William Shatner, 95, Is Making a Heavy Metal Album—Inside His Unbelievable 6-Decade Music Career: ‘I Can’t Sing, but I Had a Feel for Poetry’

For generations of fans, William Shatner has been many things: Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, bestselling author, television personality, space traveler and one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures. What many people don’t realize, however, is that he’s also spent nearly six decades building one of the most unusual—and surprisingly acclaimed—recording careers in entertainment.

That journey began in 1968 with The Transformed Man, a spoken-word experiment that baffled critics before eventually achieving cult status. Since then, Shatner has collaborated with artists ranging from Ben Folds and Joe Jackson to Brian May, Billy Sherwood, Brad Paisley and Iggy Pop, tackling everything from progressive rock and country to blues, Christmas music and children’s songs. Now, at 95, he’s preparing to add another genre to that remarkable resume with What the F Is Heavy Metal, proving once again that few performers reinvented themselves over their lifetime as much as he has.

As Shatner himself explains, “I always wanted to sing. I took some singing lessons as a young actor, but I didn’t have time to follow through. I probably could have learned to sing, but I never did. I’m filled with the realization that I can’t sing, but as an actor, I had a feel for poetry.”

Here’s a look back at every studio album he’s released, and how each one reflects another chapter in his extraordinary artistic evolution.

‘The Transformed Man’ (1968)

William Shatner’s debut album remains one of the most unusual records ever released by a Hollywood actor. Rather than singing in the traditional sense, he delivers dramatic spoken-word interpretations of contemporary pop songs like “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” weaving them together with Shakespearean monologues and literary readings. Initially dismissed—and often mocked—for its unconventional style, The Transformed Man has since become a cult classic, establishing the spoken-word approach that would define Shatner’s recording career.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “A hit record gets you club dates and fairs. I once flirted with music. I studied it for a year after college. But I did not want to make a singing record. I do not handle myself adeptly and professionally enough in this area. I would have liked it for the vanity, but I would have been selling myself short as an actor and artist.”

“I wanted to show the various ways writers express themselves at different times on universal themes. The album gets its name from poet Frank Davenport’s poem and song, ‘The Transformed Man.’ It’s the diadem in the album. When I thought of doing this, I realized that I really could fall flat on my face. I might still. But I’m happy and very proud. There’s a purity to the idea.” (Columbia Daily Tribune, September 13, 1968)

‘Has Been’ (2004)

After a 36-year break from recording, he returned with what many critics consider his masterpiece. Produced by Ben Folds, Has Been combines autobiographical storytelling, humor and surprisingly poignant reflections on aging, fame and family. Featuring collaborations with artists including Joe Jackson, Henry Rollins and Aimee Mann, the album won over skeptics and demonstrated that Shatner’s spoken-word style could be emotionally compelling rather than merely camp. His version of Pulp’s “Common People” became the album’s signature track.

CALGARY HERALD: “…The actor bounds from rock and electronica to country and cocktail jazz with a surreal lack of self-consciousness. But the album’s greatest strength is its lyrics, with TV’s Captain Kirk alternating between self-deprecating slickster and warped celebrity. Shatner bares his soul with such honesty it makes you laugh one minute and squirm the next…. A novelty you say? Of course it is. But this one’s bound for cult status.” (October 12, 2004)

WILLIAM SHATNER: “When you do something for the public and say, ‘This is really good,’ and then it comes out and people don’t think it’s really good, it’s double trouble. First of all, your work is not good. And secondly, you look like a fool because you thought it was good.” (The Palm Beach Post, October 3, 2004) 

MARK A. ALTMAN (co-writer/producer, Free Enterprise): “While Shatner sometimes finds himself the object of fascination for his iconic performances of ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’—both of which were far superior to anything Leonard Nimoy ever did in the musical arena with the cringe-inducing ‘Ballad of Bilbo Baggins’—Shatner, who has experimented in a number of musical genres, including, most recently, heavy metal, did make one legitimately transcendent album that ranks among the greatest records of the 2000s: Has Been. Not only is his cover of Pulp’s ‘Common People,’ featuring backing vocals by Joe Jackson, sublime, but the title track is an incredible and prescient distillation of armchair critics:

You callin’ me has-been?
What’d you say your name is?
Jack, never done Jack
Glad to meet ya. Who’s your friend?
Dick, don’t say Dick
What do ya know?
And your friend, what’s your handle?
Two-Thumbs Down
Riding on their armchairs, they dream of wealth and fame
Fear is their companion, Nintendo is their game.

