Soul and Rhythm and Blues Greats Are Coming to Serbia
One of the world's most popular soul and rhythm and blues acts, The Original Blues Brothers Band, famous for the iconic movies of the same name, will perform at this year's Nišville Jazz Festival on Thursday, August 13. The band operates under the patronage and with the permission of actor Dan Aykroyd and the widow of John Belushi, who co-starred with Aykroyd in the (first) 1980 film "The Blues Brothers." The lineup is led by original members: Lou "Blue Lou" Marini, Tom "Bones" Malone, and Murphy "Magictones" Dunne.
The story of the Blues Brothers began in 1976, when a band was assembled for the famous American TV show "Saturday Night Live." It was led by guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, former members of the legendary group Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which served as the house band for Stax Records, where nearly all soul greats recorded. When the show’s hosts and main stars, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, backed by the band, performed the blues standard "King Bee" in one episode (naturally, dressed in bee costumes), it was clear what kind of musical and entertainment potential they had. With the famous actors as frontmen, the group released the album Briefcase Full of Blues in 1978, which went triple platinum and reached number one on the Billboard chart. In 1980, the legendary movie directed by John Landis was filmed, featuring memorable cameo appearances by Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and John Lee Hooker. With or without Belushi and Aykroyd (and occasionally featuring Eddie "Knock on Wood" Floyd), the group performed worldwide before massive audiences and at the world's largest jazz and blues festivals.
"The Blues Brothers" remained an institution and a synonym for top-quality music even after John Belushi's death. This led to the 1998 sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, which featured Junior Wells, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Erykah Badu, and the band Blues Traveler. Appearing as members of The Louisiana Gator Boys (the band the Blues Brothers battle musically at the end of the film) were B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Gary U.S. Bonds, Jack DeJohnette, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, Isaac Hayes, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Joshua Redman, Koko Taylor, Grover Washington, Steve Winwood, Jon Faddis, and Charlie Musselwhite.
Unfortunately, the lineup no longer includes bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn (who passed away in 2012) and guitarist Steve "Colonel" Cropper, author of the legendary instrumental "Green Onions" (who passed away in December 2025). As members of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, they also served as the house band for Atlantic Records and participated in recording some of the greatest soul hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and the duo Sam & Dave, including: "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Respect," "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "In the Midnight Hour," "You Don't Know Like I Know," "Hold On, I'm Comin'," and "Soul Man."
The current lineup features original members who appeared in the first movie: saxophonist Blue Lou Marini, who has also recorded and performed with many greats across various genres (James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Woody Herman, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Dr. John, Frank Zappa, The Band, The Supremes, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin, Sinéad O'Connor, Steely Dan, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Donald Fagen, Eric Clapton...); Tom "Bones" Malone (baritone sax and trombone); and Murphy "Magictones" Dunne (keyboards and vocals). Joining from the cast of Blues Brothers 2000 are Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell (vocals) and Leon "The Lion" Pendarvis (organ). The current roster is completed by some of the most sought-after musicians whose credentials cover virtually the entire soul, country, blues, and jazz scenes of the past forty years: guitarist Francesco "Red House" Simon (who played with Madrid's Red House Revival and Tom Jones), trumpeter Max "Maximilian" Darche, drummer Lee "Funkytime"
Finkelstein (Tower of Power), bassist James "Hags" Haggerty (Josh Rouse, The Autumn Defense of Wilco), and singer Bobby "Sweet Soul" Harden.