But “You’re The Last Thing I Needed Tonight” was not discarded. In the summer of 1986, John Schneider’s version proved the song’s merit. It became his fourth and final number one hit on Billboard’s country singles chart, August 16, 1986.
Although registering three more Top Ten singles after that, Schneider had difficulty maintaining dual careers in music and acting. Despite his best efforts, he called it quits with music in 1987 after six years and eleven Top 20 hits.
Producer Jimmy Bowen observed: “John is a very good actor. That’s what he really is. He became a successful country singer, but deep down, bein’ out on the road on a bus, playin’ one-nighters, was not what John wanted to do, really. He missed being an actor.”
In the ensuing years, Schneider has turned up in dozens of made-for-TV movies and starred in several television shows. Since 2013, he has appeared in 124 episodes of the popular, prime-time cable series, “The Haves and the Have Nots.”
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