Rays Music Pins and Buttons
Description: Ray's Music Exchange, the fictional Chicago pawn shop from *The Blues Brothers* (1980), played a pivotal role in the band's revival. The exterior was filmed at a real pawn shop in Bronzeville (300 E. 47th St.), while the interior scenes were shot on a soundstage. Its iconic mural honoring Black musicians remained for 40 years before being lost to a fire in 2020. A beloved piece of movie history, it continues to capture the spirit of the film and Chicago's musical legacy.
Description: Ray's Music Exchange is a fictional Chicago pawn shop that specialized in musical instruments in the 1980 film, The Blues Brothers. It's where the guys go to procure new instruments and equipment as they get the band back together, and end up in a performance of “Shake A Tail Feather” that spills into the streets filled with dancers. The actual location of the store was a pawn shop located in the Bronzeville neighborhood at 300 E. 47th St., though the interior shots were all done on a soundstage. The mural on the side of Ray's celebrating black musicians remained for 40 years until vandals set fire to the building in 2020.
