The story of the epic friendship between John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the golden era of improv, the early days of Saturday Night Live , and the making of a comedic film classic that helped shape our popular culture “They’re not going to catch us,” Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues, tells his brother Jake, played by John Belushi. “We’re on a mission from God.” So opens the musical action comedy The Blues Brothers , which hit theaters on June 20, 1980. Their scripted mission was to save a local Chicago orphanage. But Aykroyd, who conceived and wrote much of the film, had a greater mission: to honor the then-seemingly forgotten tradition of rhythm and blues, some of whose greatest artists—Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles—made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases. Much delayed and vastly over budget, beset by mercurial and oft drugged-out stars, The Blues Brothers opened to outraged reviews. However, in the 44 years since, it has been acknowledged a classic: it has been inducted into the National Film Registry for its cultural significance, even declared a “Catholic classic” by the Church itself, and re-aired thousands of times on television to huge worldwide audiences. It is, undeniably, one of the most significant films of the twentieth century. The story behind any classic is rich; the saga behind The Blues Brothers , as Daniel de Visé reveals, is epic, encompassing the colorful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by Harvard’s Lampoon and Chicago’s Second City; the birth and anecdote-rich, drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live , where the Blues Brothers were born as an act amidst turmoil and rivalry; and, of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made, scene by memorable scene. Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, The Blues Brothers illuminates an American masterpiece while vividly portraying the creative geniuses behind modern comedy. Praise for The Blues Brothers : Named a Best Comedy Book of the Year by Vulture “The definitive one-stop history of the Blues Brothers band, the film and a touching dual biography of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, which Aykroyd refers to in the book as one of the great friendships, the ache still heard years after Belushi’s death.”— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune “Races along on a whoosh of marvelous details and crackling anecdotes.”— Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal “Engaging and deeply researched . . . De Visé recognizes the importance of music in Belushi and Aykroyd’s offbeat partnership, and in the many projects they were part of, and the author’s ear for writing about it gives his book its own irresistible hum.”— Dave Itzkoff, New York Times “At its essence, it’s the story of a great American bromance, a partnership that was kept alive by one man’s creative discipline before crashing on the rocks of another man’s addictions. . . . This is a well-researched book. Better, it’s a well-told story, one that rarely loses its focus on the larger picture.”— Ty Burr, Washington Post “De Visé’s passionate yet academic approach helped illuminate the cultural context of the bit and how it was once actually quite disruptive and weird for guys to take a platform like comedy to celebrate the music they genuinely loved.”— Brian Boone, Vulture “Droll and rigorous . . . Bracingly thorough.”— Ed Potton, The Times (UK) “De Visé is scrupulous in retracing the film’s production, outlining wild episodic moments—from 103 cars getting destroyed to Belushi twice almost dying on set—while adding unfiltered commentary from some of its original players. Proper dues are given to the likes of Brown and Franklin, too, who de Visé reveals delivered extraordinary vocal performances during production to each enliven their brief scene . . . A lively and authoritative tribute to a comedy classic . . . With a steady hand behind the wheel, [De Visé] writes a deft, and often droll, retelling of an unlikely partnership and a one holy-car-crash-musical that continues to delight decades on.”— Sydney Morning Herald “ The Blues Brothers brings a hefty dose of humor, heart, and music in charting the life, death, and resurrection of the iconic band. Author Daniel De Vise brilliantly makes the past come alive with his well-rounded biography of Belushi, Aykroyd, and the band that defined their careers.”— Seattle Book Review  “A lot of fun and ably recounts a truly important episode in American pop culture.”— Rich Lowry, National Review “An excellent parable for the decade . . . This book is recommended for readers who appreciate innovative late-night comedy and non-comic book blockbusters.”— J. Kemper Campbell, Lincoln Journal Star “The perfect book to set the record straight . . . The story behind this classic film is rich in detail, as De Visé’s thorough and