“Other songs deal with the fleeting nature of fame, while still others are powerful meditations on love and loss in the wake of the tragic death of his wife, Nerine Kidd Shatner. Standouts such as ‘That’s Me Trying,’ featuring Aimee Mann, and ‘It Hasn’t Happened Yet’ pull back the veil of celebrity to offer a glimpse into the soul of this legendary pop culture icon. It’s simply a terrific album and remains the apex of Shatner’s remarkable musical career.”

‘Seeking Major Tom’ (2011)

A loving tribute to space-themed rock music, Seeking Major Tom features Shatner tackling songs made famous by David Bowie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Elton John and others. The ambitious double album includes contributions from an impressive roster of musicians, including Brian May, Peter Frampton, Steve Howe, Ritchie Blackmore, Bootsy Collins, Alan Parsons and Zakk Wylde. Although built around cover songs, the album functions as a celebration of humanity’s fascination with space exploration—a theme naturally associated with the actor best known as Captain Kirk.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “I was handed sheets of lyrics and I mulled them. I didn’t really want to do science fiction songs, but I noticed there were a number of songs centered around the character of Major Tom. So I put together these songs, which, in my fantasy, bring you the story of a character named Major Tom who steps out of a capsule. At first, in the Bowie song, we don’t know what happens to him. Then we see he’s walking on the moon; he’s a space cowboy; he thinks about his wife who blinded him with science. Then something goes wrong. He’s beginning to die and hallucinate. He thinks about his past, why he left home in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’—and things get darker in the ‘Twilight Zone.’ He thinks about heaven and God and finally thinks about hell in ‘Iron Man.’” (The Toronto Star, October 18, 2011)

‘Ponder the Mystery’ (2013)

Produced and co-written by Billy Sherwood of Yes, Ponder the Mystery is a progressive rock concept album built around original poetry and philosophical reflections by Shatner. Rather than focusing on science fiction, the record explores memory, loss, love, mortality and the search for meaning. Sherwood assembled an all-star lineup that includes Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman, Edgar Winter, Vince Gill, Al Di Meola, Robby Krieger and several other acclaimed musicians, creating one of the most musically sophisticated projects of Shatner’s career.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “I wrote the lyrics to the songs. I sort of lurched into a method of writing everything that comes into my head, just spewing it out. Then along the way, I would discover a phrase, an attitude or a word that resonates, that captures what it is I think I’m writing about. I use that word, that phrase, that line to become the entirety of the song.”

“Ponder the Mystery is a concept album revolving around a guy in despair who is living on a beach, and it takes him through the last hour of the day at sunset through twilight, into darkness and the sounds of the night in which he regains his fervor, his love of life based on the beauty of what he’s seeing around him.” (Press of Atlantic City, October 15, 2013). 

‘Why Not Me’ (2018)

Never content to stay within one genre, Shatner turned to country music with Why Not Me, a collaboration with Alabama co-founder Jeff Cook. Mixing original material with country standards and duets, the album explores themes of perseverance, gratitude and life’s unexpected turns. While unmistakably a Shatner record thanks to his distinctive spoken delivery, it also reflects his genuine affection for country storytelling and traditional American music.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “Country music is the epitome of reaching out in pure terms from a musical and a lyrical standpoint. It’s that purity that I love. When Brad Paisley sings a song, not only are you humming the melody, but you are understanding the words. He’s the perfect country singer—he has such a simple tone of his voice, and the extraordinary extravagance of his guitar; he’s wonderful. I hold him up as an example, but I have to be my own unique voice, because of my limitations that I’m working with, which I try to deal with on this album.” (Billboard, August 7, 2018)

