ARETHA FRANKLIN ALMOST DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO THE BLUES BROTHERS: 

The film also gave a much needed boost to Franklin’s career, as it earned $115 million at the box office. At the time, soul and R&B were declining in popularity, as the film’s director John Landis explained to film website HeyUGuys:

“You have to remember that in 1979 when we made the movie, rhythm and blues was basically over, and the number one music in the world was Abba, the Bee Gees and disco… So when people ask, how did you get the likes of Aretha Franklin and James Brown, it was easy. We just called them and said, ‘Wanna job?'”

Franklin almost missed out on the role. Universal Studios executives wanted younger, fresher acts, like Rose Royce, the band that sung the theme song from Car Wash. The creatives behind the project refused to replace the legendary singer, and the rest is history.

Indeed.™

Related: Making Blues Brothers With John Belushi and Dan Akroyd—“We Had a Budget for Cocaine.”