Matt Murphy - Matt Guitar Boogie

Probably best known for playing behind the Blues Brothers (and appearing prominently in their 1980 hit movie), Matt "Guitar" Murphy deserves enshrinement in the blues-guitar hall of fame anyway. His jazz-tinged, stunningly advanced riffing behind Memphis Slim elevated the towering pianist's 1950s output for United and Vee-Jay Records to new heights.
Guitar playing ran in the Murphy household (which moved from Mississippi to Memphis when Matt was a toddler). Matt and his brother Floyd both made a name for themselves on the early-'50s Memphis scene (that's Floyd on Little Junior Parker & the Blue Flames' 1953 Sun waxings of "Feelin' Good" and "Mystery Train"). Matt played with Howlin' Wolf as early as 1948 (harpist Little Junior Parker was also in the band at the time). Murphy added hot licks to early sides by Parker and Bobby Bland for Modern before latching on with Memphis Slim's House Rockers in 1952. Normally, the veteran pianist eschewed guitarists altogether, but Murphy's talent was so prodigious that he made an exception.
Murphy's consistently exciting guitar work graced Slim's United waxings from 1952-1954 and his 1958-1959 platters for Vee-Jay. Another solid Memphis Slim LP for Strand in 1961 and dates with Chuck Berry, Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson, Etta James, and the Vibrations at Chess preceded Murphy's memorable appearance on the 1963 American Folk Blues Festival tour of Europe (along with Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Victoria Spivey, and Willie Dixon). On that pioneering tour (promoted by Lippmann and Rau), Murphy commanded the spotlight with a thrilling "Matt's Guitar Boogie" that showcased his ultra-clean rapid-fire picking.

Harpist James Cotton was the sweaty beneficiary of Murphy's prowess during much of the 1970s. Murphy's crisp picking matched Cotton's high-energy blowing on the harpist's 1974 Buddah album 100% Cotton (the guitarist penned a non-stop "Boogie Thing" for the set). From there, it was on to aiding and abetting John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's antic mugging, both on stage and in the Blues Brothers flick (where he played Aretha Franklin's guitarist hubby, convinced to come out of retirement by the boys in black).

Murphy has toured as a bandleader in recent years, having recorded an album of his own in 1990, Way Down South, for Antone's (with brother Floyd on rhythm guitar). His repertoire encompasses blues, funk, jazz, R&B, and even a few of those Blues Brothers chestnuts (he usually carries someone in the entourage to sing 'em, Belushi-style).

Everybody Needs Somebody To Love - The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers are what can only be described as a musical, comedic, and cinematic legend. They have become part of our culture, and have spawned countless tribute acts all across the world.

In the 1970's, John Belushi, working with National Lampoon, met with Dan Aykroyd, then a host of a children's tv program, and owner of a speakeasy called the '505 Club'. Dan, from Toronto, put on a record called 'Straight Up', by the Downchild Blues Band. John was into rock music and heavy metal, and in spite of being from Chicago, wasn't familiar with blues music. After listening to 'Everything I need Almost', and 'Shotgun Blues', John began to think about putting a blues band together. Howard Shore (Saturday Night Live's musical director), who was also there, suggested the name 'The Blues Brothers'.


 When Dan came to audition for Saturday Night Live, he regularly met with John and listened to blues records. One time, Dan showed John the cover of an album by John Lee Hooker, which showed him wearing the hat and shades that would later become the Blues Brothers trademark look. John said 'If we ever put this together, this will be the look!'. The suits and the ties that they wore came from the Beatnik Era in the 50's and the 60's, where musicians would wear straight apparel, so that they could go out into straight society and not be hassled. Also, this was a reference to the 'Men in Black', the guys in black suits that always turn up when there are UFO sightings, and tell you to be quiet about it.

Before being hired for Saturday Night Live, the Blues Brothers went to the Lone Star Cafe and performed for the first time in their full outfits. They jammed with Room Full of Blues and Willie Nelson's band. Unfortunately, they didn't have a serious place to play, so Dan and John started talking with the Saturday Night Live band. Howard Shore suggested they do a blues number on the show. Dan and John were reluctant to do that, because they weren't ready to give away the look of the Blues Brothers. So instead, they performed their first song, 'King Bee' wearing bee costumes.

After the 'King Bee' number, Dan and John re-assessed things and realised that they had the look, the music and the act for the Blues Brothers. All that was missing was a band. So they decided to put one together and go on Saturday Night Live as a regular band, just like all the other guest bands that performed each week. Tom 'Bones' Malone, the trombone player in the Saturday Night Live band, suggested that they get Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn, both well known and legendary blues and soul musicians from the Stax Records era. Both agreed to join the band. The Blues Brothers became a merger of the electric Chicago Blues sound, and the Memphis Stax Records R&B sound, inspired by such musicians as Otis Redding, David Porter and Isaac Hayes. When asked what songs they would like to perform, Dunn and Cropper suggested they recut 'Soul Man'. The song went on to be a number 1 single. Matt 'Guitar' Murphy was also recruited as the lead guitar player for the band.

