John Schneider, both a celebrated actor and musician, has carved out a prominent place for himself in the entertainment industry. TV, music, theatre, podcasts, author - he's done it all and doesn't limit himself to one medium. Perhaps best known for his role as Bo Duke for seven seasons in the iconic television series, The Dukes of Hazzard, from 1979-85, the show became a cultural phenomenon and remains a nostalgic favorite for many fans.
Schneider has continued to reinvent himself during his extensive acting career with roles that include Smallville, Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Nip/Tuck, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Dancing with the Stars, and most recently, The Masked Singer.
On the theatre front, Schneider just wrapped a stage role in a who-dunnit off-Broadway New York City play, A Perfect Crime. "Doing live theatre is fantastic," says Schneider. "A Perfect Crime has been running since 1987 and is the longest-running show of any kind in New York. In fact, actress Catherine Russell, who has starred in the show since its first performance, has never taken a sick day or vacation day since 1987, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records because of it. So it was definitely an honor to be brought into it. It was a great opportunity for me to get my acting chops back. The last time I did any theatre like it was before Dukes of Hazzard. It’s an amazing challenge. It’s where I came from."
In addition to acting, Schneider has also built a successful career as a country music artist that spans decades. His debut album, Now or Never, released in 1981, featured the single "It’s Now or Never," a cover of Elvis Presley’s classic hit. The song climbed the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and showcased Schneider’s vocal talents to a broader audience. "Where we really get to test our mettle as singers is when we’re sitting on a stool and the front row is four feet away and we’re singing live in a mic with no effects on our guitar or on our voice," he says. He has over 20 albums to his credit, including last year's Made In America. "I wrote Made In America to really bolster patriotism and try to remind people, as far as I'm concerned, that we do live in the greatest country the world has ever known. So let's celebrate that." Schneider sells his music through his website and adds, "They say nobody has CD or DVD players anymore, but I'm here to tell you that isn't true. They buy CDs like crazy. I sell all my music on CD and all my movies on DVD."
The Mount Kisco, New York-born Schneider is a man who isn't afraid to express himself, no matter the medium. "When I"m standing on stage with a guitar, there’s nothing better than that," he says. "But when I’m standing in front of a camera, there’s nothing better than that. When I’m behind the camera telling someone what to do, there’s nothing better than that. I’m in the moment and I consider myself a storyteller, so if I’m doing a play or a musical or singing a song or directing a movie, you’re gonna get the whole story. I express myself always."
Outside of acting and music, he's a bit of a business man and his other ventures, of course, include self-expression - moonshine and CBD. He recently launched his own moonshine brand, Revenuer’s Reserve Premium Moonshine. Made by master distillers using a century-old recipe, Revenuer’s Reserve is available in Original, Blackberry and Apple Pie. "It's been a dream of mine since I started Dukes of Hazzard," he says. It's a lot of fun."
Schneider also has a popular CBD brand CBoD - which launched in 2020 and quickly became one of the top-selling CBD companies in the nation. He says, "I’d been a fan of CBD oil for a long time. Topically, internally, I’ve used it. With what I do {for a living}, there’s a tendency to be amped up and cramped up after your show and if you don’t sleep then your next show is gonna suck. So I started using it for that purpose. And I play a lot of very bad golf and that’s when I discovered there was a CBD salve that you can rub on your hurt elbows or on your shoulders. It’s remarkable stuff. I was turned on to it, when I was 59 or 60 and someone said, 'OK, it’s time.' I discovered that it really worked and I knew I wanted to get involved."
To add to his already lengthy and busy resume, it’s worth noting that Schneider co-founded (with Marie Osmond) the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which has raised more than $8.5 billion for 170 children’s hospitals throughout the United States. TheJohnSchneider.com
"I consider myself a storyteller, so if I’m doing a play or a musical or singing a song or directing a movie, you’re gonna get the whole story."
"I play a lot of very bad golf and that’s when I discovered there was a CBD salve that you can rub on your hurt elbows or on your shoulders."