7 Musicians Who Beat the Odds and Made it Big Time
April 6, 2014A good song can brighten our day and move us emotionally, but not that often we hear about the musician's story and how he made it in the music world that can be very demanding and tough. From poverty to blindness, here are 7 great musicians that faced it all to beat the odds and become successful and famous, despite the various difficulties and challenges in their lives.
Rick Allen
Def Leppard is known for hits like "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Hysteria" and other great songs, but the inspiring story of this band comes from their drummer, Rick Allen. At the age of 21, before the band's big success, Allen made a reckless turn in a car and in the accident lost his left arm. He suffered from deep depression because he believed he wouldn't be able to drum for the band anymore, but things turned out different as we know it now. Allen and lead singer Joe Elliot designed together a drumset that would fit Allen's condition, which he will be able to play on with a single arm. This special drumset was not only a suitable playing instrument for Allen, but an innovation for other drummers who were missing limbs. This bright idea and design not only got Allen out of his depression and back into music, but made Def Leppard one of the best-selling bands of the '80s.
Jewel
Jewel started her music career in her late teens, but it was not a rousing success. Broke and destitute, she spent much of her early career living in her van while playing small coffee shops gigs and earning meager pay for it. She did not give up and her commitment paid off when she attained a record deal for her album "Pieces of You." By the late '90s she was already all over MTV and a famous singer and musician. So, not matter what you have to do to achieve you dream, never give up because anything is possible. Just ask Jewel…
James Durbin
James Durbin finished 4th in the 10th season of American Idol, but he is very popular and was able to captivate audiences using his big range and rock persona. What you may not know, is that James was diagnosed with Asperger and Tourette's syndromes when he was a child and that was also shortly after the death of this father. These syndromes effected James socially and especially during interviews, but he managed to overcome all these difficulties, win the hearts of America and many music fans to become a successful artist and musician.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder makes magic with the piano and he is a masters it without a doubt, to deliver us some fine, emotional and cheerful music. He had been blind since birth and when he turned 4 years old, his mother left his father to become a single mother to 6 children. He found his lifeline in music and dedicated himself to it with lessons in bass, drums, piano and even being part of the church choir. Stevie Wonder has clearly and definitely beat the odds and with over 30 top ten hits and 20 Grammy awards, he is one of the greatest musicians to make it big despite the challenges and difficulties in his life.
John Rzeznik
You know John Rzeznik as the frontman of The Goo Goo Dolls, but looking at his early life we wouldn't have believed he'll end up where he is today. When he was 15 years old he lost both his parents in a short period of time. His father passed from Diabetes as a result of alcoholism and his mother died of a heart attack only a few months later. John was left with his brothers and sisters and was raised by his older sisters. He had a rebellious nature when he was a teenager and decided at the age of 17 to move out and live on his own. Later on, John was able to straighten himself out and today you know him as a successful musician and part of The Goo Goo Dolls.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is probably the most recognizable voice of country music and her story to stardom is very interesting as you will read now. Parton is the fourth of twelve children and she grew up in a run down one room shack in rural Tennessee. Thanks to her talent, Parton got noticed and eventually she found her way to Nashville. The rest is history. She always sought to give back and did so by giving to causes which focus on increasing literacy amongst children and the American Red Cross.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven began losing his hearing when he was in his 20s. His ears began ringing and little by little he lost his hearing. While the affliction continued, Beethoven continued to write music but avoided conversations, unless they were in the written form. Because his career had only just, he was determined to compose and also conduct no matter his condition. The interesting part is that most of his famous pieces and works were composed after Beethoven lost his hearing completely. He wrote amazing and beautiful music without being able to hear it, but he beat the odds and his music is still being listened to and played to this day.
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