When Actors Sing: 80's Edition

Before they were stars, while they were stars, after they were stars, because they were stars, wherever the category lands, it takes an eclectic celebrity to not be satisfied staying in the world of acting. Instead, they branch off into other interests, showcasing their talents in a multitude of creative outlets. Some create food sold in grocery stores. Others will paint. Perhaps some will even write books. Then there are the select few who will get into a recording studio, and kick out a whole album, trying to place a Grammy alongside their Oscars.

While this certainly wasn't an anomaly inclusive to the 80's, today, that's where we're going to hang out. Taking a look at those actors and actresses who stepped away from the camera, briefly or indefinitely, to trade the silver screen for the radio. Some of these folks may have come from the 70's, while others may have gone on to the 90's and beyond. However, the albums we're looking at are all 80's goodness.

There were some guidelines I followed when curating this list. Though soundtracks wouldn't be shunned, a full fledged musical or Broadway show would. I'm not going to include Grease 2 or Rhinestone, for example, because those movies were built around the music. The actors were expected to sing, and an album following was inevitable. Same scenario goes for movies about bands (real or fictional). So, no Michael J. Fox mention for The Light Of Day.

Vice versa, a musician playing a musician in a movie, such as The Jeff Healey Band in Roadhouse, or the most obvious offender, Prince, doesn't count either. These aren't actors becoming musicians. These are musician playing musicians. The musician could, however, be playing a character in a movie, where it's not a musical. Such as the case with the first few people on this list.

Further, the celebrity couldn't be included if it was a guest appearance. If a studio album, it had to be theirs, with their name on it. For that example, I reference Daryl Hannah appearing on the song, You're A Friend of Mine by Clarence Clemons (featuring Jackson Browne).

Everybody got the rules, and the method to my madness? Good! So, let's kick this off by getting the obvious three out of the way.

Say what you will about her, Barbra Streisand minces no words when it comes to being one of the greatest actresses and singers of all time. She has categorically been honored across the world for her work and performances, and no spoof on South Park will ever diminish that. She is highly respected in Hollywood, and adored by fans everywhere.

Yes, Olivia Newton-John started out as a musician, and transitioned to film with the major hit Grease. However, from there she became an actress in her own right, while still having a very lucrative singing career. Her biggest hit, Physical, coming from the 1981 album of the same title, catapulted her music into orbit, while her continued film success in the likes of Xanadu, and Twist of Fate, equally kept her popular on the big screen.

Is Bette Midler on the same plane as Barbra Streisand? I don't know. Maybe in her own right. What I do know is that much like the aforementioned singer / actress, Midler has carved her own place in the history of entertainment breaching both boundaries of movies and songs.

Dipping into what we'll call the lesser known, though I'm not sure how or why, we come face to face with Rick Springfield. Though a struggling musician in the 70's, Springfield would simultaneous release his 1981 break out album, Working Class Dog, while also becoming a heartthrob on the soap opera series, General Hospital. Despite his music career taking off, he would continue to work on the show through 1983, while releasing his follow up albums, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, and Living In Oz. Though he has continued to make albums throughout the decades, his latest being 2023's Automatic, he would also return to General Hospital from 2005 to 2013, reprising his character, Noah Drake.

Just a good old boy, John Schneider made his claim to fame as Bo Duke on the highly popular Dukes of Hazzard, eventually reprising his role in the children's cartoon, The Dukes. However, when not in front of the camera, Schneider was hard at work on a very lustrous music career. Including a collection of Greatest Hits, he's released over thirty albums between 1981 and 2019, ten in total just in the 80's (nine studio albums, and a compilation of hits).

If David Hasselhoff is a king in the USA for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch, then he's an emperor across Germany for his music career. Though American's didn't see the appeal to his singing career, Europeans count him among the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson. The man has a knack for turning everything he touches to gold, and you can't fault him for that. If there's one thing in life that proves you're famous, it's when you can play yourself in a movie, and people love every minute of it.

Another General Hospital alum, Jack Wagner worked on the series as Frisco Jones from 1983 to 1987, again from 1989 to 1991, once again from 1994 to 1995, and a final time in 2013. Perhaps inspired by Rick Springfield, or already on that path individually, Wagner would release his first studio album in 1984. Unfortunately, unlike his series co-star, Wagner didn't garner as much success in the world of music, chart wise.

