johnson (Trombone)
As a boy in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Birch Johnson
worked in a drumstick factory to pay for his
first trombone. His father was a Dixieland
trumpet player while the radio gave him rock
'n' roll. Johnson studied and played music in
college and eventually came to New York, where
he settled into the studio circuit scoring TV
themes, movie soundtracks, and appearances on
"Saturday Night Live." Recruited to
join the Blues Brothers horns, Birch soon
reached new heights. "Part of the thrill
is the sound is still new to me, the
showmanship, the intensity, the whole product
makes me want to go for the throat. It's like
a gator grabbing at your leg, this band won't
let go."
Leon
Pendarvis (Keyboards)
Leon is a New York music heavyweight. Besides
playing in the "Saturday Night Live"
band for the past 13 years, his credits
include arranging, writing and playing for
such stars as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye,
Patti Labelle, Roberta Fleck, Eric Clapton,
Chaka Kahn, Quincy Jones, Michael Bolton, and
Paul Simon. Through his own Pinwheel
Productions he has also produced albums by New
York Voices, Taj Mahal, Jesse Roden as well as
hundreds of national commercials. Growing up
in the Carolinas, Pendarvis studied piano with
his mother. At college, he learned several
instruments, and cut his teeth by playing in
clubs. "The very first time I played with
the Blues Brothers Band was a moment of truth
for me," Pendarvis recalls, "I start
jamming on the B-3 organ, and Matt Murphy
jumps up and yells, 'Oh, we're gonna have some
fun now!' and that's how it's been."
Steve
Potta (Drummer)
The new drummer for the Blues Brothers Band
comes with a perfect pedigree. Born and raised
in Memphis, he's a distant relative of the
late Al Jackson Jr., timekeeper of the
original Booker T. and the MG's. For years,
Potts was the right arm for Willie Mitchell at
HI Records in Memphis, supporting sessions for
Al Green, O.V. Wright and Otis Clay. More
recently, he performed on the album by
"Pops" Staples and at a 25th
Anniversary concert gala for the Memphis
Horns. Potts, now a regular on tour with The
Blues Brothers Band, is a consummate drummer
extraordanaire.
Eddie
Floyd (Special Guest Vocals)
Eddie is a very special link to the authentic
Stax sound. The originator of "Knock on
Wood", "Raise Your Hand,"
"Big Bird," and "Never Found a
Girl," today, his music live on with a
new generation of listeners. "It makes me
feel stronger about what we do," he says,
"Maybe the kids expect to see an old man
on crutches, but there's so much excitement
for me to draw on, I'll just keep getting
younger. It's The Blues Brothers that keeps me
going. And that's why I love 'em to
death."
Donald
"Duck" Dunn (Bass) Whenever
"Duck" Dunn steps on stage, he
brings a slice of pop music history. As a
member of Booker T. and the MG's with Steve
Cropper, the baby-faced bassist was a major
architect of the classic sound. "With The
Blues Brothers, it's easy to drift off and
think about the good old days," Says
Dunn, "The way the crowd treats us, you'd
think it was the '67 Stax European Tour all
over again." Dunn describes himself as
the eyes and ears of the band. "I like to
pick songs according to the mood of the crowd,
because I love to play for the people. Hey,
music is about love. It's love you want. And
through music, it's love you get."