By Eli (172.170.48.30) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 12:02 pm:

Can y'all come up with the former employ of some of our famous and infamous artists??
Here are some to get the ball rolling.

Elvis...Truck driver for an electrician
Lee Dorsey...Auto mechanic
Little Richard...Dishwasher at the local bus station greasy spoon
Billie Holiday...Prostitue
Perry Como...Tonsorial technician
Frankie Avalon...Trumpet player
James Brown...Shoeshine boy
Claudine Clark...School teacher
Anita Ward...School teacher
Big Sonny (Intruders)...Barber
Solomon Burke...Preacher

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 12:55 pm:

BILL WITHERS...MADE AIRCRAFT TOILET SEATS
URIEL JONES...BOXER
HERB (PEACHES & HERB) PHILLY POLICE DEPT
MARTHA REEVES...MOTOWN RECEPTIONIST
MONTY ROCK (DISCO TEX)...HAIR STYLIST
JOHNNY MATHIS...TRACK & FIELD STAR
WAYMON TISDALE (BASSIST)...NBA STAR
BILLY RAY CYRUS...CAR (HONDA) SALESMAN
MADONNA...DANCER
MERLE HAGGARD...PRISON INMATE

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 01:53 pm:

Jackie Wilson-Boxer
Papa Burke (5 Stairsteps)-Chicago Police Department
Casey Spenser-(Jive Five) Convict (when he wrote Ï'm A Happy Man"upon release!)
Jimmy Scott- Ran the shipping & receiving dock for the Cleveland Sheraton Hotel, ( also worked as a delivery boy, grocery boy, magazine salesboy,as a kid), as an adult besides the Sheraton job,bell boy, cook, bus boy, and nursing home aid.
Kenny Kelley (The Manhattans) now is a teacher.
Phil Terrell- teacher, principal, board of education.
Don Storball-(The Capitols) Now a police officer in Detroit.
Al Green-&-Little Richard- Preachers after fame.
Howard Tate-Cab driver

By MEL&THEN SOME (212.159.54.145) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 02:14 pm:

Ernest Evans/Chubby Checker-a former chicken plucker on a poultry farm.

Garett Mimm's/Garnett Mimm's-former Laundrey worker.

Louis Jordan-ran away from home and joined a vaudeville show.

Clyde McPhatter-worked as a full time clerk.

Robert Calvin Bland/Bobby Bland-once doubled as a chauffeur/valet for B.B.King.

Percy Sledge-A Male Nurse.

Ellas McDaniel/Bo Diddley-construction worker.

Former handy boxers were
Jackie Wilson,Lee Dorsey,Bo Diddley as well as others.

mel.(former bouncer like Big Joe Turner)

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 02:22 pm:

Jackie Wilson was a Golden Gloves Champion. James Brown did a little boxing as well.
Jimmy Scott was a valet for the Two Flashes (Lem Neal & Dickie Sims) Dance team in the early 40s'Jimmy took the job with them to go on the road as a stepping stone into a singing career, where he first met all the greats such as Lester Young , Papa Jo Jones, Sir Charles, Ben Webster,
and so on, all the legends of jazz.

By bosstrainer (217.39.163.144) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 02:24 pm:

Howard Tate was working on a building site when he was called to fame and got into the limo in his dusty overalls. Next day he was singing at the Twenty Grand.

One thing we should always remember is that many recording artists we love had to keep their day jobs to survive.

Colin

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.111) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 03:36 pm:

Gloria Gaynor, at least according to some disco book I read, was a New Jersey hair stylist when she started singing... Lemmy from Motorhead was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix... I think Otis Redding worked as a driver for visiting singers(!?)
Across the pond, some French singers were involved with the 'French Connection' heroin smuggling scheme. This was described in great detail in a book called the Canadian Connection. Dr John also tried middling some junk, although on a minute scale compared to the afore-mentioned Frenchmen. In his book 'Under A Hoodoo Moon' he describes doing a little hustling of all sorts before concentrating on music.

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 03:58 pm:

Dean Martin-Barber
Tommy LiPuma-Record Producer-Barber
Bobby Bird-Singer in Gospel Group
Teena Marie-Child Actor
Ruth Brown-Domestic
Martha Reeves-Secretary
Iced-T-Pimp
Tommy Hunt-Pimp
Frankie Lymon-Pimp
Sammy Ambrose-Limbo Dancer, Drums & Congas
Alonzo Tucker-post singing career-Teaching upcoming recording artist singing & show biz etticate(sp.) & song writer.
Sorry about mention of the negative jobs, its all documented.

