Music
John Corbett and Rick Moranis aren’t the first actors to attempt the twang, nor do they represent the highs or lows of such ventures. Here’s a roundup:
The good
• Crystal Bernard She got her start as a backup singer for Bobbie Gentry, but the petite blonde soon found herself starring in the hit sitcom Wings. As the show wrapped in the late ’90s, the talented singer-songwriter recorded two albums and scored a couple minor hits on the country charts.
• The Dukes of Hazzard Though best known as Bo and Luke Duke, actors John Schneider and Tom Wopat both parlayed their celebrity into successful music careers. Schneider scored 10 country Top 10s in the ’80s, while Wopat recorded several country albums and has enjoyed success on Broadway.
• George Burns In his 80s, the beloved comedian recorded I Wish I Was Eighteen Again, a country album in the Nashville Sound tradition. It soared to the Top 15 on the country album charts, and the title track was a Top 20 single. He followed with a well-received album of standards in 1996.
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• Keith Carradine Director Robert Altman famously required many of the actors in his 1975 film Nashville to write their own songs. Carradine’s contribution, “I’m Easy,” won an Academy Award, and was a Top 10 pop hit. He subsequently recorded two albums.
The bad
• Billy Bob Thornton The eccentric actor/director teamed with buddy Marty Stuart for his debut album, Private Radio, released by Lost Highway in 2001. Critics praised the album’s detailed character studies, but were less than impressed with the singing.
• Goldie Hawn Post-Laugh-In, the pixieish actress recorded a country album featuring covers of Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe and Van Morrison tunes. The ambitious undertaking wasn’t a universal flop, but it hardly jump-started a singing career.
The ugly
• Sylvester Stallone To Stallone’s credit, he wasn’t necessarily trying to launch a music career. Still, his turn in 1984’s Rhinestone and its accompanying soundtrack ranks as some of the most painful country crooning in history.
• Burt Reynolds After scoring his big break in Deliverance, the actor released an album called Ask Me What I Am in 1973. Legendary critic Robert Christgau’s E+ review said what most people were thinking: “The plus is because the title lets everyone make up his or her own joke.”
• Telly Savalas The Kojak star tackled several country chestnuts over the years, including “I Walk the Line.” The best tribute we can give Cash might be to constitutionally protect his classics from such atrocities in the future.