When I think of celebrities who are also known for being musicians, the first names that come to mind are Stephen King and Kevin Bacon. So I was curious who some others might be, and fortunately, Newsweek published such a piece back in 2021, featuring 25 celebrities.
Here is the full list, in alphabetical order:
- Kevin Bacon
- Jack Black
- Michael Cera
- Chevy Chase
- Russell Crowe
- Macaulay Culkin
- Johnny Depp
- Zooey Deschanel
- Ryan Gosling
- Adrian Grenier
- Stephen King
- Zoe Kravitz
- Jared Leto
- Juliette Lewis
- David Lynch
- Steve Martin
- Taylor Momsen
- Keanu Reeves
- Tim Robbins
- Maya Rudolph
- Jason Schwartzman
- Michael Shannon
- Jada Pinkett Smith
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Bruce Willis
I recognize most of the names on the list, but I have to admit I am not sure who Juliette Lewis, Taylor Momsen, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Shannon are. Now it may well be the case that if I saw them in a movie or TV show (if that is what they are known for) I would recognize them, it’s just that the names don’t jump out at me.
One of the fun facts I learned from the list is that Johnny Depp worked with groups like Iggy Pop, Oasis, and Aerosmith before his acting career took off (he does remind me of Steven Tyler when I think about it). He even formed a band with Joe Perry and Alice Cooper (again, I can see the mutual attraction between Cooper and Depp).
Another fun fact was that while I knew Steve Martin played the banjo, I did not know that he won a Grammy back in 2009 for Best Bluegrass Album. Here is one of the songs from that album. Not surprisingly, Martin starts off with a joke:
I’ve always admired his stand-up work and his acting, but now I have to add accomplished musician to the list. Talk about a talented guy…
*image from Billboard
I’m so out of the loop! I recognized half a dozen names (couldn’t find mine) but there’s very little I would know about them.
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I’mnot sure if that’s good or bad that I recognized most of the names… 🙂
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I like a little Bluegrass music. A little. Steve Martin is pretty good on that banjo, though.
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thre was a full 8-minute clip of the song, but I found the shorter two-minute video for just that reason. I like bluegrass music; reminds me of some traditional Irish music…
He is quite talented. I remember he used to play the banjo as part of his stand-up routine 50 years ago
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Yeah, sadly I remember those days. Damn, you and I are both old. I remember he’d go on stage with an arrow sticking through his head. And I remember everyone raving about this hilarious new comedian.
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he was an original, and I guess we are old…
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I fell in love with a guy cause he mimicked Steve Martin so well!
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That’s great, I’ll bet he was fun to be around. Or at least, wild and crazy.
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🙂
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that’s a good skill set to have!
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joe pesci
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that’s one I was not aware of, but I checked and I see he’s got a few albums out!
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Who knew? What a talented bunch…:)
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I guess artists are always looking for a way to express themselves…
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Cool! Steve Martin is a great comedian. Bluegrass isn’t my favorite style but I do like the banjo at times.
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Steve Martin is great, and I guess I am one of the few who like bluegrass!
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Interesting about Johnny Depp! I once read that he modeled his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow on Keith Richards… You can see that, can’t you? 🙂
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I can see the Keith Richards thing!
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Was their band name something to do with vampires? I know they played in Hollywood a lot. I think they played again pretty recently, or have a show coming up. Or maybe I dreamed it.
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yes, the Hollywood Vampires…
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I also admired Steve Martin’s work. It just occurred to me that I hadn’t seen him in anything forever. Google said he left acting for over a decade. His last film was in 1999 (Bowfinger), but in 2021 I read that he came back as part of a comedy mystery series called Only Murders in the Building. I never saw it, so I don’t know if it’s any good.
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we realy liked Only Murders in the Building…
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It’s good. I’m halfway through it. I’m not a fan of Martin Short so I’m less into the series than it deserves.
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I thought they were all pretty good… I didn’t know Selena Gomez that well, but I was impressed…
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So few women on that list! Celebrities for something other than music. Multi-talented.
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multi-talented indeed…
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This begs for a follow up post listing all the musicians who found their way onto the screen. Let me get you started: Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna…
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great idea – thank you. odds are high you will see this in a future Music Monday!
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Lee Ving, Nick Cave, EG Daly, Will Smith, Frank Sinatra, Elvis…
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👍
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great list. I love my indy film guys – Michael cera is hilarious and Jason schwartzman you would probably recognize if you’re a fan of the wes Anderson movies (also Francis ford Coppola’s nephew), Steve Martin is a genius in so many areas in my opinion, and I love the little books he’s written. not a huge Johnny Depp fan, but lots of good ones on the list –
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Michael Cera is quite funny.
I must admit Wes Anderson does not ring a bell, although I may know his movies.
I was not aware Steve Martin wrote books – I will have to check those out.
Johnny Depp is quite odd…, but he does have a flair for the dramatic…
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Did you read Steve Martin’s autobiography? It’s his only book that didn’t thrill me.
I have “The Pleasure of My Company” on audiobook and everyone who borrowed it did the same as me… IMMEDIATELY listened to it a 2nd time for more detail, because it was so subtle but good.
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i read ‘shopgirls’ and ‘an object of beauty’ and loved both. i’m going to see out ‘the pleasure of my company’ after reading your comment, and have read his autobiography, but sounds like i didn’t miss much on that one.
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I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
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I have not read any of those – thanks for the tips!
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Ya know, Steve Martin also wrote a pretty nice little fiction novel called Shop Girl. He is truly a high achiever.