By John Lester (217.40.205.120) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 05:03 pm:

Cilla Black was a hat check girl at the Cavern night club in Liverpool

Blinky was a lawyer, I seem to recall....

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.28) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 05:21 pm:

Chester Burnett/Howlin'Wolf.
A Farmer(Pitching grain and fertilizer).

McKinley Morganfield/Muddy Waters.
Day job delivering Venetian Blinds.

Willie Dixon
once won the novice division of the Illinois
Golden Gloves boxing tournament.


Joseph Arrington Jr./Joe Tex.
A Shoe Shiner.


James Brown
as a boy shined shoes,picked cotton,swept out stores.
Became friends with Bobby Byrd whilst playing against him in sport.
Byrds family sponsored Brown for parole whilst in prison and got him a job in a motor company.
Brown was torn between sport and a music career,he was nick-named 'music box'whilst inside.

In 1953 he started boxing under a local legend known as Beau Jack.
Fought as a bantamweight and supposedly even sparred with the great Sugar Ray Robinson.Be it only one round,
Jesus,only the one round,shame!!!!!

He hung up his gloves
and his baseball career(a good pitcher)
was cut short due to an injury to a leg.
So music beckoned.


Arthur Alexander
a former bellhop.


Isaac Hayes
insurance salesman,packer at a meat plant.


David Porter.
grocery store worker.


farewell
mel.

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.111) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 05:39 pm:

Dunno how I could have forgotten George Clinton, the barber of Plainfield, NJ... /Erik Over & out

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 05:54 pm:

GEEZ SOUL SISTER: FRANKIE LYMON???...HE WAS JUST A KID WHEN HE ACHIEVED STARDON...WHAT???...WAS HE PIMPIN AT AGE 9 OR SOMETHING???...NOW *THATS* WHAT YOU CALL A *TRUE* "ANGEL DADDY"!!!...
CHARLIE PRIDE....MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER...TRUE MAJOR LEAGUE PROSPECT!!!...

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 05:55 pm:

BRITTANY SPEARS...BRAT

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 07:02 pm:

Stubas; Did you not see the movie "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"? His woman was selling her butt to take care of his. Back in the day there was an article in Ebony about when he hit stardom at age 12 grown woman as old as 40 were throwing themselves at him! I couldn't see it, its crazy, then the article talked about his heroin addiction, quick rise to fame & short life.

Meland thensome; JB also was sponsered by Papa Doc & his wife Gert in Taccoa, GA. Papa Doc was living in JBs home when I was hanging out there, he was a beautiful person. Bobby Byrd told me the story once (and then some which I can't go into here) when his family sponsered JB, they invited him to join their family's gospel group.
S.S.

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 07:05 pm:

STUBASS;
Nah, thats what you call a bad Angel Daddy with bad karma!!

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 08:31 pm:

DIDN'T SEE THE MOVIE SOUL SIS!!!...BUT I GUESS WITH ALL *THAT* GOING FOR HIM...FRANKIE *WOULD* HAVE BEEN A "FOOL TO FALL IN LOVE"!!!...STU(GOOD ANGEL DADDY)BASS

By LoveUnlimited (65.238.115.53) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 08:41 pm:

Jean Terrell....beautician (currently?) Family has hair salon.

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 09:55 pm:

B.B.King-Farmhand on his Daady's land & Disc Jockey in Memphis.
Charles Neville- Convict.
Gerald Alston-Student & Gospel Singer.
Ronnie Goodson (The Hi-Lites)- Pool Hustler & Dog Trainer, (we use to work together-chuckle).
Jimmy Scott-Child Hustler: Would find things to sell & pick up odd jobs where he could since the age of 5 or 6 just to bring home the money to his mother so she could put food on the table to feed the whole family, he had 9 brothers & sisters, his father wasn't being the man he should so little Jimmy became a man-child.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 09:57 pm:

Berry Gordy - assembly line worker, Ford Motor Company; record store owner
Kenny Gamble - pre-med intern
Barbara Acklin - receptionist
Eugene Record - taxi driver
Marilyn McCoo-Davis (Fifth Dimension) - youth counselor
Billy Davis (Fifth Dimension) - nightclub manager
Lamonte McLemore (Fifth Dimension) - photographer
Barry White - toy store manager/buyer
Carl Davis (Okeh/Brunswick A&R chief) - sales representative, Columbia Records
Steve Cropper - record store clerk
Jerry Wexler (record producer) - journalist for Billboard magazine
Herb Fame (Peaches & Herb) - record store clerk for Waxie Maxie's in Washington, DC; became police officer in the mid 1970s.
Maurice White - session musician

Just to name a few....

