SOAP LAUNCHES NEW POP STAR

“General Hospital” is more than a top TV soap opera. It’s also become a steppingstone to pop music stardom. The music industry has given the soap the nickname “General Recording Studio.”

It all began a few years ago with Rick Springfield who, while still a cast member, started a pop/rock career. Boosted by the soap exposure, he quickly became a major singing star. “General Hospital” was also responsible for Patti Austin’s first hit, “Baby Come to Me.” The single climbed to No. 1 on the pop charts after being used as a love theme on the show.

Now it’s Jack Wagner’s turn.

He has capitalized on his “General Hospital” role as the tall, ruggedly handsome pop singer Frisco Jones. Wagner has a ballad single, “All I Need,” that’s No. 2 on Billboard magazine’s pop chart. Only the remarkable popularity of Madonna’s No. 1 single, “Like a Virgin,” has kept “All I Need” out of the top spot.

Without “General Hospital,” Wagner, 25, probably wouldn’t have this hit. “All I Need” was released at the end of May--on Quincy Jones’ label, Qwest Records--with lukewarm results. It seemed headed for the pop music graveyard--until July 10, when it was used as a love theme on “General Hospital.”

During a sushi lunch break from the “Hospital” set in Hollywood, Wagner explained what happened next to “All I Need”: “It was played on the show through July and August, until the love story between Frisco and this girl had run its course. The ‘General Hospital’ audience liked it and started asking for it on the radio. It did very well on two stations in Miami. It really started moving at the end of September and it’s been going like a rocket ever since.”

Critics haven’t really take him seriously, however, regarding him as a minimally talented singer who’s scored because he’s a sexy hunk on a popular soap. They charge that Wagner’s vocals are too syrupy and they’ve taken potshots at the sweetly melodic “All I Need” as well as what they see as Wagner’s vocal frailty. “I know I have a lot to learn as a singer but I’m not that bad,” Wagner counters. There’s a lot worse singers out there and some of them are doing a lot better than me.”

And recent rumors about Wagner being fired from “General Hospital” were just that, Wagner said. The gossip started when another actor played Frisco Jones in several episodes.

“I had a muscle strain in my back, so I was off the show for a while, about eight days,” Wagner said. “My character had a lot going on then so they had to have someone replace me. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Some have suggested that it wasn’t that simple, that Wagner’s bad back was just an excuse to cover up his holdout for a raise.

Wagner’s response to that charge: “After a few days off, there was a contract hassle between ABC (television) and my people. It was a legal problem that I really don’t want to go into. It was out of my control. It took a few days to clear it up. I’ve been back for a few weeks. All that is behind me.”

Now that actor Jack Wagner has become actor/singer Jack Wagner, he’s even making tentative tour plans. His first album, “All I Need,” was released in late November. His second single, “Premonition,” is due out shortly.

“It won’t be easy, but I can squeeze in a music career around my acting career,” he insisted.

A year ago, when he was hired to play Frisco Jones, all Wagner cared about was acting. A native of Washington, Mo., he arrived in Los Angeles a few years ago armed with local theater experience and a bachelor’s degree in drama from the University of Arizona. Before “General Hospital,” his primary TV experience was a role in a racy cable soap, “A New Day in Eden.” It lasted only three months.

“I had problems with the nudity,” Wagner said. “The show was a good idea done poorly. It wasn’t done in good taste. But working on that show taught me a lot about working in the soap format. That helped me on ‘General Hospital.’ ”

Surprisingly, when he auditioned for the role of singer Frisco Jones, no singing talent was necessary. “I was hired strictly on acting ability,” said Wagner, who had done some singing in coffee houses and musical theater. “All they ever heard me sing was one verse of a song. If I hadn’t been able to sing, they would have dubbed my voice.”

But Kelly Ross, musical consultant for ABC daytime TV, was impressed enough with his singing to recommend him to Quincy Jones, who signed Wagner to his Qwest label.

On his way to becoming a budding star with two careers, Wagner had to give up golf, a passion since childhood. Before he went to the University of Arizona, he had considered a professional career, but had to choose to choose between golf and drama at college; there wasn’t enough time to concentrate on both. Since he could get a full-tuition grant in drama and only meager financial aid in golf, he chose drama.

Regrets? “Not really,” said Wagner, who’s now just an occasional golfer. “I don’t think about golf. The odds of me making it big as a golfer weren’t very good. But I do miss it when I go out and play a while--I get mad when I can’t hit shots like I used to--but that passes. I’m better off in acting. In the long run, for me anyway, it beats chasing golf balls.”