Acting Musicians That Made the Top 40

When an actor is successful enough to saunter down Hollywood Boulevard, tread on their name in the pavement and graciously wave as mere mortals drop to their knees, it’s no wonder they start to think that they can conquer the whole entertainment industry. The illustrious cream of the acting crop do, generally speaking, stick to what they’re good at. However, there remain a handful of misguided thespians who have found the lure of the microphone stand just too tempting. After all, they can pretty much afford to be whoever they like, so why not a Hollywood actor AND a Billboard superstar? This, unfortunately, has led to some of the weakest releases in music history (remember when Scarlett Johansson covered Tom Waits?) and served as a happy reminder to all of us norms that A-list celebrities are not flawless. Thankfully, most of these monstrosities have been lost to the sands of unmemorable music time.

However, although acting musicians usually tickle the gag reflex, a few possess music gifts and have, accordingly, cracked the Billboard Chart. Whether this was based on the quality of their record or simply thanks to their devoted fan base, we’ll never know.

Bill Cosby – Little Ol’ Man 1967 

 

Bill Cosby has mastered a multitude of entertainment outlets, whilst still managing to be one of the most likeable actors in Hollywood. Actor, comedian, producer, author, activist, doctor and (really rather good) musician, Cosby has been listed as one of the 100 greatest African Americans of all time and graced the Top 40 in 1967 with his comedic rendition of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Uptight – Everything’s Alright.’ And that’s all there is to it.

Steve Martin – King Tut 1978

With Steve Martin, it’s pretty safe to say that if he ever broke the Top 40, it would be with a novelty song - the man just can’t take himself seriously. He achieved just that in 1978 with his absurd Egyptian jazz skit, ‘King Tut,’ which aired on Saturday Night Live and charted at number 17. It was, at the time, the most expensive sketch SNL had ever produced.

Eddie Murphy – Party All the Time 1985

You probably didn’t know that Murphy released this song because it’s been sampled and covered so many times since (memorably, by the Children of Bodom). However, despite being listed as one of ‘100 Worst Songs Ever’, ‘Party All the Time’ was remixed by the Ministry of Sound for their Cream Club Anthems and, since then, has become a club anthem.

Bruce Willis – Respect Yourself 1987

In the eighties it seems ill-advised musical stints were all the rage, as were one hit wonders. Willis released the album ‘The Return of Bruno,’ to accompany his HBO special of the same name. This song reached number 5 in the charts and serves as a reminder of everything that was wrong (and shamelessly right) with naff eighties sitcoms.

Patrick Swayze – She’s like the Wind 1988

Oh Patrick Swayze, you were the prince of so many hearts and the undisputed king of the power ballad. Swayze was catapulted to international fame with the release of cult classic flick; ‘Dirty Dancing’ and soon a poster of his torso found its way onto every girls bedroom wall. Charting at number three on the billboard chart, it is still being granted radio air play. This is a testament to the fact that, after all these years, no one puts baby in the corner.