20 Worst Pre-Rock Star Jobs: No. 1
Chubby Checker: Chicken Plucker
Before he was twisting, the rock 'n' roll legend was plucking. As a teenager, the man born Ernest Evans tore the feathers off dead chickens at the Fresh Farm Poultry Market in Philadelphia, where his boss gave him the nickname "Chubby" and occasionally let him sing to customers over the loudspeaker.
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Posted by Spinner Staff
Filed under: The Hit List
Reader Comments(1 of 4)
mybeautifulleahat 4-27-2007
at least i'm in good (?) company with my first gig: mcdonald's
Ianat 4-27-2007
Try saying "Chubby Checker Chicken Plucker" five times fast.
Kellyat 5-06-2007
They have experienced the real world. They deserve their fame and fortune... NO Doubt!!!
callyat 5-06-2007
just want to say that I've always heard that "Dick Clarks' wife was the one to give Chubby Checker that name, NOT his boss from where he worked "plucking chickens...
Heatherat 5-06-2007
Didn't Ray Liota dig graves too? I read that in Readers Digest. Man,that must have sucked
Jeffat 5-06-2007
Digging graves is not bad. Getting in the grave is the bad part.
Rissaat 5-06-2007
This is all I have to say to every bit of media out there: OMG! Get over it, who cares they had bad jobs? Wow, a bag boy, big woop. Jeez people take fame and fortune too... SERIOUSLY. What, just cuz they are celebrities they should've had some fancy job before becoming famous? I think not, they're real people, believe or not, and have to work for a life. They had bad jobs because they weren't famous yet, and probably weren't even expecting to become famous!
Fluffyat 5-06-2007
At least they were working and werent out robbing and stealing.Every one of those jobs were honest jobs,,and there is nothing wrong with that.Someone has to do those jobs.
deniweniat 5-06-2007
I agree totally w/Rissa & Fluffy & disappointed in AOL in printing something like this. These are honest jobs most of the US has & there is nothing demeaning about them. To put fame & fortune above everyone else is really low. The only real one or two that belong there & others unmentioned from their times were James Brown & Johnny Cash trying to make a buck & to survive during the depression.
But in todays society, how dare you put down the real jobs these stars had that your readers have
especially when they are capable of working.......
FAME is NOT what everyone has to look forward to, to bail them out to make them rich or as you put it...take them "From Rags to Riches" nor does it buy them happiness!
Dianeat 5-06-2007
I couldn't agree more with Rissa, Fluffy and deniweni. Very well said. Shame on AOL!!
Salvitore Maennaat 5-06-2007
A job is a job. Some one has to do them. Why not the people that they have shown on aol. We all have to do some things that we do not like to do as far as work but it keeps the everlasting dust out of your pocket. I am willing to be that these people had full stomachs at night. Mama says " a full stomach is a full stomach no matter what you eat" Do your job and quit whining.
Sue from Michiganat 5-06-2007
Who cares?
Redmundsat 5-06-2007
Ditto to the last 3, WHO CARES AOL?
Susanat 5-06-2007
This is a terrible article. Why do I keep clicking on these dumb AOL links?
I agree with everyone who has posted that these "worst" jobs are legitimate ways try and earn an honest living. We all have to start somewhere, someone has to do these jobs . . . Do the job you can get, do your best, and be proud of it.
This idiotic article is just perpetuating the idea that if you can't be a "rock star" you should just give up and do nothing at all. That working in other areas, like customer service, is somehow shameful and demeaning.
Shame on YOU, AOL. Your articles get stupider by the day.
Christyat 5-06-2007
I don't agree with the title of this article, but it was fun to see what they did before they were famous.
Namiraat 5-06-2007
well....isnt that what its showing? that some of the most successful people had non fancy jobs before they hit it big? why do you guys have such a problem with the article.....come one plucking feathers off a dead chicken......
cometat 5-06-2007
I do not think that this article is demeaning, as some other people are saying. It is just showing that these people that are famous were just like us before they got to the point in their life where they are now. They worked hard just to pay the bills like most of us do.
Casperat 5-06-2007
There is nothing wrong with these jobs, the tital of this artical of this artical need's to be changed... possibly "20 MOST UNEXPECTED Pre-Rock Star Jobs: No. 1". Wats wrong with making a honest living... some one has to dig gravs... seems like the only person doing any thing bad was snoop dog.
MPCat 5-06-2007
How could AOL have written an article witout mentioning Rosie O"Donnell?? She seems to show up one way or another in everything AOL does.
Kimat 5-06-2007
Well, they were all honest jobs except for Snoop's drug dealing....
The HEADLINE is what did it in for me. The rest of the article wasn't so bad. Whoever the copy editor was who made the headline deserves the shame on you!