The road to fame is rough, as many of your favorite rock stars will tell you. Some of the pre-fame jobs they took on were completely unexpected. Here's what a few of them did before they hit it big.  

10 Weirdest Pre-Fame Jobs Of Famous Rock Stars

 

1. Sir Mick Jagger: Psychiatric Hospital Porter

The Rolling Stones star was a student at the London School of Economics before he started to cut records. While pursuing his degree, he served as a porter at Bexley Mental Hospital. The menial job paid the celebrity about four pounds ten shillings a week.  

2. Gene Simmons: Typist

You'll know Gene Simmons or The Demon as the fast-fingered bass guitarist of Kiss. But do you know why he's such a guitar whiz? Gene was a typist and a valuable assistant to an editor at Vogue Magazine. The music world's lucky that the legend put his typewriter aside to start Kiss with Fred Stanley.  

3. Kurt Cobain: Janitor

You wouldn't expect Kurt Cobain to have taken on a janitor's position. According to bassist Krist Novoselic, he wouldn't take out the trash. But he cleared toilets to fund his first demo.  

4. Eddie Vedder: La Valencia Hotel Security Guard

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder worked many jobs before becoming a music industry icon. He served as a security guard at San Diego's La Valencia Hotel. Fortune smiled on him when former Red Hot Chili Peppers member Jack Irons introduced him to Pearl Jam, then looking for a front man.  

5. Joe Strummer: Gravedigger

101ers star Joe Strummer had a job that many people would think of as scary. Besides being the frontman of the Vultures, he was also a gravedigger at the St Wooloos Cemetery in Newport. After the Vultures split, he moved back to London to form the 101ers.  

6. David Bowie: Delivery Boy for a Butcher

David Bowie wanted badly to become a saxophone player for his idol, Little Richard. He took on a job as a butcher's delivery boy so that he could buy his first instrument. The music industry's lucky that he did.  

7. Patti Smith: Worker in a Toy Factory

Rock stars have it rough like everyone else. Punk Rocker Patti Smith was a toy factory worker before making waves in the music industry. The job seemed ordinary but was a difficult one for her. According to her, the women in the factory tortured her almost every day.  

8. Freddie Mercury: Trader

Queen star Freddie Mercury developed his business skills at the market. He and fellow band member Roger Taylor set up roadside stalls at the Kensington Market before becoming big names. Freddie, a prolific artist, sold his paintings and continued to do so after Queen released its first album in 1973.  

9. Ron Scott: Postman

The AC/DC star was a postman in Fremantle, Western Australia during his teen years. Mail carriers now deliver mail to Bon Scott Crescent in Moncrieff, a street named in his honor.  

10. Lemmy: Jimmy Hendrix's Assistant

The Motorhead celebrity was an assistant to Jimmy Hendrix on the road. He used the money to pay the rent for the flat he shared with band manager Neville Chesters and fellow member Noel Redding. He earned ten pounds a week.  

11. Johnathan Davis: Embalmer

After graduating from San Francisco's School of Mortuary Science, Korn frontman Johnathan Davis became a professional embalmer. He shared with That Guardian in 2015 that lifting dead bodies out of cars was a one-of-a-kind experience.  

12. Chris Cornell: Fish Handler

Before becoming famous as the lead vocalist of Soundgarden, the late grunge rock pioneer Chris Cornell was a seafood wholesaler. He told the Seattle Post that his job was to clear fish slime. The most rewarding part of his work was meeting many sous chefs.  

Final Thoughts ...

Making it big requires many sacrifices, as many of these stars discovered. And as the rock stars above have shown, big things definitely come from humble beginnings.    

Your Turn to Sound Off!

What are some other strange jobs rock stars have had before they hit the big time?

Let us know in the comment section below!

   

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