‘Shatner Claus’ (2018)

Released later the same year, Shatner Claus is exactly what its title promises: a playful but surprisingly heartfelt Christmas album. This time he’s joined by an eclectic lineup of guests including Iggy Pop, Billy Gibbons, Judy Collins, Brad Paisley, Ian Anderson, Rick Wakeman and Henry Rollins. Alongside familiar holiday classics, the album includes original songs, balancing humor with sincere holiday sentiment in a way that has become a hallmark of Shatner’s later recordings.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “Every song—good or bad—has my interpretation with the desire to bend it a little or fulfill more fully its original desire. How do you do ‘Jingle Bells’ differently? I thought, ‘What happens if the horses are running off?’ There are two guys on the sled and the horses are running off. I’ve been on runoff horses, and you don’t stop them; you just guide them. So for my version, the horses take off. When I listened back initially, I said, ‘That’s not quite right. Let’s put the sound of some hoof beats on it.’”

“This album reflects my continuing desire to fuse words and music, because I can’t sustain a note. I’m looking at this album as the culmination of this longtime yearning to make music and to try to do it the only way I know how.”  (The News-Times, December 7, 2018)

‘The Blues’ (2020)

Shatner shifted gears once again with The Blues, paying tribute to one of America’s foundational musical traditions. Featuring guest performances from artists including Brad Paisley, Steve Cropper, Sonny Landreth, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Albert Lee and Ritchie Blackmore, the album blends classic blues standards with Shatner’s signature narrative delivery. The project proved to be both a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 1 on Billboard‘s Blues Albums chart.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “I approached this very seriously and with the reverence that I knew that the blues people want everybody to have. I read books and I talked to people, blues musicians. I developed a regard for the blues I hadn’t had before—or more of a reverence for the blues I hadn’t had before… The blues is such an emotional method of expressing yourself. I approached each of these songs as an actor and like they were a scene and tried to play that scene. The blues lends itself to do. That’s a way of doing it that’s not quite singing, but it’s not quite spoken word: It’s a whole other category, and I’m having so much fun with it—and serious fun.” (The Plain Dealer, October 2, 2020)

‘Bill’ (2021)

Released shortly after Shatner became the oldest person to travel into space aboard Blue Origin, Bill is an eclectic and deeply personal collection that mixes rock, country, spoken word and introspective storytelling. Featuring collaborators such as Joe Walsh, Brad Paisley, Joe Jonas, Robert Randolph and Dave Koz, the album reflects on mortality, wonder and the enduring desire to keep exploring—both creatively and literally.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “We were all required to slow down because of the COVID pandemic. It gave us a chance to reflect. That’s what I did. I made this album about my life.” (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 28, 2021)

‘So Fragile, So Blue’ (2024)

Recorded with Ben Folds and the National Symphony Orchestra under conductor Steven Reineke, So Fragile, So Blue pairs Shatner’s spoken-word performance with sweeping orchestral arrangements. The project revisits themes of humanity, nature and our place in the universe, presenting them on a grand symphonic scale while continuing the artistic partnership between Shatner and Folds that began with Has Been.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “The inspiration is reading and studying over the years and my understanding of how intertwined all of life is. I suggested to Rob Sharenow, my partner in writing these songs, ‘Why don’t we do something for kids involving the idea of how connected we are? Because kids don’t know that and we can help by producing a children’s album.’ When we finished, I realized it wasn’t just a children’s album; it’s an album for everybody, and I gather adults are taking to it as well. Suddenly we have what I like to think of as a work of art involving a theory of nature that everything belongs to each other, and to hold all life as holy and not destroy it.”  (Billboard, May 24, 2024)

‘Where Will the Animals Sleep? Songs for Kids and Other Living Things’ (2024)

