The Blues Brothers — Maxwell Street Market, Chicago

Maxwell Street in Chicago's Near West Side was the spiritual heart of Chicago blues and the setting for one of The Blues Brothers' (1980) most memorable scenes. In the film, Jake and Elwood Blues encounter John Lee Hooker performing 'Boom Boom' on Maxwell Street, capturing the real-world tradition of open-air blues performance that had defined the neighbourhood since the early 20th century. The actual Maxwell Street Market was where Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and countless other blues musicians first performed for Chicago audiences after migrating from the Mississippi Delta.

Maxwell Street was more than a filming location — it was a genuine blues landmark. From the 1920s onwards, the Sunday morning open-air market featured amplified blues performances that helped create the electrified Chicago blues sound. Musicians would set up on the street and play for tips, creating an unbroken tradition that connected Delta acoustic blues to the electric sound that would influence rock and roll. The Blues Brothers film, for all its comedy, treated this heritage with genuine reverence.

The original Maxwell Street Market was largely demolished in the 1990s to make way for the University of Illinois at Chicago campus expansion, a decision that remains controversial. A relocated 'New Maxwell Street Market' operates on Sundays at Desplaines Street between Roosevelt and Harrison. The original Maxwell Street area is now mostly university buildings, though a few original structures remain. Historical markers acknowledge the neighbourhood's blues heritage.