BY

DAN AYKROYD

Born July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dan Aykroyd is one of the most hard-working men in the entertainment field. Dan came on the U.S.A.scene on October 11, 1975 when Saturday Night Live debuted on television with a cast comprised of mainly anti-establishment comics. As we all know the show boasted a company of improv hellions, who staged a weekly comic insurrection against the censors.

The original cast starred Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Jane Curtin and temperamental genius, John Belushi. The cast was rounded out with Gilda Radnor and writer-performer, Dan Aykroyd. Prior to SNL, Dan had already made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian in Canada. His 5-year tenure with SNL , his uncanny talent for mimic and for creating memorable sketch personas, made Dan legendary.

When his good friend John Belushi left the show, a few months later Dan also left to head for stardom in the movies. He soon became a more familiar face in 1980's comedies as he starred in Dr. Detroit, Trading Places, Ghostbusters, Spies Like Us and Dragnet. He became serious in the film, Driving Miss Daisy. Dan performed his directorial debut in the film Nothing But Trouble and his feature reprisal of the Coneheads in 1993, which he also wrote the script. Probably his most remembered film was with his friend, John Belushi as they played the immortal, "Blues Brothers. "Soon to be released is the sequel to Blues Brothers, titled "Blues Brothers 2000." This time he has teamed with that versatile actor, John Goodman, who plays his brother. And, now he has a hit television show every week as he stars in "Soul Man."

With his success in the movie Blues Brothers and his love for blues music, Dan Aykroyd and his friend, Isaac Tigrett (founder of the Hard Rock Cafe), opened the highly successful nightclub - "House of Blues." Their first House of Blues was opened in 1992 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This popular venue has been packed to standing-room crowds every night since its opening, with hundreds of music fans hungry for great food, live music and the rich smoky atmosphere of a joint that's jumpin'.

The duo now has locations in Boston and LA's Sunset strip. These popular restaurants bring a wide range of blues musicians to the stage night after night. Isaac has said the mission of the restaurants is to educate audiences about blues music.

If you've visited the LA club, you know its wrapped with corrugated tin from the Mississippi cotton mill where legend has it Robert Johnson "sold his soul to the devil." The House of Blues features colorful works of art, elaborate bas relief portraits of blues musicians and a persuasive atmosphere of warmth and energy. Future clubs are now planned to be opened in New York and one in Paris, France.

Successful in comedy, successful in television and movies, Dan Aykroyd is another celebrity who also has a successful restaurant business empire.

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