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‘Dukes of Hazzard’: Why Tom Wopat Called His Country Music Career an ‘Outgrowth’ of Show

Tom Wopat continues to be most recognizable for his role as Luke Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Wopat played the oldest of the Duke boys. He was mature and rational. Luke Duke was the man with the plan that typically got everyone out of trouble. He iconically started the hood slide on the series across the show’s famed car.

While viewers came to love the hood-sliding and wisdom of his character, Tom Wopat would eventually use his character to further his music career.

Tom Wopat Music Career

Wopat had recorded several different country and pop albums. He had a number of very popular singles in the 1980s and 1990s.

Some of his most popular singles are “The Rock and Roll of Love,” “Not Enough Love,” “A Little Bit Closer,” and “Put Me Out of My Misery.”

He started off with a 1981 soundtrack for the show. A few years later, he decided to release a self-titled album. Some of his others include, “A Little Bit Closer,” “Don’t Look Back,” and “Hands On.”

His latest album was from 2017 and was called “Wopat.”

At the end of the day, Wopat feels that his music was really an outstretch of his character on “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

“The country stuff was an outgrowth of The Dukes of Hazzard. It seemed like a natural progression. At the time, country was really kind of middle-of-the-road back in the early 80s. If James Taylor and the Eagles came along in the early 80s, they would have been country acts, not pop acts,” Tom Wopat said to Pop Entertainment.

His role on the show had already perfectly catered to the country community. This is what helped him remain popular in music. In a career sense, it just worked out perfectly for Tom Wopat.

While he had a career in country music, he also worked on Broadway and other theater productions. He was in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “A Catered Affair,” “The Music Man,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and “Sondheim on Sondheim.”

Music on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’

Tom Wopat’s country music career wasn’t the only time fans of “The Duke of Hazzard” got an interesting musical appearance.

Throughout the show’s run, there were a variety of different guest stars that kept things lively. One particular guest was Roy Orbison. He was on the show on March 27, 1981. He happened to give fans an on-screen performance of his signature hit, “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

According to IMDb, the episode is called “The Great Hazzard Hijack.” Bo and Luke get in trouble after grabbing stolen bills from a river while out fishing. Orbinson appeared at the “celebrity speed trap” that Boss Hogg operated. He performs at a small local spot and even gets a kiss from Daisy Duke at the end of his performance.

Orbison was known for his impassioned way of singing rock, pop, and country tunes. He dealt with intense stage fright, which is why he always wore dark glasses while performing.