Staying in the world of soap operas, but shifting over to The Young and the Restless, we come to actor Michael Damian, who played Danny Romalotti from 1981 to 1998, 2002 to 2004, 2008, 2012 to 2013, and again from 2022 to 2024. He began his music career with the 1984 studio album, Love Is A Mystery, but failed to garner much attention. It wouldn't be until his 1989 cover of the David Essex song, Rock On, that Damian would finally start to see some movement in his singing career. However, this success was short lived. He would spend the 90's jumping from label to label, but never finding a foothold on the charts amongst an era of grunge. Though he continued to release music throughout the first decade of the New Millennium, this too was not a lucrative time for him musically.

I'll always remember Harry Connick Jr. for his roles in Copycat and The Iron Giant, as well as the time I saw him live in concert. Harry has been highly successful as a musician, probably even more so than as an actor. He's renowned for his skillful piano playing, and highly regarded as a composer. These days, he also passes on his knowledge via online piano courses.

RIP Patrick Swayze. When a lot of people heard the song, "She's Like the Wind" on the radio for the first time, their jaws were on the ground with the realization they were listening to Swayze as the lead singer. He'd been working on the song for quite some time when he pitched it for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The song raced up the charts, and with the aid of the film, catapulted the actor into teen heartthrob status. Though he never released any studio albums, Swayze would continue to contribute to soundtracks, including Road House, Next of Kin, and One Last Dance. I guess in hindsight, Roadhouse could have been included on this list.

Thanks to Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta makes this list for his duet contribution to the soundtrack, Two of A Kind, also starring Newton-John. However, what a lot of people don't know is that this wasn't his first foray into the world of albums, and no, I'm not talking about the Grease soundtrack. Travolta released his own studio albums in the 70's, his self titled disco record (1976), and its pop rock follow up, 1977's, Can't Let You Go. He's also released several singles, and continued to collaborate with Olivia on future albums.

When comedian / actress Tracey Ullman told her husband she was going to work with the newly created Stiff Records label to release a studio album, he urged her not to, telling her it was a bad idea. Not heeding this advice, Ullman released 1983's You Broke My Heart in 17 Places, and 1984's You Caught Me Out. Both featured 80's renditions of classic jukebox hits from the fifties and sixties, and while her first album found success with the chart topper, They Don't Know, both albums were critical flops. The comedian has not released a music album since, and instead focused her efforts on her comedy act, leading to the debut of The Simpsons on her highly popular show.

When interviewed about his venture into the world of music, Eddie Murphy told talk show host David Letterman that as a comedian, it wouldn't matter how his debut album went. If it was successful, he'd smile and go with it. If it flopped, he'd simply incorporate its failure into his comedy act. In short, either way, it would be a win for him. Though it didn't reach number one, How Could It Be still burned up the charts with its single, Party All the Time, paving the way for Murphy to occasionally revisit the world of music, though he still favors acting.

Its tragic what's happened to Bruce Willis. Fortunately, we can revisit better times in his life via his fantastic films, his great success in television, and his brief music career. Critically, his albums have been far less successful than his blockbuster films. Reviewers are kind, but also conclude that he doesn't have the chops to really stand out as a musician amongst the likes of the Blues Brothers, Don Johnson or Bruce Springsteen. They akin him more so to a comedy act than a serious musician.

And speaking of Don Johnson, he's the next actor on our list. If you lived under a rock in the 80's, Johnson catapulted into success with his portrayal of Sonny Crockett on the prime time series, Miami Vice from 1984 to 1990. From there, he starred in the equally successful, Nash Bridges, from 1996 to 2001. Possibly inspired by his earlier co-star, who we'll get to in a moment, Johnson tried his hand at music in the 80's. Led by the title track, Heartbeat, which went to number five on the Billboard, the now singer / actor was noted as successful in his transition to the world of music. However, his follow up album, 1989's Let It Roll, would not fare as well, despite a contribution from Barbra Streisand. To date, he hasn't released any further albums.

Now we switch over to Johnson's co-star from Miami Vice, Philip Michael Thomas. Thomas would self release his debut album in 1985, but unfortunately, it sold poorly, and produced no hits. He would try again in 1988, but again would be met with failure. Despite this, he has continued to dabble in music periodically. However, most will always remember him as Ricardo Tubbs.

Who doesn't love Mr. T? Lead on The A-Team, greatest opponent to Rocky Balboa, and icon to kids across the nation. Despite his tough exterior, Mr. T exhibited a demeanor of kindness, caring, and love. These aspects carried over to his two albums from 1984, which were full of moral lessons for kids, and advice to help them stay safe. It's no wonder that children of the 80's looked up to him, and adults grown up from the 80's still reflect on him fondly. Mr. T was the ideal role model.

