The Musical Stars Who Made Miami Vice Great

The Michael Mann ‘Miami Vice’ television show in the mid-80s is considered one of the greatest projects ever to hit the small screen. The concept was simple; create a viewer experience for the MTV audience that pulled them into the tried and true ‘cops and robbers’ formula. The concept was brilliant, while the writing was equally astounding. The clothes worn by the actors, the colors used on sets, and the weaving of contemporary music stars and 80s music, made the show ‘must watch’ during its brief run.

The list of music notables appearing or having their tunes heard during the run of the show was amazing. KISS’s Gene Simmons, Phil Collins, the Godfather of Soul James Brown, Ted Nugent, Frank Zappa, Little Richard, and the Eagles Glenn Frey all played characters on the show.

Miami Vice also became a springboard for up and coming actors, often times opening doors for that actors’ big break. Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Stanley Tucci, Ed O’Neill, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo, Dennis Farina, the late Bill Paxton, Ving Rhames, Ben Stiller, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Liam Neeson all leveraged a guest spot on the show to greater acting parts moving forward.

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