Life may be glamorous for our favorite country superstars these days —sold out shows, nice cars and fancy hotels — but it wasn’t always that way for most of them. In fact, many had to work normal, and sometimes odd, jobs to make it to where they are today.
Here is a list of country artist’s surprising careers before they were in the spotlight:
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood may be one of the most famous women in country music today, but before the superstar got her big break on American Idol, she was actually an attendant at a gas station in high school. Later on she also dabbled in working at a hotel, a pizza place and a veterinarians office.
Jason Aldean
Before rising to fame as a country superstar, Jason Aldean held a regular job like any other person. Despite now being recognized for his countless chart-topping hits, in the initial stages of his career, he worked as a Pepsi delivery boy before moving to Nashville.
Garth Brooks
Before selling out stadiums, Garth Brooks spent years being a bouncer at a bar in his college town of Stillwater, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State University.
Kelly Clarkson
Before winning the first season of American Idol, becoming a successful talk show host and judge of The Voice, Kelly Clarkson came from very humble beginnings. Having admitted that she made her outfit for her Idol audition because she couldn’t afford to buy anything, Clarkson barely had money to her name at that point in her life. She worked at Papa Johns, was a telemarketer and even sold vacuums to make money to pursue her dreams.
Dierks Bentley
Before entering the music world, Dierks Bentley may have had one of the grossest pre-famous jobs at a point in his life. Before fame, Dierks held a job which involved draining the waste from houseboats that had been at sea for a day, a week, or even longer. Needless to say, he’s probably better off selling out venues.
Reba McEntire
There’s no doubt that Reba has country roots, being one of the most recognizable country superstars in history. But before she had her own hit sitcom and touring around the world, Reba was working on her fathers farm, helping him turn bulls into steers.
Kane Brown
Kane Brown has quickly became one of the hottest new country artists in the past few years, but it was definitely a journey to get there. After graduating High School, it was evident that a college scholarship wasn’t in the cards. Kane Brown then applied for the Army because he had friends who were doing the same. After they told him he would have to remove his tattoos to join, he quickly decided against it and got a job at Fed Ex instead.
