Sunday, June 3, 2012

Musicians: From Failures to Fabulous


This is the second list in a series of Famous People lists who went from failure to success or as I'm calling it "From Failures to Fabulous."

Music is the voice of the heart and soul.  Some of the most famous composers and singers faced rejections or negative comments, but managed to overcome them and become world renowned and genuinely respected.

I am sure there are many musicians who have faced obstacles; this list simply reflects some of my personal favorites in terms of their stories, their contribution to music, or their impact their music has had on me.


1.       As a child he didn’t practice enough, was awkward on his violin, and focused on his compositions.  He was told by a music teacher that as a musician and a composer you are hopeless.  He is known as one of the best composers and created some of the best-loved symphonies of all time.  The Composer? Ludwig Van Beethoven

2.      When they were first starting out a recording company turned down this group of musicians telling them that “we don’t like your sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”  Fortunately the rest of the world disagreed; this band became true superstars. They are still popular with music listeners throughout the world today.  The Band? The Beatles.

3.      Despite being a child prodigy and composing music as young as the age of five, this composer faced dismissal from his court musician position, struggled to maintain support from members of the aristocracy, and died with next to nothing.  He wrote over 600 pieces of music that are today considered amongst the best ever written.  I know I love to listen to his compositions.  The Composer? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

4.  He is an amazing talent, who had acting roles and singing roles throughout his career. One of his roles included starring in Condorman, a Disney film in the 1980s, which was voted as one of the worst movies of the year. When selected for his most famous role, critics said he was not talented enough to handle such a vocally and dramatically demanding role.  He went on to perform the role more than 1,300 times, won numerous awards including a Best Actor, and even sang personally for the then US president.  The singer and the role? Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera.

5.  She has a learning disability and was bullied at school.  She did an audition for a television reality show called My Kind of People, where instead of listening to her singing the host spent the entire time mocking her.  She found the courage to try out for another television talent show and faced laughter, disbelief and jeers from the audience until she began to sing.  She took second place in this competition and has since gone on to become a household name world-wide and to make millions of dollars with her songs.  The Singer? Susan Boyles.

6.      A household name especially though out the United States, this best-selling artist was fired from the Grand Ole Opry after one performance.  He was told by the manager “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.”  Today he is known and listened to be millions and has an extremely loyal fan base, despite the fact that he is dead or is he?  The musician? Elvis Presley

7.   She wanted to be a gospel singer and get signed with a Christian recording company.  She was signed to her first label and finished her first album, only to have the recording company fold and no one to sell the album for her.  She continued trying to get a Christian label to sign her, but no one would citing her looks as being too curvy. She tried out to be a singer for the Mickey Mouse club, made it the finals, but didn’t get selected.  She ventured into pop music.  After her ninth audition for various record labels she finally got signed. The singer? Jessica Simpson

8.   He grew up in an unstable family environment often being dropped off at the houses of various relatives and even spent time in foster care.  He didn’t get music lessons, instead he taught himself how to play guitar by watching others play, practicing a lot, and listening to music.  He was fired between sets at his first gig due to his wild behavior on stage.  After years of playing backup, moving from band to band, and playing in small venues, he finally started to make it big in the European market and then eventually in the United States.  He ended up changing the face of guitar music before dying.  The Musician: Jimi Hendrix

9.   He was an Italian Tenor in Italy’s opera world during the early 1900’s.  Apprenticed as an engineer, he was told by his father that he should become a mechanic and foundry worker.  He was once told that he “couldn’t sing at all,” but he continued singing.  He was once booed, not due to his singing but because he did not pay for professional clappers (common practice in the day-they were called a claque.) He ended up performing more than 200 commercially produced songs and has the record for being the first to sell a million records of one recording for his performance of Vesti la giubba.  The opera singer? Enrico Caruso

10.  Not as many people listen to this composer, but I find the melodies to be breathtaking.  When he debuted one of his most famous pieces, he was literally run out of town by the audience rioting.  His music changed the way composers in the 19th century thought about music and influenced many others.  The Composer? Igor Stravinsky The piece that caused riots? Rite of Spring (which is truly a beautiful piece of music in my opinion).



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