Dan Aykroyd Revisits Time With John Belushi As The Blues Brothers In New Documentary

Dan Aykroyd went down memory lane on his Audible original documentary titled Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude, which drops this week. The documentary explores their friendship, Saturday Night Live appearances, and the famous Briefcase Full of Blues album that brought The Blues Brothers into the limelight.

Dan and his band partner, John Belushi, made Billboard chart-toppers for years until the latter died in 1982. To keep their legacy alive, Dan then partnered with John’s brother, Jim Belushi, to create House of Blues nightclubs and the Blues Brothers 2000 sequel.

Dan Aykroyd reminisces on the Blues Brothers fame with John Belushi

Dan and John first met at The Second City Comedy Club in Chicago, Illinois. It took a moment for Dan to play a blues record in the background so that both men could bond, leading to the creation of The Blues Brothers act. In the upcoming documentary, Dan said they were just two white guys with a mutual appreciation for African American culture and music.

They appeared on many shows including Wille Nelson and Steve Martin’s concerts where they did the opening acts, and on Saturday Night Live despite the program creator and producer Lorne Michaels not being a fan of their work. After several performances on SNL, they released their hit album Briefcase Full Of Blues, which featured their hit cover “Soul Man.”

What to expect from The Blue Brothers documentary

The two-hour documentary will feature a previously unreleased interview with John, who died from a heroin overdose at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles at 33. Listeners will also hear from his brother, Jim, and his widow, Judy Belushi Pisano, in the much-anticipated Audible original.

Band leader Paul Shaffer, singer Curtis Salgado, director John Landis, drummer Steve Jordan, and saxophonist Lou Marini are also not left out of the list, as they would give their personal account of the impressive career that has outlived John. Following the documentary release is the Blues Brothers Con at Illinois’ Joliet Prison in August, which Dan and Jim are getting ready to perform.