Musicians Who Succeeded Without Graduating High School

If you want to be a musician, you should devote everything you have to it . . . but it's also a good idea to get a good education, because you might need it someday.

--Of course, there are plenty of musicians who did just fine without one.  Spinner.com put together a gallery of 18 of them who didn't even finish high school . . . the ones with so-called "interesting stories."

--Here's the list, and a quick note on what happened.

--Ringo Starr . . . Fell behind after spending two years in the hospital for a lung disease.

--Frank Sinatra . . . Was expelled for "rowdiness" after just 47 days of high school.

--Jay-Z . . . Moved around to several high schools, but never graduated.

--Cher . . . Quit high school after struggling with dyslexia, which was undiagnosed.

--Eric Clapton . . . Studied "stain-glass design," but was expelled for not turning in assignments.

--B.B. King . . . Had to walk five miles to school, and eventually stopped going.

--Davy Jones . . . Left high school to train to become a professional jockey.

--Angus Young of AC/DC . . . Dresses like a schoolboy, but stopped being an ACTUAL schoolboy when he was 15.

--Ella Fitzgerald . . . After her mother died, she quit school and became a, quote, "lookout for a whorehouse."

--Elton John . . . Dropped out when he was 17 to focus on music.

--Eminem . . . Dropped out at 17, after being the victim of "constant bullying."

--Ja Rule . . . He got his G.E.D. in prison earlier this year.  By the way, not everyone would classify Ja Rule as someone who "succeeded."

--John Lee Hooker . . . He was home-schooled, but ran away when he was 15.  He became a star without being able to read.

--Barry White . . . He stopped going to school and got involved with a gang.  He also went to prison after being caught stealing $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires.

--Kurt Cobain . . . He was bullied in high school, and dropped out a few weeks before graduating.  He later returned to school . . . as the janitor.

--Mary J. Blige . . . Dropped out her junior year.

--Sammy Davis Jr. . . . He never attended school, thanks to his dad's career in entertainment as a tap dancer.

--Steve Earle . . . Dropped out his junior year.

Spinner.com