To call Jim Belushi a jack of all trades in the entertainment field is not far off the mark. Mirroring his late older brother John's career, albeit without the self-destructive nature, Jim Belushi has become a household name in feature films, television, and music. The acting bug caught up with Jim in high school, and from there he went on to earn a degree in speech and theater arts. He joined the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago in 1977 and caught a big break in 1980 when he got a gig co-starring with Michael Keaton on the TV show Working Stiffs. Unfortunately, the show was not a hit and was canceled, but the big break was right around the corner. In 1983, Belushi was picked to be a part of the cast of Saturday Night Live, the very show on which his brother had made a name for himself. All irony aside, Jim was able to turn two years on SNL into a long-term and quite successful film and television career. Over the course of the next ten years, Belushi starred in such films as The Principal, K-9, and Gang Related, exhibiting a talent for both comedic and dramatic roles. In 2002, Jim came to even bigger attention when his ABC sitcom According to Jim became a hit.
His musical endeavors were set in motion by Blues Brother (and fellow Saturday Night Live alum) Dan Aykroyd when Aykroyd was looking to re-form the act he began with John Belushi in the late '70s. Aykroyd approached Jim to take on the role of Zee Blues, and, even though Belushi had no real musical credentials, he took the job. To hone his chops, Belushi began to practice with the ~House of Blues house band, the Sacred Hearts. The collaboration worked, and Jim joined as a permanent frontman. Jim Belushi & the Sacred Hearts (as they were now called) worked the benefits circuit, as well as playing for corporations and casinos. Their debut album together, 36-22-36, was released in 1998. He also recorded an album with Dan Aykroyd, Have Love Will Travel, which was released in 2003. ~ Chris True, Rovi
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