The Jobs 26 Rock + Metal Musicians Had Before They Were Famous

Here are the jobs over 20 rock and metal musicians had before they were famous.

Remember when Blink-182 said, “Work sucks / I know”? Their job may not suck anymore as one of pop-punk’s biggest bands, but everyone has worked at least one crappy job, right?

Even your favorite musicians started somewhere and we’ve all heard stories of rockers who worked jobs they hated so they could pay for new gear, then quit their job right after. Being in a band is expensive, with travel costs (a cheap van that needs constant repairs), food and everything else that comes with gigging adding up fast.

While a lot of them may have known that they weren’t destined to sit in a suit at a desk all day, they knew they had to do what it takes to kickstart their dreams. Others had entire other careers planned out, but we’re not focusing on those here.

An accident that took place at Tony Iommi’s factory job actually had a direct impact on Black Sabbath’s heavy and sinister sound. Lemmy Kilmister was already in the music business before Motorhead and Hawkwind — he was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix.

It’s amazing to look at where our heroes and began and compare their early jobs to where they ended up. So keep that in mind if you are feeling unsatisfied with your current position as you scroll through the gallery below.

READ MORE: 53 Rockers Who’ve Been in Multiple Successful Bands

Keep reading to see the jobs of 26 rock and metal musicians before they were famous.