Belushi sings the blues again

[ASUmusicMAN]

Belushi sings the blues again

As Jim Belushi moves toward closure on his brother's life, John Belushi's widow and her second husband launch a new 'Blues Brothers' musical

By Chris Jones

Tribune arts reporter

HOLLYWOOD -- Not long after John Belushi overdosed from an injected mixture of cocaine and heroin in 1982 in a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont Hotel, Jim Belushi began a long campaign to get his late brother's name enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It's not as easy as one might imagine. Letters must be written. The attendance of celebrities must be guaranteed. The image-conscious Hollywood Chamber of Commerce doesn't give out many posthumous stars -- and, his comic genius notwithstanding, the manner of Belushi's death made his brother's quest all the harder. But the names Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Jim Belushi have clout, and the chamber acquiesced on April Fool's Day.

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[Shawn]

Good for Belushi (Jim). His brother is an icon in the comedy genre to most people @ 30-45. He deserves a star.

[ASUmusicMAN]

From the Chicago Tribune

Latest openings: 'The Blues Brothers Revival'

By Lawrence Bommer

Special to the Tribune

Opening Tuesday, "The Blues Brothers Revival" returns the famous siblings to sweet home Chicago. This world premiere musical is, of course, based on the original movie, as well as five popular albums put out by Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi, a.k.a. Elwood and Jake Blues. Capturing the raucous anarchy of the famous film, this "Blues-mania" pays homage to Chicago's rich amalgam of blues, gospel and traditional soul.

"Our goal is to capture what Aykroyd and Belushi and their bands contributed to pop culture and the times," says musical director Ron Walters Jr. "They were performers as much as comedians. The studios told them to use actors to play in their band in the film but they fought to use their own band. They produced a polished, very Chicago blues style, not loose as you usually hear. My goal was to find musicians who could play blues well but also define it, polish it the way they did, make it solid.

"Since the blues originated in Chicago, it feels good to take this musical journey here. . . . Musically, we go from the South Side to the Mississippi Delta, from blues rock with `Knock on Wood,' classic soul R&B, and traditional gospel, including `Amazing Grace' . . . and the spiritual `I'll Fly Away.' Audiences will feel they're in Chicago one moment and Alabama or Arkansas the next."

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