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Music's Dropouts: 18 Artists Who Succeeded Without Diplomas

Michael Ochs Archives (2)

We've written about the musicians who are super smart and spent time as teachers, but this year for back-to-school season, we decided to look at the famous artists who made it big without graduating high school.

There are dozens of big names who never earned a diploma, so we decided to narrow it down to the ones who have interesting stories: The Beatle who was too sick to stay in school, the bluesman who couldn't read, the rock pioneer who went to jail, the crooner expelled for bad behavior, the rapper who got his G.E.D. in jail, and so on. Check them all out in our gallery below!

Musicians Without Diplomas
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granmaslincoln

Ringo went to Hairdressing school when he left private school which most teens did back in the 50'=60's ( to learn a vocation).If he had not been successful he said he wanted to open numerous hair salons.

November 13 2012 at 5:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ralph polston

you are a stupied thinking you must tell us about the Beatles a lot of us grew up with them you did not so you had to read about them and your telling people about them becouaes your genaration is stuiped you seems to never learn any thing in a scgool and that becouse there not any good school hardly left no one well leran about the history from any time peried your the i ph gen i fell sorry for you

November 13 2012 at 11:33 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Carl Johnson

Some of the most prolific "artists" in history were dyslexics. John Lennon was very dyslexic, which likely spurred his creative process as much as any drugs did.

September 05 2012 at 11:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
daltonustynik

So whats teh moral here. If you want to be rich and famous drop out of school? I glad I cameof age in the 50 and 60s when an education was a prised endeavor. Now we value gun toters, teh NRA, Rednecks,school dropouts drug pushers,celebreties who have no morals and no respect for anyoneor anythng, and politicians who dont seem have made it out of grade school. Republicans and democrats seem like the present day Hatfields and Mccoys.

September 04 2012 at 9:50 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
catine

HUMM! There is something about our male children that is ignored
and misunderstood. There seeming are no answers but "a piece of
paper" from a University is not what it is toted to be. Intelligence
cannot be measured by any means so be it l9th Century thought
process, Character in a Nation such as ours is utmost. Too many of
our young fall through the cracks and this in it's self can cause US
to perish.
Can one define success beyond money? Quality of life, perhaps?

September 04 2012 at 7:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alfred Deal, JR

How did my name get here?

September 04 2012 at 6:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wolfman Thomas

back in the day if you were lucky to have entertainment skills and got some breaks you did not need a diploma to suceed

September 04 2012 at 1:54 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Sir Vincent

Having been forced to drop out of school in the eighth grade and later, having earned a couple of Ph.Ds and a Doctor of Scence in addition to other credentials including knighthood, I have learned that education like gold and oil, is where you find it. While attending school is desirable, it does not necessarily dictate whom you will become. With or without formal education, you will become what you think about. What you need foremost is a head which can think.

September 04 2012 at 1:33 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
ksa7903739

I am glad Jay-Z got his teeth fixed... His must have been a teen-ager because his grill is messed up....

September 04 2012 at 1:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bubbi

Hi whoever you are

September 04 2012 at 1:27 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply