The Year of Our Lord Two-Thousand and Twenty-Four had only just begun and we had already lost a notable player in the Vintage Leisureverse. Det. Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson himself – singer and actor David Soul – went to meet Houdini on January 4th at the age of 80. Firstly, TV’s Starsky & Hutch is near and dear to me as I have fond memories of watching it in my youth. More recently, I met with Soul again. During the pandemic, it became part of my daily schedule to watch the Seventies cop show on which he starred with Paul Michael Glaser every afternoon at 2pm. Also, in 2022-23, I scored on vinyl David Soul’s first two albums and I discovered his connection to one of the champs of Vintage Leisure, my main man Gardner McKay. In honour of Soul’s passing, I thought I’d share a few of the things that made this guy so cool.

David Solberg was born in Ol’ Chi. His father and grandparents were Lutheran ministers of Norwegian descent; David’s brother, Daniel, was a Lutheran pastor, as well. Soul was actually a singer first. He appeared during the 1966-67 season of The Merv Griffin Show as “The Covered Man”; he sang wearing a mask, wanting to be known only for his music. Prolific on television, David Soul will forever be known as the cool and good looking Ken Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch, one of the better cop shows of the Seventies and one that had maybe the finest theme song.

Private Stock Records was a short-lived label that was home to hits like “A Fifth of Beethoven” and the theme to Laverne & Shirley and Frankie Valli had later hits there. The label went under in ’78 and today the founder’s son owns the rights to the catalogue. However, the son says “I control the catalogue but I have no master tapes or vinyl and have no idea where they might be. Strange, isn’t it?” Anyways, Soul’s first two LPs were released on Private Stock. His self-titled debut – released in 1976 – contains songs that Dave wrote with the legendary Gardner McKay. I will likely have to buy Gardner’s autobiography to find out how he ever got hooked up with Soul. Gardner – the man from TV’s Adventures in Paradise – and Soul wrote three tunes for this record including the catchy “Black Bean Soup”. On the sixth episode of Starsky & Hutch, “Death Notice” from October 15, 1975, the two cops are having a little shindig and Soul and his co-star, Paul Michael Glaser, sing this song. Another interesting number from this album is the Side One closer, “Seem to Miss So Much (Coalminer’s Song)”, a gentle, string-laden beauty that was co-written by late actor Bruno Kirby. How in the heck?! On early editions of David Soul, the second side began with “One More Mountain to Climb”, written by Neil Sedaka and his long-time partner, Howard Greenfield. On later editions of the record, though, it was replaced by Soul’s hit single.

Tony Macaulay (b. 1944) is a prolific songwriter with some gems on his CV; both of the hits by the Foundations, “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All”, “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)”, “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” and “Home Lovin’ Man” for Andy Williams. He also penned “Don’t Give Up on Us”, the ballad that David Soul took to the very top of the charts in countries all over the world including the US, the UK and Canada. Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, James Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, KISS, Led Zeppelin, REM, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Morrison, Pearl Jam and The Grateful Dead. These artists and others have never had a Number One song on the Billboard pop charts. But David Soul has.

Dave was back in ’77 with another LP, Playing to an Audience of One, and another UK Number One. The lead-off track on the album was Tony Macaulay’s uptempo “Silver Lady” that topped the charts in England in the autumn of 1977; it replaced Elvis Presley’s “Way Down” at the top. Macaulay this time was given the reins and produced this record and arranged the rhythm tracks. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at A&M Studios in Los Angeles. David teamed with Gardner McKay on two more songs on this record.

Soul would continue to make music and release albums but they went virtually ignored but there’s one thing I will say for his career as a musician. Seems he was dead serious about it. He didn’t take the easy route and surround himself with big name guest stars or crack session men. He didn’t cover popular hit records in the hopes of hitching a ride. From all appearances, he made music because he loved to and he stayed true to himself and kept in control of his career as a musician. And while as a singer and musician he is no hidden gem waiting to be discovered, his records are legit, listenable and loaded with character. And about his voice; in the case of many actors who sing, you can plainly hear their speaking voice in their singing voice, if you know what I mean. But David Soul’s singing voice has a definite tone distinct from the sound he makes when he talks. He could sing and I give him points for that.

It should be mentioned that he did well as part of a notable cast in Clint’s Dirty Harry film, Magnum Force but David Soul enjoyed no later renaissance as an actor in Hollywood. Perhaps even more satisfying to him, though, were his later years spent on the stage in England. He settled in the UK and was seen also on television there. He obtained British citizenship after marrying an English public relations officer; this was his fifth and last wife. Soul left behind five sons and a daughter.

Our boy struggled with alcohol through the 1970s, eventually attending anger management therapy and entering a rehabilitation center in 1989. Additionally, Soul smoked three packs of cigarettes every day of his life for fifty – count ’em – fifty years. He spent the last ten years of his life without cigarettes but he struggled with COPD and had a cancerous lung removed. Frankly, it’s a wonder he made it to 80.

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"I got married to a bottle
it gave me bad loving
if I could relive all my days
changing my ways
I'd not touch a drop again.
By the devil I was tempted
and many jugs I've emptied...
half my life's been wasted
by the booze I've tasted
but the demon I have faced it
and sent him on his way."

- Dave sang these words in 1977. Sadly, he was not done facing the demons.

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I’ve often said that a guy or girl need only do one thing right once for me to like them. David Soul played Hutch – The End. You need say no more. But the guy also managed to forge a successful career in music and seemed to find joy doing some serious stage work far from the callous glare of La La Land. Good for him. He seemed to be a cool, down to earth guy with a casual acting style that allowed his genial personality to shine through. He was earnest about his music and didn’t compromise in that area, presenting his songs in an unpretentious way, with polish and with ambition and a certain understated quality. And it’s a shame he had to leave us.