Before the fame, sold-out arenas, private jets, and platinum records, many of rock’s biggest stars were working ordinary jobs just to pay the bills. Some cleaned floors, some worked in factories, and others took whatever jobs they could find while chasing a career in music.
Looking back, those early jobs make their later success even more interesting. In a few cases, the work even shaped their personalities, skills, or musical careers in unexpected ways. Here are 14 rock stars and the surprising jobs they had before becoming famous.
1. Noel Gallagher: Roadie
Before Oasis exploded onto the Britpop scene, Noel Gallagher was working as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets. Gallagher’s time as a roadie was marked by his distinctive fashion sense, claiming he was “the best-dressed roadie in the history of music.” This job kept him close to the music scene, laying the groundwork for his future success with Oasis.
2. Ozzy Osbourne: Abattoir Worker
Long before he became the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne worked in an abattoir, a job that was as grim as some of his later musical themes. Osbourne’s task involved slicing open cow carcasses, a job that made him “vomit every day.” This early exposure to the macabre may have subtly influenced his dark, gothic image in Black Sabbath and his solo career.
3. Kele Okereke: Cinema Attendant
Bloc Party’s frontman, Kele Okereke, worked at the Curzon cinema in Soho, selling popcorn and snacks. Despite Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm’ being voted NME’s album of the year in 2005, Okereke needed this job to pay the bills. This humble beginning contrasts sharply with the critical acclaim and success Bloc Party would later achieve.
4. Brandon Flowers: Bellboy
The Killers’ Brandon Flowers had a stint as a bellboy at the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas. A huge Morrissey fan, Flowers once rummaged through a bag belonging to Morrissey’s guitarist, Boz Boorer. This job, rooted in the service industry, was a far cry from the glitzy world of rock stardom Flowers would later inhabit.
5. Mick Jagger: Hospital Porter
Before the Rolling Stones became rock legends, Mick Jagger worked part-time as a porter at Bexley Psychiatric Hospital. This job saw him lose his virgi**** in an unlikely place, marking a stark contrast to the international s** symbol he would become.
6. Courtney Love: Exotic Dancer
Before she became the famous singer and actor that we know today, Love was an exotic dancer at places like Jumbo’s Clown Room and Seventh Veil. This was before she married Kurt Cobain in the 90’sSpeaking to LA Weekly, Love said that she used to earn $300 a day. With the money she earned from working, Love was able to create her band, Hole.
7. Colin Meloy: Author
The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy is not only a musician but also a published author. Before his music career took off, Meloy inked a three-book deal for the Wildwood Chronicles. This creative outlet outside of music showcases the diverse talents many musicians possess.
8. Debbie Harry: Playboy Bunny
In the early 70s, Debbie Harry worked as a Playboy bunny, a job that required her to deal with “dirty old men.” This experience, while challenging, didn’t deter Harry from pursuing her music career, eventually leading Blondie to international fame.
9. Freddie Mercury: Market Stall Owner
Before Queen’s meteoric rise, Freddie Mercury owned and ran a stall in Kensington Market, selling his artwork and second-hand clothes. Even after Queen released their first album, Mercury continued running the stall, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit.
10. Tony Iommi: Sheet Metal Worker
While many know him as the Co-founder of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, Tony once worked as a sheet metal worker. When he was 17, the future Black Sabbath guitarist worked at a sheet metal factory in Birmingham. He lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand thanks to a horrible accident on his very last day on the job. The prosthetic ‘thimble’ he had to wear helped him develop that unique doomy style we all know him for today.
11. Sting: Schoolteacher
Before Sting became the voice and bassist of The Police, he spent two years working as a schoolteacher in Cramlington, Northumberland. After qualifying as a teacher, he taught at St. Paul’s while continuing to perform with jazz groups during evenings and weekends. His official biography notes that he eventually left teaching and moved to London, where he formed The Police with Stewart Copeland.
It is an amusing career switch considering the rebellious image rock musicians would develop in the late 1970s. One day Sting was standing in front of a classroom; a few years later, he was singing “Roxanne” in front of packed audiences around the world. His pre-fame résumé was even broader than that, including spells as a bus conductor, construction laborer, and tax officer.
12. Jon Bon Jovi: Recording Studio Gofer
Long before Bon Jovi became one of the biggest arena-rock bands on the planet, Jon Bon Jovi landed a decidedly less glamorous job at New York’s legendary Power Station recording studio. After finishing high school in 1980, he contacted his cousin Tony Bongiovi, who worked at the studio, and was allowed to work there running errands as a gofer.
The job might have involved mundane tasks, but the surroundings were anything but ordinary. Bon Jovi found himself watching major artists pass through the studio while learning how professional records were made. More importantly, access to the Power Station allowed him to work on his own recordings during downtime, putting him in exactly the right environment to chase a music career.
It was essentially the rock-and-roll version of starting in the mailroom. Instead of remaining the guy fetching things for famous musicians, Jon eventually became one of the musicians everyone else wanted to meet backstage.
The post 12 Boring Day Jobs That Rock Musicians Had Before they Were Famous appeared first on Metal Shout.
STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:
LIVE & LOUD: Stream the World’s Hardest Radio Station 24/7
