Once upon a time in Chicago, there were two brothers named Jake and Elwood. Jake was born "Jacob Papageorge" to Artesia Papageorge, a woman who served time in prison for murdering her husband – she died giving birth to Jacob, insisting that he be named "Jake." Elwood was abandoned at a newspaper stand as an infant, with no existing records of his parentage. He was initially named after Mike Delaney, the patrolman who investigated his abandonment.
Together, they were raised in the Roman Catholic orphanage, where they bonded as brothers. The bond was so close that they even tattooed both of their names on their knuckles. One night, Jake and Elwood snuck out to a blues club where they watched a singer by the name of "Curtis" perform. It was their first-ever time witnessing the magic of the blues.
Jake and Elwood dedicated most of their childhood learning how to sing the blues, even listening to some of the greats like John Lee Hooker and Slim Harpo. Their first gig was on some variety show that aired live from New York on television every Saturday night. They even managed (with a little help from a then-unknown Paul Shaffer) to put together a band for the gig:
Steve "The Colonel" Cropper on lead guitar.
Donald "Duck" Gunn on bass guitar.
Murphy "Murph" Dunne on keyboards.
Willie "Too Big" Hall on drums.
Tom "Bones" Malone on trombone.
"Blue Lou" Marini on saxophone.
Matt "Guitar" Murphy on second lead guitar.
And "Mr. Fabulous" Alan Rubin on trumpet.
For a while, the "Blues Brothers" band had a good thing going, until Jake went and got himself arrested and thrown in prison. He served three whole years at the Joliet Correctional Center, which was how he came to call himself "Joliet Jake Blues," following his release.
During the time in which Jake was in prison, the Blues Brothers band disbanded before they even began. Elwood spent his days working at job where he boosted chemicals. He then quit his job, traded the 1968 Cadillac Sixty Special he and Jake once owned for a microphone, and purchased a decommissioned Mount Prospect police car at an auction – all on the same day that Jake was released from prison.
From there, Jake and Elwood were on "a mission from God" to reform the band in order to save the Roman Catholic orphanage from closure over a $5,000 property tax. This mission helped raise them into prominence after a successful onstage performance at the Palace Hotel Ballroom in Chicago, earning them $10,000 cash advance on a recording contract. Unfortunately, their mission also got them all arrested and thrown in prison (the 2nd strike for Jake). In spite of this, the band's fame grew throughout the music industry, with many "Blues Brothers" bands forming across the nation. Eventually, after 18 years of imprisonment, Elwood was released but Jake had died.
In Jake's death, Elwood reunited the band with new members: "Mighty" Mack McTeer, Buster "Scribbles" Blues, and Cab Blues. The band only grew even more from there, with many new members joining to perform at a plethora of venues, mostly those in Chicago.
The last-ever performance (and sighting) of the Blues Brothers band was at a local House of Blues concert hall/restaurant, managed by Eduardo Blues – the last Blues Brother to ever perform with the band prior to their latest disbandment.
Though the Blues Brothers are no more, there's still hope for a new generation to rise to the occasion...
...to partake in another mission.