Published on Oct 8, 1997
Don Johnson and I have one thing in common: Our first love is
MUSIC!
Yes! You’re asking Don Johnson of Miami Vice fame? You bet!
Little did we all know, is that Don cowrote two songs for the
Allman Brothers Band’s
Enlightened Rogues album in 1979. He cowrote two songs for
the
Heartbeat album.
When Don went into the studio for this album, he got a lot of
help. Along with his four-piece band, he was helped with the likes
of Dickey Betts, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Ray Vaughan,
Ron Wood, and Dweezil Zappa.
Of the ten songs on the album, these are the ones that stood out
for me: The title track, “Heartbeat,” (hey! it got a lot of radio
airplay, and was a Top 10 hit!) “Voice On A Hotline” (a mellow
number), “The Last Sound Love Makes” (a good rocker!) “Lost In Your
Eyes,” written by Tom Petty, features background vocals by Bonnie
Raitt. It’s a mellow tune, as it sets the mood.
“Coco Don’t” and “Heartache Away” are two songs where you just
can’t help but sing along with the choruses. “Love Roulette”
(cowritten by Don) and “Gotta Get Away” are okay numbers; “Star
Tonight” (written by Bob Seger) is a duet with Don and Willie
Nelson. This song, I hate to say, is the least one to listen to.
(Don’t get me wrong, I like Willie Nelson, this song just didn’t do
it for me.)
And lastly, “Can’t Take Your Memory,” cowritten by Don, is a
beautiful tune as it features just the piano and Don’s vocals. Don
tells the tale of how memories just cannot be taken away. Whether
good ones or bad, the title of this tune really says it all.
Don Johnson is one of many movie actors/actresses to take a
crack in becoming a rock and roll singer. (Hey, if Captain Kirk and
Mr. Spock can do it, why can’t Don?) He’s not the greatest singer
in the world, but I was greatly impressed by his first effort. It
definitely has that Eighties sound.
His second album was released in 1989, entitled
Let It Roll. He hasn’t recorded any new albums since then,
although he did record a duet with his then-girlfriend Barbra
Streisand in the early 90s.
Although I like this album, many people felt that he should go
back to his “day” job; being an actor.