15 Surprising Day Jobs of Music Legends Before They Made It
Before they were headlining festivals or topping charts, some of music’s biggest names clocked into jobs that were far from glamorous. Their early gigs were either just plain ordinary or surprisingly strange. Of course, like anybody else, they had bills to pay and needed money to survive.
Let’s take a look at the odd jobs your favorite artists had before fame hit.
Ozzy Osbourne Gutted Cow Stomachs
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Before he was the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy spent his days elbow-deep in cow innards at a slaughterhouse. As weird and bizarre as this sounds, his job was to slice open carcasses and scoop out stomach contents. He says he puked every day on the job. Makes biting heads off bats seem almost quaint, doesn’t it?
Debbie Harry Wore Bunny Ears at Work
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The Blondie frontwoman once donned the uniform of a Playboy Bunny at the New York club in the early ’70s. She later described those shifts as sleep-deprived, hazy, and laced with bad decisions. All in all, it is likely that those experiences shaped her tough public persona.
Jay-Z Managed Budgets From Street Corners
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Selling crack on Brooklyn corners in the ’80s was both about survival and education. Jay-Z has often said the skills he picked up—managing money, assessing risk, staying ten steps ahead—laid the groundwork for his business empire.
Patti Smith Boxed Toys Under Pressure
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In a New Jersey toy factory, Patti Smith taped boxes and tested products while enduring bullying from coworkers. The job even came with a memorable toilet dunking. The experience was harsh, yes, but it may have fueled her fierce, no-nonsense stage presence.
David Bowie Delivered Meat for Sax Lessons
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At 13, David Bowie took a job as a butcher’s delivery boy in south London to pay for saxophone lessons with Ronnie Ross. A decade later, Ross played sax on “Walk on the Wild Side,” a track Bowie produced.
Courtney Love Danced for Rent Money
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Love paid her bills working at Jumbo’s Clown Room. It was a Hollywood club known more for its grit than glitz. She once promised herself she’d only dive into the unlawful substances after making a million dollars. According to her, she stuck to it.
Tom Waits Cooked Pizza and Wrote Songs
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In the ’60s, Waits worked at Napoleone Pizza House in San Diego, starting as a dishwasher and later becoming a cook. He soaked up the after-hours weirdness, which later spilled into his music. That divey pizza joint, ‘The Ghosts of Saturday Night,’ became a character in his songs.
Rod Stewart Measured Burial Plots
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Stewart briefly worked at London’s Highgate Cemetery, not as a grave digger exactly, but marking out plots. He also had a stint in a funeral parlor. Though the job was short-lived, it added an unusual footnote to his pre-fame timeline.
Kanye West Folded Denim at the Gap
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In his teens, West worked as a sales assistant at the Gap. He later referenced the job in “Spaceship,” a track on his debut album. The lyrics reflect his frustration and restlessness working there.
Jack White Repaired Sofas, Not Amps
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Jack White ran his own upholstery business in Detroit before the White Stripes. His slogan was: “Your furniture’s not dead.” Years later, he reused the name for his record label, but this time, he swapped fabric and tacks for vinyl and turntables.
Brandon Flowers Hauled Luggage for Tips
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The Killers’ frontman once worked as a bellboy at the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas. He was obsessed with Morrissey and once snooped through the luggage of Boz Boorer, Morrissey’s guitarist. He regretted it, but said he couldn’t resist.
Freddie Mercury Ran a London Market Stall
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Even after Queen’s debut album dropped, Mercury could still be found selling vintage clothes at Kensington Market. He ran the stall with drummer Roger Taylor—an odd yet perfect prelude to stadium-sized stardom.
Kurt Cobain Mopped Floors and Cracked Jokes
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Cobain used to mop floors. He joked about working with coworkers named Rocky and Bullwinkle, who never washed their hands. Grunge wasn’t born in a garage—it came from fluorescent lights and industrial cleaners.
Ian Curtis Handed Out Job Forms
Credit: IMDb
Curtis worked as a civil servant in an unemployment office while playing gigs with Joy Division. The contrast between his bureaucratic day job and emotionally raw stage persona couldn’t have been starker. The monotony and drudgery may have even seeped into his lyrics—detached, haunted, and eerily precise.
Kele Okereke Sold Popcorn Pre-fame
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Before Silent Alarm shook the UK scene, Bloc Party’s frontman sold popcorn and ushered filmgoers at a cinema in Soho. From dim theaters to blinding stage lights, it was a leap that happened fast.