Curtis Salgado: The Original Blues Brother

Curtis Salgado, a blues legend.

You may or may not have heard of Northwest Blues Man, Curtis Salgado, but his story, and his music, are so fascinating that once you’ve heard them, you most certainly will never forget them.

Since the mid-’70s Curtis Salgado has accomplished more than most do in a lifetime. He has made an impressive mark on pop culture, played with the Robert Cray Band, sang for Santana, successfully made a name for himself in the music industry and has battled, and beat, cancer.

You might say that one of the most intriguing stories of Curtis Salgado is his connection with John Belushi. Interestingly enough, Curtis was THE inspiration for the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, starring none other than John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

As John Belushi was filming Animal House in Eugene, Oregon, he would go out after a long day’s work and throw a few back. It was during this time that Belushi took notice of Curtis Salgado, then 25 years old, who was playing locally at the Eugene Hotel lounge. It was October 1977.

Belushi and Salgado hit it off. Belushi, who loved the blues, was so impressed with Curtis’ talent that he asked him to teach him everything he knew about the music. This was essentially the birth of The Blues Brothers.

John Belushi in an interview with the Eugene Register Guard: “I was growing sick of rock and roll, it was starting to bore me…and I hated disco, so I needed some place to go. I hadn’t heard much blues before [Salgado]. It felt good.”

On Curtis Salgado, Belushi said: “He didn’t know who the hell I was. Someone said, ‘Hey, that’s John Belushi!’ and he said, ‘Sure, man’. We got to talking and I said how much I liked him. I don’t think he believed it was me. I don’t know if he didn’t believe or he didn’t care. I’d like to say he didn’t believe. I’d hate to think he didn’t care.”

“He reminded me a lot of Dan Aykroyd. That was the first thing that I noticed. He had that ‘Special thing’, you know, that’s rare in performers.” [Original article with the Eugene Register Guard can be found HERE.]

As you know, The Blues Brothers started off as a skit on Saturday Night Live in 1978 and blew up to be a HUGE piece of American pop culture. Three years after Belushi and Salgado’s chance meeting The Blues Brothers movie hit the big screen. And it all started with Curtis Salgado. In fact, Cab Calloway’s character in The Blues Brothers  is actually named after Curtis.

In more recent times, life hasn’t been all peachy for Curtis. In 2006 he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was given 8 months to live unless he received a liver transplant. During the time he was on the waiting list for a liver, his musician friends held an All-Star Benefit Concert for him. The performers included Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Everclear, Taj Mahal, The Phantom Blues Band and Little Charlie & the Nightcats. All proceeds went toward a fund set up to help Salgado pay for his medical expenses. During the year that he was unable to work, good friend Bonnie Raitt paid his rent.

Salgado had a successful liver transplant on September 30th , 2006. He did however have another scare. The cancer had metastasized in his lung. Fortunately for Salgado, only a single tumor had emerged, and was removed. He has been cancer free ever since.

On July 8th, 2008 Curtis released Clean Getaway. More than two years after his diagnosis, this aptly titled album was symbolic in more ways than one. Soon after Salgado was nominated for four Blues Foundation’s 2009 National Blues Awards, including Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year and Soul Blues Album of the year.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Curtis for a few minutes before he took the stage at the Winthrop Blues Festival.

Spicy: What do you have planned for the future?

Curtis Salgado: I don’t know anything else but this, and my future is this. I have a record coming out. Same guys that are on Clean Getaway.  Larry Fulcher, Michael Finnigan, Johnny Lee Schell, Tony Braunagel, Robert Cray..

Spicy: So you still have the Robert Cray connection?

Curtis Salgado: Oh, of course. Everybody knows everybody. I know the guys playing now.* We all know each other. So anyhow, the band is, they call themselves The Phantom Blues Band. The new album coming out will probably be out by the new year.

(* The Strange Tones w/the Volcano Vixens, a Portland based band was playing on-stage as we did the interview.)

Spicy: Care to share the name of it?

Curtis Salgado: I don’t have a name yet, but I have 13 songs. It’s all soul. I either wrote the songs or it’s songs that I grew up with. I don’t sing the stuff that everybody sings. I always try to pick, I mean, I have an eclectic taste. I always try to pick something that nobody in their right mind would do.

Spicy: That’s great though. You don’t fit into that cookie cutter mold.

Curtis Salgado: Nope.

Spicy: So Curtis you were born in Everett, WA? (This happens to be where I, too, was born.)

Curtis Salgado: I was born in Everett!

Spicy: Were you born in Providence or General hospital?

Curtis Salgado: I have no idea. (He says with a grin.)

Spicy: So when did you move from there?

Curtis Salgado: Oh, I was just a little kid. I think we moved from there after I was born, very quickly to Bend, Oregon. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon and lived there in the same house for years, my whole life in fact, but I live in Portland now.

We cut the interview with Curtis short as he was eating, still needed to change and was next up to perform at the Winthrop Blues Festival that Saturday evening. (And WHAT a show it was!) But we were honored that such a legend took the time to share a few moments, and smiles, with us.

As we were taking photos with Curtis he said, “I don’t smile much,” but we happened to catch one. And Mr. Salgado, you have a lot to smile about my friend.

Curtis Salgado’s Official Website

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