European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Life outside hazzard county John Schneider s country career going full Speed ahead by Joe Edwards associated Pressa actor John Schneider who used to gun his car across Hazard county As to s to Duke has a country music career hat s also going full the Ollie. Since 1984, the Blond Good or boy from the Long tunning dudes of hazzard to series has corned three no. 1 country hits. I be been accepted As an artist and not As a  the 32-year-old actor Singer said. To country music fans. I m a Singer who acts which is a tremendous compliment. It s allowed me an identity separate Horn the  Schneider who is also a guitarist and songwriter has been cutting records since 1981 when he had iks first single it s vow or Ney. A remake of an Elvis Presley hit. But most of his Success came alter to signed in 1934 with Mca records of Nashville and began singing wrenching country weepers in his Barilone voice. His no 1 singles include i be been around enough to knew. Country girls and what s a memory like you doing in a Lova like this. His current release is you re the last thing i needed tonight. His albums include too Good to Stop now trying to outrun the wind and a memory like you. He and Tom Wopat who co starred As Luke Duke. Have not made an episode of Dukes of Harar for about iwo Yew s. But the old programs Are shown As reruns i my the people but no the confinement Schneider said. Ii was 12 hours a Day for five Days a week 10 months a year. You had to squeeze in everything else on weekends and in those other two  Schneider views the show As a unique combination of action comedy and morals. It was the Only show where we said Grace before every meal. We had Good Guys and bad Guys and we rescued each other. Our love was there he said. The people on it enjoyed living with one another. Ii bridged the Gap when there were holes in the  Wopat also sings country music but has not been As successful As Schneider. We run Inlo each  Schneider said. His songwriting is terrific. It win be his in to the business Schneider who began acting at age 8, sings the Type of sad tunes that Are the hallmark of such country stalwarts As George Jonea and Merle Haggard. Like sad songs Schneider said. Everyone can relate to sad songs. Everyone has loved and lost whether you Are 20 or 50, those emotions Are there. You can be spending the happiest Day of your life but you can remember being sad my Lavoile songs grab hold of your heart and tug a Little bit. I like songs i wish i had written myself ones that touch my emotions. I Don t look at what everyone else is doing or what s hot i m them to be moved emotionally. You should please yourself with everything you  to just wrote the Long this time with Steve Mason the bus drive or Johnny Cash and it will be on Schneider s upcoming album. Schneider and his six member band will perform at 150 concerts this year. Ii allows me to Gat the Finger on the pulse said Schneider who Ives in Nashville and outside a Angeles i can produce movies and records at the same time. No other production company owner can do hat. It gives Mea neat network of  Schneider a native of my. Kisco n.y., moved to Atlanta at age 14. Foj owing graduation from High school he worked in a dinner theater group wrote and staged children s plays acted in commercials and played music for tips in nightclubs. His initial professional singing experience came with his work in legitimate theater where he appeared in Oklahoma and Annie get your gun. He auditioned for the Dukes of hazzard by growing a Beard for a week and showing up with a Beer can in his hand after learning show officials were looking Lor a Good of  Schneider also has appeared in the to movies Stagecoach dream House Happy endings and Gua Brown and Midnight firewater. A appeared opposite Kirk Douglas in Eddie Maeon s run. He formerly was married to Tawny Little miss America 1976. He does Chanty work or children s hospitals and american indians. Jwwsen�iwrf7wiy n to ouf and torn Wop tit Luke Duke to Tom thu Root thu to  both Ting country Mulc. Tom Wopat tries Broadway while keeping his Eye on Nashville Page 16 the stars and stripes by Jim Lewis United press International of Wopat the former duties of hazzard Star recently opened As thy Bigalow in carouse Al the Kennedy Center in Washington but he s keeping an Eye on Nashville and on his Long term goal As a country Ginger musing on the dual aspect of his singing career Wopat sees no contradiction in terms no squirms of conscience or spirit no heart rending choices to be made i was doing Broadway Type music before Dukes of hazzard Wopat explained. I had a Little trepidation doing Carousel with the things that were happening in town Here. Bui i talked to Capitol records Nashville chief Jim Foglesong and he thought it was a Good career move that can t do anything but help the situation especially if the show goes to Broadway. " Wopat who has made a mini splash in country music with a single released called True love which went to 39 on the charts says singing Broadway musicals and country Are not the same thing. They a two different types of music. There is no gelling around that. It involves two different vocal techniques. Was More comfortable with the Broadway stuff. That s what i grew up with. But in the last four or five years spending As much time As i have in Nashville i have developed a technique of country music. I think it s like comparing apples and  asked Bow easy it a to switch Back and Forth Wopat replied you can t just go in there and turn on your country Mode or your Broadway Mode. Actually it s easier to turn on the country Mode than the Broadway Mode. I studied voice at the University of Wisconsin and a lot of technique involved with Broadway style legitimate voice. And a lot of that is involved in singing country music. There Are a lot of things thai Cross the line. It is not quite As hot and cold As you might think monday july 26,1986 Wopat said he began listening to country six or eight years ago and since that time he has assimilated a Tat of the genre. J guess if 1 had grown up with it it would have had a bigger effect but i think i am overcoming my Lack of initial  Wopat credits his interest in country music to his association with the popular Dukes  series which also aided the country music career of John Schneider. He was especially inspired by Waylon Jennings the country music superstar who provided the narrative on the show i spent some Lime with  said Opal. One of my major goals has been to perform before an audience thai s one of the reasons Why i m doing this Broadway Skull. I like the creativity that is necessary every night when performing before a live audience. Anyway watching Waylon Jennings i saw How the country audiences Are Loyal and whal a Tang career you can Nave. It s not As trendy Here today gone tomorrow like pop. Also the Basic audience of Dukes was country. I liked the idea of having a Long career in country music but underneath it All Opal said he has chosen a career in country music because he just Plain likes country music. There is a Little More accent on the material. There is More meal to the songs. Of course there Are a lot of country songs that go i Sho my dog and my wife ran Oil but there Are a lot of Good  Wopat said he got his Rote in Carousel because some of the new York directors remembered his pre Dufres of Hasan work. He said the show is being redone irom ground Zero and added. There Are some songs in the show that Are close to  but Broadway is not going to lure Wopat away from his country music career. I m counting on the publicity irom caboose to help me. But once the show is started i la be free during the Days. I la go out 150 to 200 Miles Tram . On my Days Oil promoting country music " Opal will give his nights to Carousel but his Dav swill Slih belong to country