Don Johnson

Remember Mr. Miami Vice?  This morning, I posted a picture of David Hasselhoff on my Facebook wall...

I can't imagine who thought this was a good idea...

And I was reminded that David Hasselhoff famously enjoyed a lively music career, especially in Germany...

This is the epitome of cheese...

And a friend then reminded me of Don Johnson's foray into music.  He had this song...

I actually kind of liked this song when it was popular...

And then I remembered that Don Johnson also sang a duet with Barbra Streisand of all people... and it was even somewhat well received.

Not too bad...  I don't know if Babs chose to sing with him for his vocals or his hunk factor... in the 80s, anyway.

I think I like the duet better than Don Johnson's solo effort.  His song with Streisand is kind of romantic and sweet.  But I guess now that music videos are no longer as popular as they once were, hunky actors might be less likely to sing.  Of course, what it all boils down to is what will make a buck for an investor.

As actors who sing, Don Johnson isn't so bad, though.  I'd rather listen to him than David Hasselhoff.

Actors who try to become singers... and vice versa!

The 1980s was populated by stars who wanted to be double or even triple threats.  They wanted to be actors who sang, or singers who acted, or singer/actors who danced...  Some of them were pretty successful or at least became one hit wonders.  I'm immediately reminded of Patrick Swayze...

who I've heard wasn't much of a singer, but could dance and act and was easy enough on the eyes...

Of course, if you were around in the 80s, you might also remember Michael Damian...

He played Danny on The Young and the Restless, a soap opera my father was oddly obsessed with, and was a guest star on The Facts of Life, an 80s era sitcom loved by many people my age...

Soap operas were loaded with would be singers...

Jack Wagner played Frisco Jones on General Hospital and Peter on Melrose Place.  He also had a hit song in 1984.  Every time I hear it, it takes me back to 7th grade.

And speaking of The Facts of Life, did you know that Lisa Whelchel (aka Blair Warner) was also a singer?

Yikes.

Of course, perhaps the most popular triple threat of the 1980s was Janet Jackson...


She played Penny on Good Times...

and Charlene on Diff'rent Strokes...

 And then went on to make big bank as a singer!

Whitney Houston rather unsuccessfully tried to act in the early 90s and right before she died...

Kenny Rogers gave acting a go with a major motion picture and several made for TV films.  He's also a well known photographer.

And finally, there's Tyra Banks who started out as a model, then tried to become a singer, a talk show host, and horror of all horrors, an author of teen lit!

There have been others who have tried to be two or three kinds of stars at a time.  Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Lopez, Beverley Mitchell, Alicia Keys, Alanis Morrisette, Alyssa Milano and Scott Baio immediately come to mind.

We Americans love our stars who are double, triple, or in Tyra's case, quadruple threats.  Or do we?