The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who first brought Jake and Elwood Blues to life as a warm-up act on Saturday Night Live. Their debut live album Briefcase Full of Blues hit #1 on the Billboard chart and sold over 3 million copies worldwide, while the 1980 John Landis film cemented them as a cultural institution - featuring cameos by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and James Brown. After Belushi's death in 1982, the band continued touring under the name The Original Blues Brothers Band, keeping the R&B revue tradition alive with a rotating cast of seasoned musicians.
Dan Aykroyd and his daughter Stella Aykroyd discussed the new Blues Brothers graphic novel 'The Escape of Joliet Jake' in an NPR interview.
The graphic novel 'Blues Brothers: The Escape of Joliet Jake', published by Z2 Comics and co-written by Stella Aykroyd, was released in October 2025.
Dan Aykroyd and the creative team behind the new Blues Brothers graphic novel appeared at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 to present the project.
The Aykroyd family and the Judy Belushi estate announced the Blues Brothers graphic novel project, with Dan Aykroyd writing the foreword and providing editorial oversight.
The Original Blues Brothers Band performed a live show in Celle, Germany in June 2025.