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 10:23 pm:

Billy Stewart-Club owner in N.W.,D.C.
Lloyd Price-Club owner in N.Y.C. named "Turntable"
Don King-Club owner in Cleveland named "Corner Tavern".
Flip Wilson-Hustler & pimp.
Dorothy Dandridge-Dancer/Singer/showgirl at Harlem's Cotton Club.
Herb Jeffries-Singer, before singing cowboy -actor,now singing in concert again in his 90s!
Bobby Robinson-Record store owner & producer after singing.

By Caleb (171.75.83.10) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 10:31 pm:

Bob Babbitt-construction worker slash fuel attendant(CJ Rogers)

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 10:55 pm:

SOUL SISTER: YOU LITTLE "ANGEL" YOU!!!...HERB JEFFRIES...A LOS ANGELES TREASURE!!!...HE USED TO PERFORM AT A RESTAURANT ON VENTURA BLVD. IN THE 80'S!!!...I HAVE SEEN CUTS FROM SOME OF HIS EARLY FILM CAREER...AND HE WAS THE "STUD"...EQUAL IN STATURE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY TO SUCH WESTERN STARS AS WILLIAM S HART (WHO'S ESTATE IS NOW A PARK... ABOUT 2 MILES FROM MY HOUSE) AND TOM MIX!!!...HE'S ALSO THE UNCLE OF AN OLD DETROIT FRIEND OF MINE...CHARLIE COLE...WHO'S FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THE FUNERAL HOME BUSINESS IN DETROIT FOR DECADES!!!...GOOD PICK!!!...STU(PROUD DADDY)BASS

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 10:57 pm:

PS...HERB WAS LIKE THE "BLACK GENE AUTRY"...EXCEPT HE DIDN'T MAKE ALL THAT MONEY AND OWN BASEBALL TEAMS AND TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS...BUT QUITE AN INTERESTING FIGURE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY!!!...STU

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 11:20 pm:

Thank You STU(PROUD DADDY)BASS; I must confess my way of learning all about him was thru Jimmy a few years back. Herb was the matinee idol and he was one of Jimmy's idols, along with Paul Robeson. Two years ago while in L.A. David Ritz took Jimmy to see Herb in concert on his 90th. birthday, Jimmy told me he still looked young, handsome & rugged, Alot of Hollywood & movie=goers in the 30s didn't know that Herb was black. Jimmy said they had a great time with him, Fayed Nicholas & their wives (all younger) and expressed his wanting me to meet them sometime when we have a little extra time out in L,A, "during a "gig", said they were a nice set, in his words.

By Eli (172.162.110.209) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:08 pm:

Stan Watson(Philly Groove)...Ambulance Chaser
Phil Terry(Intruders) currently sells insurance
Don Davis... currently owns a bank
Jim Stewart(Stax) formerly a banker
Wally Amos(Famous Amos) Booking agent
Little Eva..babysitter
Len Barry..bartender
Bobby Eli..worked in uncles 'print shop for a minute till he told him "yo unc..take this job and..."!!!!

By medusa9e (66.73.13.25) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:16 pm:

Alberta Flake(Roberta Flack)~ School Teacher
Sting~ School Teacher
Bonnie Raitt~School Teacher
Martha Reeves~ Secretary
May think of few more later~

By RD (63.188.49.81) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:12 pm:

Little Sonny (Intruders) sold insurance for a minute and shined shoes. He was spotted doing so in downtown Philadelphia in the '70s.

