LITTLE RICHARD sold snake oil at fairs and carnivals - at one time he also washed dishes at a bus station

JACKIE WILSON was an American amateur Golden Gloves boxing champion at welterweight. He also worked in a car assembly plant

BO DIDDLEY also trained as a Golden Gloves boxer, from where he got his nickname

BILLY J. KRAMER was an apprentice fitter for British Rail

NILSSON was a computer specialist at Security First National Bank

BROOK BENTON was a truck driver in New York

SANDIE SHAW used to be an IBM machine operator

TOMMY STEELE was, at various times, a pantry boy, a lift operator and an assistant steward for Cunard

THE VENTURES were all employed as mortar removers for a construction company

JOHNNY BURNETTE was a Mississippi bargeman and a professional boxer

DAVE CLARK gave up his job as a film stunt man to form his group. He worked on early Adam Faith films!

FATS DOMINO worked in a bedmaking factory where he nearly lost his fingers in an accident

DAVE DEE trained as a police cadet and was in attendance at the scene of the fatal car crash involving Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran

SIMON DEE worked as a coffee bar bouncer, an actor, a photographic assistant to Lord Snowdon, a designer for Christian Dior and a vacuum cleaner salesman before joining Radio Caroline as a D.J.

DAVID 'SCREAMIN' LORD' SUTCH was a plumber's mate

CILLA BLACK used to be a BICC employee and a cloakroom attendant

DAVID BOWIE worked in an advertising agency

JAMES BROWN was sentenced to 4 years hard labour at the age of 16

CHUBBY CHECKER worked in a chicken market

ERIC CLAPTON was a building site worker and studied stained glass design at college

JOE COCKER used to be a Gas Board fitter

DESMOND DEKKER trained as an engineering welder

DONOVAN waited on tables in seaside cafes

LEE DORSEY was in the US Navy and became a professional boxer under the name of 'Kid Chocolate'

WAYNE FONTANA was an apprentice telephone engineer

FREDDIE GARRITY was a milkman, a shoe and brush salesman and an engineer

MAX BYGRAVES was a carpenter

ROY ORBISON studied geology at North Texas State University - one of his classmates was
PAT BOONE

GENE VINCENT was a despatch rider in the US Navy, leaving after a motorcycle accident with the injuries that caused many of his later problems

JULIE ROGERS was a dancer in Spain, a ship's stewardess and a secretary

MARK WYNTER served as a shop assistant in a general store

MARC BOLAN earned a few bob as a male model in the Sixties as well as being one of the top mod 'faces'

TOMMY BRUCE was a driver's mate at Covent Garden Market

JOHN LEYTON has always been an actor, starring in 'Biggles' and in films such as 'The Great Escape', 'Von Ryan's Express' and 'Krakatoa'. His singing break came from his part as Johnny St.Cyr in the TV soap 'Harper's West One'

MARTHA REEVES used to be a secretary at Motown Records where one of her jobs was to look after
LITTLE STEVIE WONDER during office hours

DAVE BERRY had a job as an electric welder

GERRY MARSDEN earned his cash as a British Rail delivery boy and a tea chest maker

STEVE MARRIOTT was a sales assistant in a music equipment shop

CRAIG DOUGLAS might have delivered your daily pinta as a milkman

MICK JAGGER was a porter in a mental hospital

JOHN ENTWISTLE was a trainee tax officer

PETE TOWNSHEND was an art student

ROGER DALTREY was a sheet metal worker