Go Ahead… Make My Song,
Clint Eastwood 1960s Crooner
When you say the name Clint Eastwood, the first thing that comes to your mind is usually not “singer.”
The actor, director and producer turned 95 on May 31, 2025. Eastwood has not appeared in a film since 2021’s Cry Macho, but he did direct Juror #2 in 2024. Next up for producer Eastwood, is a remake of The Gauntlet starring Tom Cruise and Scarlett Johansson, currently in pre-production.
Though Clint Eastwood has sung in many movies, few people associate, Eastwood, “The Man With No Name” and “Dirty Harry” as a vocalist.
But back when Eastwoodwas emerging as a television star in the 1960s western series Rawhide, Eastwood was positioned as a singer. An entire album was put out in 1962 by Cameo Records entitled, Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites.
Eastwood’s album did not challenge Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii for the most popular LP that year. But it should not surprise any listener that Eastwood has a good voice and can carry a tune. The only question is- Why did he do it?
Here are two selections from Cowboy Favorites.
The opening track, Bouquet Of Rose.
Next the old standby Don’t Fence Me In.
Unlike many celebrities who put out albums that not only did not sell but were downright embarrassing, Clint Eastwood could at least carry a tune.
Unfortunately one day this great star will pass. But this phase in his career will not be mentioned in his obituary.
I’m pretty sure Eastwood would be okay with that.
Eastwood is (or at least was) also a fantastic jazz piano player!
He did it because every tv and movie star did it back then — Vince Edwards, Ed McMahon, Jerry Lewis, the Three Stooges, Allen Ludden, Hugh Downs… It seemed like record companies figured if audiences watched these guys on a screen, they’d listen to them on their RCA hi-fi console. “Can he carry more than three consecutive notes? Sign ’em up!” The last celeb who cut an album that I can remember was Bruce Willis, and that was decades ago.
Bruce Willis. Huh. It did not occur to me that non-singing celebrities no longer do these sort of things. The all-time best for complete mismatch of celebrity = singer is this completely non-musical rendition of “Try A Little Tenderness” from the very emotional…Jack Webb