Born David Solberg on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, the actor and singer was better known by his stage name David Soul. While his initial rise to fame in 1975 came courtesy of his co-starring role as Detective Kenneth ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson in the hit TV series Starsky & Hutch, he scored Number 1 hits in the US and UK with “Don’t Give Up On Us” (1976) and “Silver Lady” (1977). Far from an actor that turned to singing, David Soul’s singing career actually began in the early 1960s when he was inspired to follow music while attending the University of the Americas in Mexico City, Mexico. After time spent performing as a musician and actor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he relocated to New York City and appeared in several stage plays. His first foray into the music business was when he reinvented himself in 1966 as the Covered Man, wearing a mask to hide his physical features, which he felt would allow people to focus on the music. He made several appearances on talk/variety program The Merv Griffin Show and released several singles between 1967 and 1970. During this period, his acting career began to take precedence over his music, and he appeared on several TV shows including Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, Flipper, All in the Family, Here Come the Brides, and many others. His big break came in 1975 when Starsky & Hutch became a hit and catapulted him to international stardom. He then returned to music and released his self-titled album in January 1976. Later in the year, he issued the single “Don’t Give Up On Us”, which was a smash hit, rising to the number 1 position in the US, UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand. To capitalize on the success of the single, his debut album was re-released with the song added to the track listing. In 1977, he released his second album, Playing to an Audience of One, which contained the hit single, “Silver Lady”. The song reached the top of the charts in the UK and Ireland and also charted well in Argentina and Australia. However, his subsequent singles and albums – Band of Friends (1979) and The Best Days of My Life (1982) – failed to achieve commercial success. David Soul’s acting and music career both underwent turbulent times beginning in the 1980s, but he remained a cult figure thanks to his 1970s successes. He returned to the music world one more time with the release of the 1997 album Leave a Light On… While his popularity faded in the US, he found work in England and appeared in several stage productions and TV shows in the 2000s. He attained British citizenship in 2004 and continued to work in the UK on a regular basis. David Soul died in London, England on January 4, 2024, at the age of 80. His music continues to live on with the release of several compilations including 2020’s Gold.
