Preview
  • Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude

  • By: Dan Aykroyd
  • Narrated by: Dan Aykroyd
  • Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (376 ratings)

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Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude

By: Dan Aykroyd
Narrated by: Dan Aykroyd
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Publisher's summary

The sound. The suits. The sunglasses. The Blues Brothers have firmly cemented their place as pop-culture icons in the annals of entertainment history. But how did a band that debuted as a goofy sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1976 go on to have a hit movie and a number one record in the space of just four short years? Simple. They were “on a mission from God”.

Now, nearly 50 years later, Elwood Blues (aka Dan Aykroyd) is on another mission—to tell the full story of how two young actors went from blues lovers to Blues Brothers. In this fascinating audio documentary Aykroyd “gets the band back together”, taking listeners on a road trip through time—from late nights in the early days with John Belushi at Dan’s speakeasy in Toronto, to working with blues legends Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Ray Charles on The Blues Brothers movie, through the founding of House of Blues, the Blues Brothers 2000 sequel, and beyond.

Along the way, Aykroyd is joined by band members, friends, filmmakers, and cohorts who witnessed the Blues Brothers’ birth and meteoric rise firsthand, including Jim Belushi, Paul Shaffer, Curtis Salgado, John Landis, Steve Jordan, and more. Also featuring conversations with the late Judy Belushi Pisano, and a previously unheard interview with John Belushi himself.

Thoughtful, entertaining, and endlessly illuminating, Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude is a joyous celebration of the legendary band that kick-started a blues revival and launched a lasting legacy.

©2024 Applied Action Research Inc. (P)2024 Audible Originals, LLC

About the Creator and Performer

In 1970 Dan Aykroyd performed on CBC network television as a writer/actor for producer Lorne Michaels in The Great Canadian Humor Test. He moved to Toronto to work for Ivan Reitman (director of Ghostbusters) at City-TV in 1972.
In addition to writing for Saturday Night Live, Dan has nine produced screenplays on which he shares co-writing credits: Love at First Sight, Blues Brothers, Spies Like Us, Dragnet, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Coneheads, Nothing But Trouble ( Valkenvania), and Blues Brothers 2000.
Aykroyd was awarded an Emmy for his writing on the Saturday Night Live episode starring Sissy Spacek. He is also a Grammy and Oscar nominee. The Grammy nomination was for Best New Artist 1979 for the triple platinum-selling Briefcase Full of Blues record album, which he recorded with his then partner John Belushi. The Oscar nomination was for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Best Picture of 1989, Driving Miss Daisy. The films with which Aykroyd has had principal associations have grossed close to one billion dollars worldwide.
In 1993 Dan co-ventured as an investor with the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe International to open U.S. outlets of the famous establishment House of Blues. As Elwood Blues, he hosted the 10-year running House of Blues Radio Hour, which was syndicated on 180 radio stations through the United Stations Radio Networks. House of Blues was sold to Live Nation Entertainment in 2006.
Dan Aykroyd can currently be seen in the Fox Nation series A History of the World in Six Glasses, as well as The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd for The History Channel, which he executive produced. Most recently he appeared in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which he also executive produced.

What listeners say about Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude

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The book I did not know I needed!

I loved every second of this! What an amazing walk down memory lane and insight to the movie and music that forever changed my life.

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outstanding

this is great review of the life and times of the Blues Brothers story plus the wonderful behind the scenes greatness of all of them

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A Loving Tribute

Fantastic to hear the motivations behind the Blues Brothers and everyones recollections. Jim Belushis audience with James Brown was especially touching. I really appreciate Dan giving a peek behind the curtain. Kudos! If you are a fan I highly reccomend.

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I had no idea what into the making of this iconic film!

Beautifully produced. I haven’t seen this film in a long time, but this audiobook brought back a lot of fond memories. If you enjoyed the movie, you’ll love this!

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Fantastic

Who knew… the story couldn’t have been told by anyone but Dan it was brilliantly executed

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All about the music!

I loved it all!!! Dan Aykroyd is a gift to the human experience! Thank you.

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Blues Brother’s

Loved the movies, love the music, revere the history and those that are gone. Thanks.

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This was special

Listening to this I learned so many things about Dan, John, and the blues brothers that I never would have known. I watched this movie with my dad as a kid and I remember how much it meant to him. That alone was the reason I chose to listen, and upon listening it has become just as special to me. I did not understand the cultural or musical significance of the film and my appreciation was lacking. Though this was short, it has left an impact and changed my view on the blues. I’m excited to show my children the movie now.

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You had to be there

A little sad and a lotta fun, this listen has me itching to re-watch the Blues Brothers.
Especially in the first half, there’s a lot of name dropping for actors, musicians, and industry heavies.
Not being familiar with most of the names, it played like background noise. Once past the names, however, and once the movie hit theaters, the story picked up and it sung to my soul.

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Outstanding in its honesty and humility

This brought back fond memories of SNL and the Blues Brothers and my nerdy group of friends who tried to imitate Jake and Elwood. Mr. Akroyd and his peers keep the focus on the music and the legends. Thank you for publishing this.

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