Post-JCS
Fresh from the success of Superstar, Neeley released a solo album, 1974 A.D., in 1974, and played the role of Billy Shears in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road in New York. From then on, he was a frequent musical guest star on network variety programs such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and A Touch of Gold and as a guest actor in network dramas during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Starsky and Hutch, and NBC movies including Of Mice and Men and McLaren's Riders.
Among his other credits, Neeley composed music for and appeared in Robert Altman's film A Perfect Couple, and performed the music for the TriStar feature film Blame it on the Night, NBC-TV's Highway to Heaven, and The Big Blue Marble for the Children's Television Network. He also wrote music for, and starred in Cowboy Jack Street, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the screenplay for a film aimed at the kiddie market entitled Captain Rainbow, which has yet to see the big screen.
At the same time, Neeley also provided his abilities as singer, songwriter, vocal arranger, and producer to albums and appearances by such artists as Nigel Olsson, Tina Turner, Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Keith Carradine, and Meat Loaf. In the realm of concept albums, he worked with songwriter Michael Rapp, who wrote such hit concept albums as Ulysses: The Greek Suite, The Ring and The Enchanter exclusively for showcasing Neeley's amazing vocal talents. In the late Seventies, Ted expanded his talents once more to live performance with his band Pacific Coast Highway.
However, while Ted moved on in his career, the specter of Superstar still loomed large. In the late 1970s, he reprised his performance in the title role for two regional productions in California, both under the auspices of the California Youth Theatre organization. The first reunited him with his Broadway and film co-stars Carl Anderson and Yvonne Elliman (as Judas and Mary Magdalene), and the second reunited him again with his close friend Carl.
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