| The Huntsville Times Feature Story July 4th, 2004  Mission lands Alabama Blues 'Brothers' in Japan
Courtland's own Jake and Elwood perform for troops Sunday, July 04, 2004By CHRIS WELCH Times Entertainment Writer, chrisw@htimes.com Jamey Crisler remembers it was August of 1998 when he decided to make a call to his brother, Justin, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, that - little did he then know - would change his life. And his identity. A friend in Courtland, where the Crislers lived, was throwing a Halloween party and Jamey wanted Justin to go. But as what? Jamey had the television on and showing was the 1980 cult classic "The Blues Brothers." Jamey suggested they go as the legendary Jake and Elwood. Fast-forward to early October 1998, long before Halloween. But somebody forgot to tell Justin. He drove to Courtland and jumped out in a black suit, shades and a tie - all bought for $8 at a thrift shop. "He pulled up to the house in a green Honda Accord in full Elwood uniform," Jamey said. "I told him, 'Dude, you look like Elwood!' " The two never made it to the Halloween party, but when Jamey was at Universal Studios in Orlando he saw the "Blues Brothers" act that entertains on the streets. "I told my wife, 'There's no reason Justin and I can't do that,' " he said. His wife's reaction? "She thought I was nuts, especially when I spent over $200 of our vacation money on a suit," he said, laughing. In November 1998, Justin and Jamey decided to head up to Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe dressed in full Blues Brothers garb and driving a 1976 Dodge Coronet Jamey had bought and painted black and white. When they entered the Hard Rock, the manager ran to the back, put on Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" and announced that the Blues Brothers were in the house. They danced on the tables with the waitresses and the manager gave them a free meal. "We were pumped," Jamey said. "I told Justin, 'Dude, they gave us a free meal for doing this.' " Men on a mission From that point on, Jamey and Justin Crisler were on a mission - "A mission of fun," spoofing the line from the movie - and the Alabama Blues Brothers were born. Since 1999, the boys have played more than 600 shows from Blue Hill, Maine, to Miami and are the only "Blues Brothers" impersonators in the country who are actually brothers. They're normally seen driving up in their 1974 Dodge Monoco Sedan, the same model car as used in the movie. The "mission" they're on now is overseas on a seven-day tour of naval bases in south Japan. The brothers are joined on their first international tour by sax player Jim Beck, who owns a second-hand store in Arab. "We were contacted by the sergeant of the 115th Signal Battalion (National Guard) from North Alabama," Justin said. "They worked with our father, Billy Crisler, and asked if we'd perform for the troops before they were sent to Iraq." "We played at Fort Campbell, Ky., earlier this year, and the troops were so appreciative we wanted to take the fun of the act to our servicemen overseas," Jamey said. "We were contacted by the Navy about touring the bases in South Japan and took them up on it." There's just something about the "Blues Brothers" that everyone - young and old - loves. The Alabama Blues Brothers do several charity events every year. The original "Blues Brothers" were Dan Aykroyd as Elwood and John Belushi as Jake in the movie that reportedly set a record for most cars wrecked in a film. The Crislers, in costume, got the ultimate thrill when they met Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, who were doing the "Blues Brothers" at a Mississippi casino. "We shook hands after the show, and Aykroyd said in character, 'Keep the Blues Alive,' " Jamey said. "We also got to meet the original drummer of the 'Blues Brothers,' Willie Hall. He said, 'Fellas, how are ya? I saw you when you came in and you looked good.' " People everywhere do a double-take when the Crislers are dressed as their alter ego, including the Morgan County Jail, where Jamey works the 11 p.m.-7 a.m. weekday shift. He's also a psychiatric nurse at Decatur General Hospital during the day. Justin also works part time, helping retail stores with security to prevent shoplifting. But their first love is the band. "My favorite is older people," Jamey said. "They say, 'We loved the movie. How did you get that car running?' If we never got paid again, we'd still love it." "We never look at ourselves as celebrities or stars," Justin said. "We're just having a hell of a time doing what we do." |