When he wasn't busy loving Joanie, or being in charge, Scott Baio was working on a less than acclaimed music career. The singer / actor himself has reflected on the lackluster success. These days, his self titled debut album is typically only remembered when being compared to the album cover of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Even Baio has stated how their similarities are striking, while laughing about how Jackson's album went on to be a bit more popular than his.

Now we start heading into obscure territory.

The Facts of Life is that Lisa Whelchel can't sing. I'm sorry, but her one and only album, All Because of You wasn't going to be making any waves any time soon. What I find the most oddest, but also intriguing at the same time is that some of the songs want to be pop oriented hits, while others are slow tempo gospel. This isn't a bad thing. It's just an odd combination. The album flip flops back and forth, and this results in a record that doesn't cohesively flow. Kudos to her though for showcasing her faith. That's rare in Hollywood.

Her co-star, Kim Fields also tried her hand in music. Rather than produce a full album, Fields instead opted for a single. Though the lead track was, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, the b-side Dear Michael, which serves as a love letter to Michael Jackson, is the more memorable song. It's not good...it's just more memorable.

Though the show, Who's the Boss was still on the air in 1989 (1984 to 1992), and remained popular in the USA, the states were not ready for a musical career from Alyssa Milano. Instead, she turned her efforts to a Japanese audience, who ate up her two studio albums, both released in 1989. To this day her albums continue to be re-released over seas, but remain scarce in the US. In fact, you won't even find a CD release in North America. These are limited to Japan, making them all the more hard to find and expensive.

You know, I'd be lying if I said Tina Yother's 1987 single, Over and Over, wasn't good. It's peppy, totally pop oriented, and rather enjoyable. What's odd about it is that you won't actually find the song Over and Over on the two track LP. Instead, it features Baby I'm Back In Love Again, and Girlie Girlie. Since leaving the world of acting, she's stayed in music, forming the band, Jaded, with her brother.

As one of Charlie's Angels, Cherly Ladd introduced many a young boy to the world of manhood. It takes a lot of woman to replace the likes of Farrah Fawcett, but Ladd did just that from 1977 to 1981. Prior to the end of the 70's she released two studio albums, which we won't bother with, because we're focused on the 80's. She then released her final album to date, 1981's Take A Chance, which was limited to Japan. Rather than continue a career in music, the actress returned to the small screen, starring in several made for television films, and continues to act to this day.

Alan Thicke doesn't often get the credit he deserves. He's usually only remembered for his stint on Growing Pains, which granted was no small achievement. After all, the series ran for six seasons between 1985 and 1992. However, Thicke's career began long before that. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a renowned writer of classic television themes, having penned over forty tunes. Some of the more noteworthy include the themes to The Facts of Life, Diffe'rent Strokes, the original version of Wheel of Fortune, Celebrity Sweepstakes, and more. He even released a single, Thicke of the Night. Despite its goofy title, it's actually a pretty solid rock track.

While Alan Thicke wrote the theme to The Facts of Life, it would be Gloria Loring who would sing it. Oh, yeah, she was also married to Thicke, is the mother of their son, Robin Thicke, and had her own successful career playing Liz Chandler on Days of Our Lives from 1980 to 1986. She dabbled in the world of music leading up to the 80's, but never really found much success. It's more of a novelty to own her 1984 album, A Shot In the Dark for its inclusion of the full version of The Facts of Life. However, beyond that, it's nothing to write home about. Her greatest musical success came from her 1986 self titled follow up album, which featured the number two hit, Friends and Lovers, with Carl Anderson.

We wrap this up with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd's duet from the Dragnet soundtrack entitled, City of Crime. It's part rock, part rap, an acquired taste for sure. For its time it was unique. These days, it's one of those, "why" moments. The song was played over the films closing credits, while the music video was choreographed by Paula Abdul. As for its existence...Well, I can only speculate it was to capitalize on the rising popularity of rap, and a ploy to garner attention towards the movie. It worked at the time, but like I said, these days it more so leaves one asking, "Why would they do that?"

An honorable mention to this post would be We Are the World for featuring both Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler as part of the chorus. But, that about wraps it up. Are there any other actors from the 80's who made albums, singles, or were part of soundtracks that I missed? Let me know. I could always use more 80's music.

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