Celebritized for Your Protection: Actors Sing!

Actors who sing (and singers who act) are the theme of this first installment in Stinky's new series, Celebritized For Your Protection.  Some actors (like the late Bill Paxton, pictured at left) made music before their acting careers took off.  Jeff Bridges is another example.

Some were cast in films and TV shows after they had achieved success as singers (Kris Kristofferson and Art Garfunkel, for example).  Others (like Billy Bob Thornton and Crispin Glover) indulged their musical passions after achieving fame as actors. And a few songs on today's compilation were performed by an actor in a movie or TV series.  

Way back in the mid-80's, I bought a tape by mail from Irwin Chusid called Atrocious Versions, which eventually evolved into the Golden Throats compilations on Rhino Records.  Stinky isn't after the atrocious here, even though William Shatner and Ted Cassidy make appearances.  And it's not all TV and movie "bands" like The Monkees, The Partridge Family and The Barbusters.

Hey, did you know that Bill Paxton directed the Fish Heads video?  Or that Billy Mumy (member of the duo Barnes & Barnes) played a band member in the Rick Springfield movie?  Or that Trent Reznor appeared in Light Of Day with Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox? I was today years old (as the kids say) when I learned these things.  There are probably other "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" type connections among other performers on today's compilation.  I guess that's the nature of show business (and hey, Kevin Bacon makes music too!)

Welcome to the swingin' world of singin' actors (and actin' singers).  You can probably think of other examples.  Keep your ears open for the next installments of Celebritized for Your Protection, where Stinky features actresses and comedians who sing!

RIP to David Soul, who passed away recently and whose biggest hit was undoubtedly Hit The North (as a member of Frank Sidebottom's Supergroup).