Music and acting are both part of the entertainment business, so it is pretty common to see many people in acting business also have a music career. In reality, many of the famous actors/actresses began their showbiz career as singer or dancer before they made it big later on screen. Others started their musicianship after they already made their name in acting field. Although there are many of those who can make an extra earning from this second career, only a small percentages can gain as much fame as they get as an actors/actresses. And only a fraction of those even make a hit on the Billboard chart. Here are the list of those in acting business who have left their name in music history for only ONCE and noting more.
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Artist
Andy Griffith
Year
1955
Song
Make Yourself Comfortable
Chart
26
Andy Griffith is an American actor, film producer, and director who was best known for his role in 1957's film 'A Face in the Crowd' and CBS's sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show'. In 1955, he teamed up with Jean Wilson to record the comedy talkshow record "Make Yourself Comfortable", which hit at no.26 that same year.
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Artist
Art Mooney & His Orchestra withBarry Gordon
Year
1955
Song
Nuttin' For Christmas
Chart
6
Barry Gordon is an American actor/voice actor who was famous as the voice of many anime characters, especially for Donatello & Bebop in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When he was six, he made his name in the music world with Art Mooney band. The Christmas song "Nuttin' For Christmas" became a Top10 hit in US by the end of 1955 - made him the youngest singer ever to score the Billboard chart.
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Artist
Jerry Lewis
Year
1956
Song
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody
Chart
10
Jerry Lewis, along with Dean Martin, was a popular comedian tag team of the 1940s before they split in the mid 1950s. Lewis then tried to make a music career and came up with the top10 hit "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" in 1956. But his following works could not keep up the success, and switched to become a successful comedian actor in the decades to come.
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Artist
The Tarriers
Year
1957
Song
The Banana Boat Song
Chart
24
An American actor Alan Arkin was welknown for his role in films such as Catch-22, Little Miss Sunshine, and The In-Laws. He started his career with the folk musician group, The Terriers, in the mid 1950s. They had a surprising no.4 hit in 1956 with "The Banana Boat Song". Although their version peaked at higher position than Harry Belafonte version, people nowadays are more familiar with the Belafonte version.
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Artist
Tony Perkins
Year
1955
Song
Moon-Light Swim
Chart
26
Anthony Perkins was best known for his role as 'Norman Bates' in Hitchcock's Psycho in 1960. Few knew was that he also released a couple of pop albums under the alias 'Tony Perkins'. He created one hit with "Moon-Light Swim", which peaked at no.24 on Billboard in 1957. He never followed this musical success and died in 1992 at the age of 60.
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Artist
Dave "Brother Dave" Gardner
Year
1957
Song
White Silver Sands
Chart
22
A Tennessee born "Brother Dave" Gardner was one of the most famous stand-up comedian in the late 50s and early 60s. His style of addressing subjects with Southwestern storyteller made him unique from other fellow comedians. He had a couple comedy albums in the late 50s. He also scored one chart singles in 1957 with "White Silver Sands".
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Artist
Jim Bakus & Friends
Year
1958
Song
Delicious!
Chart
40
James Gilmore Backus, aka Jim Backus, was a famous actor and voice actor. His most notable role was a voice of "Mr. Magoo" and as "Thurston J. Howell, III" in CBS's 1960 sitcom 'Gilligan's Island'. In late 1950, he cut one of the silliest record of all time. This (literally) laughing recording of a (supposedly) couple's conversation at the dining restuarant about their food really became top40 hits on Billboard in 1958.
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Artist
Sheb Wooley
Year
1958
Song
The Purple People Eater
Chart
1
Sheb Wooley was an actor in several western movies during the 1950s, including 'High Noon' (1952), 'Giant' (1956), and a cowboy TV series 'Rawhide'. He also made his name in the music world when his novelty tune "The Purple People Eater" topped the pop chart for six straight weeks in 1958. It was his only one-time success beside his acting career.
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Artist
Edward Byrnes& Connie Stevens
Year
1955
Song
Make Yourself Comfortable
Chart
26
Edward Byrnes is an American actor who was famous from his role as Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III on the detective series "77 Sunset Strip". In 1959, he teamed up with an actress Connie Stevens to record a funny song "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" as a joke for his ducktail style haircut. The song went to no.4 that year - the only hit he've ever made.
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Artist
Connie Stevens
Year
1960
Song
Sixteen Reasons
Chart
3
Connie Stevens is an actress who appears on many films and TV series since the late 50s - such as the detective series 'Hawaiian Eye' and the 70s sitcom 'Wendy and Me'. She also did some recordings back in the early 60s and the singles "Sixteen Reasons" became her lone solo hit in 1960.
Collection of your favorite one hit wonders from 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. Hard to find one hit wonder, one hit wonderer of the period, The weirdest one hit wonder, two hit wonder, double hit wonder, onehitwondercenter