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thanks for the tip, I’ve added it to my list…
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Quite a few names on that list I don’t recognise, probably because it mostly comprises Americans that might not have been involved in shows broadcast here. I know of Juliette Lewis, to fill in one of your gaps: unless you’re a fan of tuneless shouting I wouldn’t bother checking her out. I’m surprised that Elizabeth McGovern didn’t make the list, as her band Sadie and the Hotheads has appeared in plenty of festivals, supported some well known names, and made several albums. I saw them as support to Gretchen Peters around 2013 – they were awful! Maybe she was having an off night, but her voice was flat and she couldn’t hold a note!
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soundsl ike I’ll be skipping Juliette. And Elizabeth McGovern does not ring a bell, but it sounds like you’ve saved me the trouble of checking out her music!
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A wise choice. Elizabeth McGovern is well known here for her lead role in Downton Abbey, but if you haven’t seen that it won’t mean much to you 😊
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I guess I am one of the few people who has not watched Downton Abbey.
On a somewhat related note, I do remember loving the show Broadchurch, which starred Olivia Colman. She was great in the show, and then I remember seeing her in The Crown one night while my wife was watching it.
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Ebeth was also in She’s Having A Baby, with Kevin Bacon. I loved her in Racing The Moon.
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she sounds quite talented…
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I’m the complete opposite: I’ve seen every episode of Downton as well as the movie, but have never watched a single episode of either Broadchurch or The Crown. Olivia Colman is good, though 😊
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we all thought Broadchurch was a great show…
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I just never got going with it, and then it seemed too much to catch up with!
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Yes, I’ve felt that way about some shows. I’ve heard “the Wire was quite good, but it seems like ti would be a big commitment to watch all of the episodes…
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That’s the problem for me too. If I don’t watch something from the beginning, catching up can be a daunting prospect. It seems easier to watch new shows as they air, but nowadays there are so many available in full from the outset. I’ve just watched Reacher, on Amazon Prime. Only eight episodes, which is about my limit!
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I plan to watch Reacher as well; right now we are watching the latest Harlan Coben series…
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Which one is that? I’ve found at least three of them since I started with Netflix!
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Stay Close…
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Thanks. I have that one on my watch list.
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What a list of accomplished, talented people. I was surprised to recognize all but 2 names on the list.
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it must be nice to be multi-talented… 🙂
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That celebrity Villanova accounting prof was slighted. B/t/w does anybody else think Joe Burrow resembles Macaulay Culkin?
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I’ll have to suggest my colleague if they ever update the list 🙂
and I can see that resemblance between Joe and Macauly. I wonder if anyone else has ever pointed it out…
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Wow, I didn’t know some of these guys are also musicians. I was surprised by many others until I saw their musicals.
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I guess artists like to express themselves in a variety of ways…
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He is one of my favorites…funny, talented, and thoughtful.
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agreed…
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I saw that Steve Martin bluegrass tour. Went to see him live but the show was great! My fave banjo song of his is Late For School.
He also writes plays. The Underpants is silly fun.
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Meaning… I went to see HIM, Steve… the fact that it was music instead of comedy made no difference.
He’s also a well known major art collector. That’s why he was able to rollerskate inside LACMA for a scene in LA Story… he was on the board or something. I loooove that movie… it genuinely captured LA in the 80s/90s.
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I don’t think I’ve seen that movie. I’ve got some catching up to do…
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I don’t know what a non-LA person would think now but it still uses me… even dumb jokes like a hotel called Pollo Del Mar (Chicken of the Sea).
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I would not have gotten that joke… 🙂
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That’s one reason I like it.
Did you ever see Kentucky Fried Movie? One of the sequences makes fun on 80s karate films. My Korean friend was laughing hysterically when no one else was… she told me they were actually speaking Korean and saying things like “cabbage!” & “Eggroll!”
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that was a great movie; had not heard about the Korean bit…
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Every 15 yrs or so I watch KFM and/or UHF.
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I also remember liking The Groove Tube movie
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Me too… but Ihaven’t seen it since back then.
When I was binging Michael Nesmith’s Elephant Parts, I realized it was the same format.
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lucky you! I’ll check out late for school…
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Wow! I had no idea so many celebrities were musicians. I think Steve Martin is one of the best.
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He is a national treasure!
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Yes!!
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I don’t know how I feel about those celebrities who are also musicians. A couple of years ago, it seemed to me like every actor/actress was a singer all of a sudden. Of course, they all write books, too. Are they really talented in seven different ways while we struggle to find half of one? Do they just push more for what they want? Or is it just easier for them to walk through open doors because of their celebrity status?
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I think part of of what makes these people artists is a desire to be creative in a variety of ways.
but as far as the books are concerned, I often wonder how much of those books the celebrities write themselves…
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I like the idea behind the first part of your response. But – while I do want to be creative by drawing… not much comes of it.
Yes, I wonder that, too.
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I’m a one-trick pony. I’ll just stick to my writing, but even that I’m not sure how creative I am being…
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My theory is that since they are successful actors they have both the time and money to devote to becoming more proficient in music. Those are two things I don’t seem to have enough of.
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I think your theory makes a lot fo sense. I’ve told myself I’d like to learn how to play the guitar when I retire…
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For sure. I would love to take up piano, but more time commitments seem daunting.
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that’s why I’m waiting for retirement…
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Getting one of these plumb acting gigs would be like retiring at 23.
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that would be nice…
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I’m surprised Jennifer Lopez isn’t on here…. I’m not a huge fan of her nor do I dislike her… I just feel quite neutral about her… her acting and singing are nothing to write home about but again, surprised she’s not on the list…
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perhaps becuase she was famous for her singing first?
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