William Shatner

Famous above all for embodying Captain James T. Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise across the Star Trek franchise, William Shatner—an actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, philanthropist, and singer—has simultaneously maintained an unpredictable recording career that opened in 1968 with The Transformed Man. The performer demonstrated equal command of tragic and comic material, rendering pop songs in spoken word and delivering passages from classic drama; these efforts swiftly attained cult status. After concentrating on acting for the following thirty-five years, Shatner reentered the studio in 2004 with Has Been, again blending song and recitation in his distinctive manner. He has since maintained a steady studio presence, enlisting numerous musicians for the reflective Ponder the Mystery in 2013, the seasonal Shatner Claus: The Christmas Album in 2018, and the family-oriented Where Will the Animals Sleep?: Songs for Kids and Other Living Things issued in 2024.

Shatner entered the world in Montréal, Québec, Canada, in 1931, earned an Economics degree from McGill University in 1952, and studied Shakespearean technique with Ottawa’s Canadian National Repertory Theatre. He began his professional work at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, reached Broadway in 1956 with Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great, and soon moved to television with appearances on The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, and Dr. Kildare. That path led to the part of James T. Kirk on Gene Roddenberry’s groundbreaking series Star Trek, which ran three seasons from 1966 to 1969, developed a devoted following, and permanently linked the actor with the character’s magnetic presence.

Shatner playfully acknowledged the Kirk connection on the sleeve of The Transformed Man, listing himself as both William Shatner and Captain Kirk of Star Trek. The 1968 concept album placed excerpts from Shakespeare and other poets beside contemporary songs sharing thematic links. The record quickly earned novelty recognition. Alongside screen work, Shatner continued releasing music, including the 1977 live set Live (aka Captain of the Starship) on Imperial House Music.

Two decades afterward, MCA assembled Spaced Out! The Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner, pairing selections from The Transformed Man with material from Nimoy’s Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy and Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space. Beginning in the late 1980s, Shatner appeared on Rhino anthologies Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing Off, Golden Throats, Vol. 2: More Celebrity Rock Oddities, and Golden Throats 4: Celebrities Butcher Songs of the Beatles; the pattern extended into 1999 with Celebrities...At Their Worst.

Certain listeners appreciated Shatner’s performances beyond their camp appeal. Beck honored the actor’s version of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” in the clip for his own single “Where It’s At.” Shatner and Ben Folds exchanged projects, Folds producing the 2004 album Has Been while Shatner joined Folds for a television advertisement. In 2011 Shatner issued the double-disc Seeking Major Tom, which included a fresh recording of “Rocket Man,” and followed it two years later with the science-fiction prog-rock statement Ponder the Mystery.

During 2018 he joined Alabama’s Jeff Cook for the country collection Why Not Me and also delivered the holiday set Shatner Claus. The next year he contributed a cover of the Cramps’ “Garbageman” to the Dr. Demento compilation Covered in Punk; the track appeared as a single backed by the original recording. Shatner’s 2020 album The Blues, featuring guest appearances by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Steve Cropper, James Burton, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Travers, Sonny Landreth, Brad Paisley, and Albert Lee, unexpectedly topped Billboard’s Blues Chart. Months after turning ninety, he released the star-studded Bill in 2021, which showcased Paisley, Joe Walsh, Joe Jonas, Dave Koz, and additional artists. Younger listeners received Where Will the Animals Sleep?: Songs for Kids and Other Living Things in 2024, created with guitarist Dan Miller of They Might Be Giants and novelist Rob Sharenow.