Most, but not all, country singers dreamed of a career in country music for most of their lives. Regardless of whether it was a path they pursued since they were young, or if it happened later in life, a lot of artists worked regular jobs before their music career began. These four singers endured very odd jobs before becoming country music stars
Videos by American Songwriter
Cody Johnson Was a Prison Guard
Most people know that Cody Johnson pursued a career as a professional bull rider at the rodeo. But what a lot of people don’t know is that Johnson was also at one time a prison guard, following in the footsteps of his father.
“My dad worked for the prison system,” Johnson tells Westword. “And I followed in those footsteps, because it was a steady paycheck and there was always a job there. You grow up quickly when you’re eighteen and working in the prison system.”
Fortunately, the prison warden saw Johnson’s talent, convincing him to pursue music full-time instead.
Martina McBride Sold T-shirts
Martina McBride sang while growing up in Kansas, which is how she met her now-husband, John McBride, who is a sound engineer. Martina McBride rented studio space from her future husband, later getting married and moving to Nashville.
John McBride got a job working on the road with Garth Brooks. John McBride told his tour boss his wife was a singer, prompting Brooks to tell her she could open for him if she got a record deal, even though he had not heard her sing.
“I was scared to death what was going to happen when she opened her mouth,” Brooks remembers (via The Boot). But his fear quickly went away when she began to sing, with him thinking, “Yeah, I’m a genius!”
Kris Kristofferson Was a Janitor
Kris Kristofferson had a winding road on the way to becoming a legendary country music singer and songwriter. Kristofferson served in the military, teaching at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. But music was quickly becoming his first love, which is why Kristofferson left a career in the military to move to Nashville.
Kristofferson got a job working as a janitor at Columbia Records. Although certainly not glamorous, the job did allow him to both interact with other people in the music industry and also gave him quiet time, so he could work on his songwriting while he was working.
“It exposed me to a lot of music in the couple of years that I was there as a janitor at Columbia,” Kristofferson said. “It was about four years before anybody cut a song.”
Kristofferson was working as a janitor when he wrote “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”.
Blake Shelton Was a Roofer
Blake Shelton isn’t afraid of a little hard work. Still, he admits that his job as a roofer, which he did for a few summers, was a struggle. Shelton roofed houses so he could afford to buy his first guitar after seeing a Garth Brooks TV special.
“I was probably a junior or sophomore in high school,” Brooks says on The Pat McAfee Show. “And I roofed houses that summer and saved money to go buy the exact guitar that Garth was playing. It was like this black Takamine with a cutaway on it. I wanted to be Garth.”
Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.