NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The shades are on, the skinny tie is knotted and the fedora is perched just so 鈥� is ready to look back.
The actor-comedian is revving up the Bluesmobile to reminisce about the years he teamed up with as the Blues Brothers, taking Hollywood and the Billboard charts by storm.
Aykroyd writes and narrates the which starts with him meeting Belushi one freezing night in Toronto in 1973 and takes us to today, with gigs still lining up. The documentary drops Thursday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to keep doing it after 40-some years,鈥� Aykroyd says from his summer home in sa国际传媒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because it鈥檚 based on the honesty of African American culture and the music and two white guys who just loved it so much that we had to emulate it and do it in this way.鈥�
The documentary traces their appearances on 鈥淪NL鈥� and their breakthrough album 鈥淏riefcase Full of Blues鈥� to the 1980 movie and its hit soundtrack, the death of Belushi and Aykroyd鈥檚 commitment to carry on the tradition with a new partner 鈥� Belushi鈥檚 brother, Jim 鈥� with the creation of House of Blues nightclubs and the 鈥淏lues Brothers 2000鈥� movie sequel.
The two-hour lookback includes interviews with Jim Belushi, band leader Paul Shaffer, singer Curtis Salgado, director John Landis, drummer Steve Jordan, widow , saxophonist Lou Marini and more, as well as a previously unheard interview with John Belushi himself.
鈥淚 provided the structural skeleton to a lot of really strong organic material there,鈥� says Aykroyd. 鈥淚 think it really brought back the time vividly.鈥�
Listeners will learn that 鈥淪NL鈥� creator and producer Lorne Michaels wasn鈥檛 a fan of the fictional brothers鈥� act and that their rise was something of a disruption for record labels and movie studios. Key moments came when Willie Nelson and then Steve Martin invited them as opening acts.
The concept was admittedly a little odd: Two white comedians fronting a first-rate blues band with the express purpose of celebrating a musical form that had grown dusty.
The Blues Brothers 鈥� Aykroyd's Elwood and Belushi's 鈥淛oliet鈥� Jake 鈥� wore black suits and black string ties inspired by comedian Lenny Bruce and snap-brim fedora hats and shades borrowed from the album cover of John Lee Hooker's 鈥淗ouse of the Blues.鈥�
Aykroyd says in the audio documentary that the pair saw an opportunity for something fresh, fun and classic 鈥渋n that tiny orbital skip of an electron during the seconds between disco and New Wave.鈥�
After successful turns on 鈥淪NL,鈥� 鈥� first as a warm-up act then as performers 鈥� they released an album 鈥淏riefcase Full of Blues鈥� 鈥� with the hit cover 鈥淪oul Man鈥� 鈥� and then a cult movie as the pair lead police, some Nazis and a furious country act on spectacular chases through Illinois to raise $5,000 to save their childhood home. It had cameos by Chaka Khan, Twiggy, Joe Walsh, and Frank Oz.
Listeners will learn that one of the most memorable lines was a collaboration. Aykroyd wrote 鈥淚t鈥檚 106 miles to Chicago. We鈥檝e got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes.鈥� Landis added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 dark and we鈥檙e wearing sunglasses. Hit it.鈥�
The movie was also filled to the brim with blues stars 鈥� like Donald 鈥淒uck鈥� Dunn, Steve Cropper, Matt Murphy 鈥� and performances by Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Ray Charles, who were struggling through fallow periods.
鈥淵ou may say appropriation. We did, yes, but we preserved as well,鈥� says Aykroyd. 鈥淭hat is what we were always about. We wanted, forever on film, to show you what these artists could do and what they sounded like.鈥�
But exhibitors in the South 鈥� particularly Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia 鈥� balked. 鈥淭he consensus was, by these guys, 鈥樷�楾his is a Black movie and no white people would see it,鈥�" Landis recalls. "I remember going, 鈥業t has Princess Leia in it!鈥欌��
Ultimately, the Blues Brothers 鈥� the films, records, skits and music venues 鈥� helped fill jukeboxes across the globe with classics and revived the careers of Franklin, Brown and Charles, creating a new love for the blues.
"I鈥檓 happy that, we were able to re-stimulate interest in these people that we loved,鈥� says Aykroyd, who cites dancing with Brown, singing with Little Richard and acting with Franklin as career highlights.
He and Jim Belushi still tour 鈥� including an upcoming gig this August at in Illinois 鈥� and Aykroyd sees the venture as like a law firm.
鈥淛ake and Elwood founded it. And now it鈥檚 got new partners and new associates. It has great endurance. The reason is because the music is real. The songs are real.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
