Dyan Cannon is best known for her Oscar-nominated roles in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Heaven Can Wait, and she was recognized for her many contributions to films with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983. Cannon is less well-known for her musical career, which included roles in musicals—including a national touring production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying—and stints at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In the 1988 Magical World of Disney film Rock ‘n’ Roll Mom, Cannon played a mother of two teenagers who unexpectedly becomes a rock star.
In the ‘70s, Cannon was a legitimate rock star in the film world, but she only played a literal rock star on screen. Cannon did, however, play a role in three popular recordings from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the musical side of the multitalented Cannon’s career and revisit the three times she made contributions to a hit song or album.
Honeysuckle Rose Soundtrack by Willie Nelson & Family (1980)
The 1980 movie Honeysuckle Rose starred Willie Nelson and Cannon, and its soundtrack was billed as performed by “Willie Nelson & Family.” Cannon was a part of the “family,” as she wrote and sang “Two Sides to Every Story” for the film and soundtrack album. She also co-wrote “Uncloudy Day,” which was performed by Nelson, and duetted with Nelson on the Kris Kristofferson composition “Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again”).
Cannon was not the only star of Honeysuckle Rose to contribute to the soundtrack. Amy Irving wrote and sang “If You Want Me to Love You I Will,” and provided backing vocals on the Kristofferson-penned “You Show Me Yours (And I’ll Show You Mine).”
None of these songs featuring Cannon or Irving were hit singles, though Nelson had a major hit from the soundtrack with “On the Road Again” and a No. 1 country song with “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.” The soundtrack album spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
“State of Independence” by Donna Summer from Donna Summer (1982)
For Donna Summer’s self-titled 1982 album, producer Quincy Jones assembled an “All-Star Choir” to back the singer on the track “State of Independence.” In footage of the recording session, one can see a Who’s Who of ‘70s and ‘80s recording stars, including Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, and Michael McDonald. And yes, Cannon is there too, as part of the choir. Her connection to Jones went back more than a decade prior to this recording session, as he scored the 1971 film The Anderson Tapes, which starred Cannon and Sean Connery.
“The Woman I Am” by Chaka Khan from The Woman I Am (1992)
A dozen years after a pair of songs that Cannon wrote appeared on a hit album, she landed another song that she co-wrote on a charting LP. Cannon co-wrote the title track to Chaka Khan’s 1992 album The Woman I Am with Khan and Brenda Russell. (Russell, incidentally, was also a member of the “All-Star Choir” that performed on Summer’s “State of Independence.”) As a single, “The Woman I Am” did not chart, but the album represented a comeback for Khan, who was unhappy with its predecessor ck. It peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart, making it the first Khan album to crack the Top 10 since I Feel For You went to No. 4 in 1984. The Woman I Am also netted Khan the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
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