The Story Of How Dan Aykroyd Ended Up In The ‘We Are The World’ Video Has A NH Connection

I've always wondered how Dan Aykroyd ended up in that video. I found out by reading New Hampshire magazine.

The night 'We Are The World' was released and played over and over and over again on the radio, I was spending the night in a line outside of the old Newington Mall waiting to buy tickets to see Prince on his 'Purple Rain' tour. That's a story for another day.

Quite frankly I was already tired of the song by the time I first saw the 'We Are The World' video. As I'm watching all of the pop and rock stars of the day singing their verses, all of a sudden I spot Dan Aykroyd singing away. Dan Aykroyd. What is Dan Aykroyd doing in this video? I mean he's an original SNL man, a Ghostbuster. Sure he's a Bluesbrother, but does that give him the creds to be in this room at this time. He kinda sticks out. For these many years, I've pondered that question.

It took an interview Dan did in NH Magazine from 2009 for me to finally get an answer. When asked how his appearence in the video came about, Dan replied;

"Totally by accident. My father and I were interviewing business managers in LA and we walked into this office of a talent manager, and realized we were in the wrong place. I was looking for a money manager, not a talent manager. I had managed myself at that time and always have. But he said, so long as you are here, would you like to come and join this "We are the World" thing.

I thought how do I fit in here? Well, we did sell a few million records with the Blues Brothers and in my other persona I am a musician, so I showed up and was a part of it but it was totally by accident."

Mystery solved. And the answer was in a magazine about, and published in New Hampshire of all places.

I bet even Fritz Wetherbee doesn't know that story.