Carl Davis - High school football coach
Otis Leavil - High school football coach, owned a gas station.
Billy Brown (Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown) - Ford Motors
Arthur Blakey (Hesitations) - physical therapist
Lee Lovett (bass player S.O.U.L.) - works for a large hardware store chain
Freddie Gorman - postman
Walter Simmons (Simtec & Wylie) - Real Estate (Chicago) and has started a recording company
Jackey Beavers (Johnny & Jackey) - Minister and columnist for his hometown newspaper in GA.
Freddie Stewart (Sly's brother) - bus driver
Pierre DeMudd (Dazz Band) - works at Hopkins Airport
Frederick ("Gentle") - works at a VA Hospital
Tommy Hunt - sings on cruise ships and is based in Amsterdam
Betty Davis - who knows; she's back home in the Pittsburgh area.
Marvin "Merv" Pierce (trumpet, Ohio Players) - lives in Australia and I believe is a graphic artist.
Lee Mayes - professional baseball player
Patti Hamilton - bus driver
Fred Briggs a.k.a. Coldwater Stone - taxi driver
Kim Tolliver - real estate
Bobby Wade - performs taxi service in Las Vegas
Al Boyd (Imperial Wonders; co-writer of "Shakey Ground") - social services (California)
Eddie Platt (retired; remarried at age 80.)

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:21 pm:

LETS NOT FORGET JERRY (THE ICE MAN) BUTLER...WHO INTERRUPTED HIS SUCCESSFUL RECORDING CAREER TO RUN FOR...AND WIN...A SEAT ON THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF EXECUTIVES...AND REMAINS ACTIVE IN ILLINOIS POLITICS TO THIS DAY!!!...STUBASS

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 12:40 pm:

THE SINGIN BUNNY RABBITS..JUST HANGIN AROUND THE CABBGE PATCH DRINKIN THAT CARRROT JUICE.

By bosstrainer (217.39.81.11) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 02:16 pm:

Percy Wiggins sells insurance

Spencer Wiggins retired a couple of years ago after driving trucks

Calvin Scott has a vending machine franchise

Dan Greer used to have a sign writing business


Thanks Colin

By Mark Speck (199.183.105.110) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 11:54 pm:

Eddie Platt...LOL! My Mom knows him...she goes to a lot of polka dances in the Cleveland area and runs into him quite often.

Best,

Mark

By conrad72 (207.69.83.251) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:21 am:

Is it OK for a Motown fan to transfer to Memphis for a job??? It might happen in a few months...I can just see putting out an ad in the musician's classifieds and getting harassed by all the STAX homies when I list Jamerson as my main influence.

Don't tell anybody--actually Booker T & The MG's Greatest Hits album got me started on the "right track" bass-wise.

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:31 am:

"DON'T YOU WORRY BOUT A THING" CONRAD (DAMN...THERE GOES THAT STEVIE W INFLUENCE)...DUCK DUNN PLAYED SOME REAL NICE BASS PARTS...BOB BABBITT IS BASED IN NASHVILLE...AND ANY TOWN THAT THE IMMORTAL OTIS REDDING RECORDED IN CAN'T BE ALL BAD!!!...ALSO..."THE GRAND OL OPRY"...FOR WHEN YOUR FEELING JUST DOWNRIGHT...COUNTRY!!!...ENJOY!!!...STUBASS

By RD (63.188.32.243) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:42 am:

Mark, Eddie Platt goes dancing every Friday. He had a big hit in the late '50s and was ripped off by Bill Randle and some others and never saw a penny in royalties. He has no hard feelings cause he wasn't depending on the money. He was always working doing gigs all over town. He doesn't play the sax anymore because of his choppers or lack there of.

By MEL&THEN SOME9 (217.14.178.36) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 03:29 am:

Hey R&B
Pass over that Carrott juice man,
it must be good!!!!!
mel(whats up Doc)

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 11:54 am:

HEY MEL,BE CAREFUL WITH THAT CARROT JUICE,YOU KNOW WHAT CARROTS DO FOR THE EYES,SOON YOU'LL BE LOOKIN THROUGH WALLS OR RABBIT HOLES,HEHEHEHEHEHE!

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:23 pm:

MEL: CAREFUL WITH R&B'S RABBIT POSTS!!!...THEY HAVE A WAY OF MULTIPLYING JUST LIKE THOSE BUCK TOOTHED...BIG EAR CRITTERS HE LOVES TO TALK ABOUT!!!...TOO MUCH CARROT JUICE WILL TURN YOU ORANGE!!!...STU

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:45 pm:

AHH,WHAT'S UP DOC?