One of the most unexpected entries in Shatner’s catalog, this children’s album celebrates animals, nature and curiosity. Created with guitarist Dan Miller and writer Rob Sharenow, it combines gentle storytelling, playful songs and educational themes aimed at younger listeners while retaining the warmth and theatrical delivery that have become Shatner’s musical trademarks.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “The title song is the key song on the album. It’s a heart ringer. It’s so meaningful and so simple that kids will understand. You’ve got your nice room, you’ve got your covers, you’re warm and safe, but if we cut down all the trees and destroy the environment, where will the animals sleep? And that seems to me could reach a five-year-old who would understand that. It’s a wonderful song.” (American Songwriter, July 18, 2024)

‘What the F Is Heavy Metal’ (2026)

At an age when most performers have long since retired, William Shatner is once again heading in an unexpected direction with What the F Is Heavy Metal, his first full-fledged heavy metal album. Produced for Cleopatra Records, the project combines Shatner’s signature spoken-word style with thunderous new arrangements, including covers of classics by Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden alongside original material. The album also features an all-star lineup of more than 35 musicians from across the hard rock and metal worlds—including Rob Halford, Zakk Wylde, Ritchie Blackmore, Dave Lombardo, John Moyer and others—and is intended to showcase Shatner’s lifelong willingness to embrace new creative challenges. He’ll bring the project to the stage with his new band, The *uckers, at Riot Fest, where fans will get an early taste of what promises to be one of the most unexpected chapters in his recording career.

WILLIAM SHATNER: “I have a heavy metal album, and people are lauding it already. We’ve written the lyrics; music is being applied right now. And wonderful heavy metal giants are going to be contributing music. It should be an interesting, unique expression of life. I’ve always been drawn to the energy and storytelling of heavy metal. Metal has always been a place where imagination gets loud. This album is a gathering of forces, each artist bringing their fire, their precision, their chaos. I chose them because they have something to say, and because metal demands honesty.” 

Bonus track: ‘No Tears for Caesar’ From ‘Free Enterprise’ (1998)

Although not a studio album, Free Enterprise marked an important turning point in William Shatner’s musical journey. In the cult comedy, Shatner plays a heightened version of himself and performs the original song “No Tears for Caesar,” a dramatic spoken-word rock piece that blends Shakespeare, humor and self-awareness. Written by Mark Thomas and performed with members of the progressive rock band Yes, the song demonstrated that he had embraced the unique performance style first introduced on The Transformed Man. It also foreshadowed the critically acclaimed Has Been six years later, proving that audiences were finally beginning to appreciate his unconventional approach to combining poetry, storytelling and music.

MARK A. ALTMAN (co-writer/producer): “One of the joys of working with Bill on Free Enterprise was when the character of ‘William Shatner’ realizes his dream of performing a one-man version of Julius Caesar and raps ‘No Tears for a Caesar,’ a song written by Rated R (formerly of Tupac’s crew), myself and William Shakespeare. It’s a terrific song and always gets a huge laugh in the film. I’ll never forget when director Robert Burnett and I welcomed Shatner to the dingy recording studio and these hardcore rappers greeted him enthusiastically, yelling, ‘Captain Kirk!’ Shatner said, ‘That gets old real fast.’ They immediately got to work laying down the track, and it was a magical evening as Shatner held the rappers spellbound with stories of Julius Caesar and how he got too powerful and, like Martin Luther King Jr., was killed for it.

“Rated grabbed Shatner and proclaimed, ‘We feel you, Will.’ I’ll never forget watching a giddy Shatner drive away that night in his convertible Jaguar as the rappers waved, delighted to have been in the presence of Hollywood royalty. Now whenever I see Bill, he doesn’t remember much about making the film, but he always remembers the magic of that night with Rated R. The outfit he wore while performing the song in the film was a gift from Rated, which he insisted on wearing much to the consternation of our costume designer. He performed ‘No Tears for Caesar’ live, delighting the cast and crew, and that performance is now immortalized forever on film and on the accompanying soundtrack album.”