The Blues Brothers An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.

by Daniel de Visé

The Blues Brothers hit cinemas on 20th June, 1980. Today, it 's recognised as one of the most significant films of the twentieth century. Its spotlighting of some of the world's most legendary rhythm and blues artists - Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker - made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases.

In The Blues Brothers, Daniel de Visé shares the history of this timeless movie, encompassing the colourful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by The Harvard Lampoon; the birth and drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live; and of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made.

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 in glorious technicolour, the making of an American masterpiece and the birth of modern comedy.

400 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2025

About the author

Daniel de Visé is a writer and journalist. His books have been translated into Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian. A graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities, he has worked at The Washington Post, USA Today, the Miami Herald and four other newspapers. He shared a 2001 team Pulitzer Prize and garnered more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards. His investigative reporting twice led to the release of wrongly convicted men from life terms in prison. His first book, I Forgot To Remember (with Su Meck, Simon & Schuster, 2014), began as a front-page article de Visé wrote for the Washington Post in 2011. His second book, Andy & Don (Simon & Schuster, 2015), began as a journalistic exploration into the storied career of his late brother-in-law, Don Knotts. Andy & Don is now in its eleventh paperback printing. His third book, The Comeback (Grove Atlantic, 2018), rekindled a childhood obsession with professional cycling and the sport's forgotten hero, Greg LeMond. The Comeback inspired Congress to award LeMond its highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in December 2020. His fourth book, King of the Blues, honors a lifelong passion for collecting, performing and writing about music. King of the Blues was longlisted for the 2022 PEN America award in biography. King of the Blues inspired his fifth book, The Blues Brothers, a jubilant return to his hometown of Chicago.

Daniel is married to Sophie Yarborough, an editor at The Washington Post​. They and their children live in Maryland. Contact Daniel at ddevise [at] gmail.com