Tom “Bones” Malone, trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer is best known for his work with The Blues Brothers, “The David Letterman Show” and “Saturday Night Live.” He has played on 4,400+ television shows, 3,500+ radio and television commercials, more than 1,500 recordings and thousands of live performances throughout the world. Malone has done 2,700 arrangements for television.

Malone plays trombone, tuba, bass trombone, contrabass trombone, euphonium, bass trumpet, trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, piccolo, alto flute and bass flute.

“Tom Bones Malone, a multi-instrumentalist, is perhaps the most successful musician in the history of film, live television and sound recording production,” said Ray Hair, president, American Federation of Musicians

Malone recorded an album, “Shoal Bones,” at Muscle Shoals, Ala. Some of the songs from this R&B album, including “I Feel Like Dynamite,” “Down Home Blues” and “Blues in the Night” will be performed at the Bluesberry Festival, he said. Also on the lineup for Bluesberry are several Blues Brothers songs, including “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Flip Flop and Fry,” “Shotgun Blues and Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher.”

Several jazz standards will be on Malone’s lineup, including “The Sidewinder,” “Little Sunflower,” “Blue Bossa” and “The Chicken.”

Valdosta links

Malone already has connections to South Georgia. He counts Valdosta State University Department of Music head Isrea Butler as a friend, and performed a gig years ago at Moody Air Force Base together with actor Gary Sinise — best known as Lt. Dan from the movie “Forrest Gump” — and his Lt. Dan Band.

Saving Jake and Elwood

Malone provided the following insight into the near-aborted takeoff of The Blues Brothers.

“The schedule at ‘Saturday Night Live’ was three weeks on and one week off.

“John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd went to San Francisco on an off-week from SNL in April 1978 just to hang out and have fun. Saturday night they hung out all night with Curtis Salgado, a blues harmonica player with Robert Cray, listening to blues music.

“On the plane back to New York the next day, Dan started telling John about Chicago blues. John was from Chicago but knew nothing about Chicago blues. He was a garage band rock drummer in high school. Dan was part of the blues scene in Toronto and played blues harmonica.

“On the flight they came up with two new characters for SNL. Two ne’er-do-well blues musicians who wore sunglasses day and night. They were orphans with very little emotional response to anything. They lived in a cheap tiny apartment next to the elevated train tracks in downtown Chicago. They drove an old Illinois state police car.

“Monday morning I got a call from Howard Shore, the musical director for SNL. I was the arranger. Howard asked if I could meet with Dan and John in John’s office. At the meeting they told me about the characters and asked me to write an arrangement of a song called ‘Rocket 88’ by James Cotton.

“Wednesday we rehearsed the band with John and Danny. The Blues Brothers were born. However, Lorne Michaels, the producer, did not select the song to be on the show.

“The next week John and Dan were still hot on their new idea. They asked me to write an arrangement of a song called “Hey, Bartender.”

“We rehearsed the band with John & Danny. Once again Lorne shot us down. He said ‘Frankly I don’t see anything funny about the Blues Brothers.’ John & Danny decided to move on since the Blues Brothers were not getting on the show.

“The following week Lorne came out of read-thru around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and said ‘The show is three minutes short. What the hell are we going to do?’ John and Dan jumped on Lorne and said ‘The Blues Brothers.’ Lorne said ‘We have nothing worthwhile to put in those three minutes. You guys might as well make fools of yourselves.’ So the Blues Brothers were on the show that Saturday with ‘Hey, Bartender.’ Monday morning the switchboard lit up with phone calls. Letters and cards started pouring in. The TV audience obviously loved the Blues Brothers. So we played on the show a couple of more times.”

Malone has performed, recorded and/or arranged for Ray Charles, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Gil Evans, Yes, Miles Davis, Beck, Aretha Franklin, Spyro Gyra, Jimmy Cliff, Frank Zappa, Stuff, The Temptations, The Supremes, Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, J Giels Band, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Band, Levon Helm, Phil Collins, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Ben E. King, The BeeGees, Meco, The Coasters, Bon Jovie, Carly Simon, Dr. John, Olivia Newton-John, Joe Cocker, The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Leo Sayer, Boz Skaggs, Chuck Berry, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Gypsy Kings, Willie Nelson, Clint Black, Dolly Parton, George Benson,B B King, Vince Gill, John Mayer, Steve Winwood, The Killers, Blues Traveler, The Stylistics, Busta Rhymes, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Eddie Harris, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, ‘N Sync, Coolio, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Solomon Burke, Steely Dan, Aerosmith, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Peter Frampton, Lyle Lovett, Etta James, Jon Secada, Joe Cocker, Sinead O’Conner, Toni Braxton, Harry Connick, Jr., Randy Newman, Little Richard, Pointer Sisters, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston,Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Chaka Kahn, Four Tops, Elephant’s Memory, Eddie Floyd, Count Basie, The Spinners, The Stylistics, Barry Manilow, Jose Feliciano, Woody Herman, Tom Petty, Macy Grey, Van Morrison, Frankie Valli, Hanson, Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee, Liza Minelli, Cab Calloway, The O’Jay’s, Nancy Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Billy Joel, Bonnie Tyler, Lou Reed, Baja Men, Dr. Buzzard’s Savannah Band, Joss Stone, Dionne Warwick, Meatloaf, Ashford & Simpson, Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, Glen Campbell, Malo, Vicki Sue Robinson, Mandrill, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Diana Ross, Average White Band, Dreamgirls, Van McCoy, Mongo Santamaria, Instant Funk, Stephanie Mills, Herbie Mann, Paul Simon, Gloria Gayner, Plácido Domingo, Village People, Bobby Blue Bland, Pink Floyd, Hubert Laws, Tina Turner, Joe Jackson, Chuck Mangione, Lou Rawls, David Byrne, Phil Woods, James Ingram, Hank Crawford, Carmen McRae, Bette Midler, Phoebe Snow, Rupert Holmes, BJ Thomas, Samantha Sang, Al Jarreau, Sheena Easton, Johnny Taylor, Little Milton, Stanley Clark, Little Anthony & The Imperials,Joe Pesche, Ron Carter, Buddy Rich, Les Elgart, Larry Elgart, Billy Cobham, Louis Bellson, Stanley Turrentine, Gato Barbieri, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Bob Geldoff, Debbie Harry, Run DMC, Ricky Martin, John Mellencamp, Eurythmics, Rufus Thomas, Debby Harry, Run DMC, Ricky Martin, Shaggy, John Mellencamp, Chris Montez, Joey Dee, Dusty Springfield, The Blues Brothers, Hanson and many others.