So, the Blues Brothers Band was complete, featuring some of the best musicians around at the time. The Blues Brothers decided to release a full album, so in 1978 they recorded a live concert at the Universal Amphitheatre. The album, called 'Briefcase Full of Blues', went on to sell 3.5 million copies.

After the album went double platinum, John Belushi invited Dan Aykroyd to join him in Hollywood, where they had been asked to do a Blues Brothers movie. Dan started to write a script for the movie, and spent all of his free time doing it. In the end it was so big, that when it came time to deliver it, he wrapped it in the cover of a phone book (because it was as thick as one) The script was over 300 pages long. Dan had not only written the Blues Brothers movie, but he had also written the sequel, called 'Return of the Blues Brothers'. The script contained every bit of information there was about the Blues Brothers, including the history of the band members, and detailed biographies of Jake and Elwood Blues.

Green Onions - Steve Cropper & Donald 'Duck' Dunn

Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn perform their massive hit instrumental Green Onions to a packed audience at The State Theatre while on tour with Guy Sebastian on The Memphis Tour of Australia - 03/06/2008.

Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012)was an American bass guitarist, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax Records, which specialized in blues and gospel-infused southern soul and Memphis soul music styles. Dunn also performed on recordings with The Blues Brothers, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Levon Helm, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan and Arthur Conley. In 1992, Dunn was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Booker T & the MG's.

Visit Donald Duck Dunn Official Web Page

If Yankee Stadium is "the house that Babe Ruth built," Stax Records is "the house that Booker T, and the MG's built." Integral to that potent combination is MG rhythm guitarist extraordinaire Steve Cropper. As a guitarist, A & R man, engineer, producer, songwriting partner of Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd and a dozen others and founding member of both Booker T. and the MG's and The Mar-Keys, Cropper was literally involved in virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970. Such credits assure Cropper of an honored place in the soul music hall of fame. As co-writer of (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, Knock on Wood and In the Midnight Hour, Cropper is in line for immortality.

"Green Onions" is an instrumental R&B hit recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.s. The tune is a 12-bar blues with a rippling Hammond organ line. The guitarist Steve Cropper used a Fender Telecaster on "Green Onions" as he did on all of The M.G.'s instrumentals.Originally the song issued on the Volt 102 subsidiary of Stax Records in May 1962 as the B-side to "Behave Yourself", it was quickly reissued as the A-side of Stax 127; it also appeared on the album Green Onion.

Sam & Dave - Soul Man

Soul Man is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.

Issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label for which Hayes and Porter worked, Sam and Dave's Soul Man was the most successful Stax single to date upon its release. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the autumn of 1967.Soul Man was awarded the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental.

The exclamation "Play it, Steve" heard in the song refers to guitarist Steve Cropper of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the house band who provided the instrumentation for this and many other Sam and Dave singles; Cropper provides guitar for both the original Sam and Dave recording, as well as the live and studio covers by the Blues Brothers.



Blues Brothers
Live at the RR Convention, LA, 1979
Matt Murphy - Guitar
Donald Dunn - Bass
Steve Jordan - Drums
Paul Shaffer - Keyboards
Lou Marini - Sax
Tom Malone - Trombone and Sax
Jake Blues - Lead vocals
Elwood Blues - Vocals and Harmonica
Steve Cropper - Guitar
Alan Rubin - Trumpet
Tom Scott - Sax

Donald "Duck" Dunn - RIP

Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012)was an American bass guitarist, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax Records, which specialized in blues and gospel-infused southern soul and Memphis soul music styles. Dunn also performed on recordings with The Blues Brothers, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Levon Helm, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan and Arthur Conley. In 1992, Dunn was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Booker T & the MG's.
Visit Donald Duck Dunn Official Web Page

John the Revelator

"John the Revelator" is a traditional Gospel/blues call and response song. In the chorus, John of Patmos, the traditional author of the Book of Revelation, is writing "the book of the seven seals." At the time of the song's composition (and in modern times), John of Patmos was generally considered the same person as John the Apostle and John the Evangelist.
The song was recorded on April 20, 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia by Blind Willie Johnson and is included in the Anthology of American Folk Music. In this version Johnson's first wife Willie B. Harris performs the response parts of the song.
Son House also recorded several a cappella versions in the 1960s.
Here, we can see also a Blues Brothers version, embedded on Blues Brothers 2000 movie, performed by Sam Moore, Joe Morton, Sharon Riley and the Faith Chorale, as well as The Blues Brothers Band.

Eric Clapton & Buddy Guy - Sweet Home Chicago

Two of the most virtuous guitar players of all time. Today, we have the honor to present Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy performing Sweet Home Chicago. This song was first recorded and is credited to have been written by Robert Johnson in 1936.
From my standpoint, the "one of a kind" version of this song was performed by Blues Brothers in 1980, during The Blues Brothers movie. Unfortunately, due copyright reasons, I can't post the video (they took the video out from Youtube). Anyway, download the music here.

Since the video were stupidly removed, we found out another great version to present here. This time, we can see: Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan and Robert Cray. The Blues genre must be spread around the world and not being stopped by doubtful reasons.