Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd has enjoyed a three decades long career in the entertainment business. An Emmy-award winner and Grammy and Oscar nominee, Dan has accomplished what many can only dream of in Hollywood and beyond.

In total, the films with which Dan Aykroyd has had principal associations have grossed close to one billion dollars worldwide box office. These include such blockbusters as LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, BLUES BROTHERS, SPIES LIKE US, DRAGNET, GHOSTBUSTERS, GHOSTBUSTERS II, CONEHEADS, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (VALKENVANIA) and BLUES BROTHERS II.

Dan Aykroyd is considered one of the greatest Canadian talents to ever work in Hollywood.

Dan was invested with the Order of Canada, being made a member of the Order in 1999 wherein he received a Vice-Regal decoration from the Governor General of Canada which is given to prominent Canadians who "desire to make a better country."

An accomplished musician, Dan Aykroyd, in his persona as Elwood Blues, has performed on seven CDs including BRIEFCASE FULL OF BLUES, BLUES BROTHERS MOVIE SOUNDTRACK, MADE IN AMERICA, BEST OF THE BLUES BROTHERS, DANCING WITH THE BLUES BROTHERS, BLUES BROTHERS - LIVE FROM CHICAGO and RHINO ESSENTIAL -THE BLUES BROTHERS. In total approximately five million copies have been sold.

In 1983 he co-ventured as an investor with the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe International, Mr. Isaac Tigrett, to open U.S. outlets of the famous British American establishment in New York, Dallas and Washington, D.C. It was at the New York's Hard Rock Cafe Inaugural Concert that Dan reconvened the original Blues Brothers band for the first time since the death of his partner John Belushi (aka Jake Blues).

Dan then recruited Jim Belushi to perform as Jake's blood brother Zee (Zurashayda) for a benefit concert underwriting Carleton University's Alumni fund in 1997 in the Opera Chamber at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

Mr. Aykroyd and Mr. Belushi have since performed as Elwood and Zee Blues for audiences at private and corporate events as well as for sold out audiences in casinos around the U.S. They have also performed to open House of Blues venues in America.

In 1993, Mr. Isaac Tigrett, Mr. Aykroyd and Mr. Laurence Bilzerian founded House of Blues Entertainment Inc. There are House of Blues concert hall/ restaurant/retail stores in Los Angeles, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Orlando at Disney West Florida; Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resorts in Nevada; Anaheim at Disneyland, California and Cleveland, Ohio. In 2000 House of Blues Entertainment Inc. acquired the Concerts Division of Universal Studios and last year was bought by Live Nation. As Elwood Blues, Dan hosts the 10 year running House of Blues Radio Hour which is syndicated on 180 radio stations through the United Stations Radio Networks.

Dan Aykroyd holds the rights to Patron Spirits which he is currently distributing throughout Canada with Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. Patron Tequila is the number one selling ultra-premium tequila in North America and he is on the way to do the same in his native Canada.

In December 2005, it was announced that Dan Aykroyd would be entering the wine business in Canada with his investing and partnering with Toronto-based Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd.

Since this announcement, Dan Aykroyd along with his partners have launched several wines bearing his name including the Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series and the Dan Aykroyd Signature Reserve VQA Vidal Icewine.

In June 2007, a major press conference was held where it was announced that Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. would build The Dan Aykroyd Winery in the heart of Canada’s wine region in Niagara.