10 Celebs You Didn't Know Started Off As Buskers

Their names may be part of history now, but it wasn't always that way. These famous faces had to put in some serious hard graft before they hit the big time. Check out the celebrated stars who started off on the streets...

1. Ed Sheeran

The Brit Award Winner is known for his scruffy appearance, but his days sleeping rough on the London Underground and kipping on his mates sofas are well and truly behind him now. The talented musician pens his own songs, a rare trait in globally famous musicians these days. The 'Thinking Out Loud' singer may be one of Britain's hottest exports these days, but he's not forgotten that it wasn't always that way: "I'd sleep on the circle line and gig in the evenings" he told 'The Mail Online'.
2. Tracy Chapman

Unsurprisingly Tracy Chapman was no ordinary busker. The 'Fast Car' singer managed to obtain a high-sought permit from the Cambridge Arts Council, allowing her to perform in Harvard Square. Chapman's university pal Brian Koppelman was so impressed with his friend's musical talents that he introduced her to his father who was in charge of a record label. As soon as she graduated, Chapman was signed to Elektra Records and the rest as they say, is history.
3. Robin Williams

The late and great Robin Williams certainly had an unusual transition to fame. For Williams, miming was the name of the game and as a broke student he used to perform outside The Museum of Modern Art to generate some extra cash. We wonder if those formative years turning tricks for money played some role in his later Academy Award-winning career.
4. Passenger

Proving that it is possible to go from street busker to Brit Award Nominee, the English folk singer Passenger definitely hasn't followed a traditional path to musical success. His single 'Let Her Go' has topped billboard charts across the world (it's a favourite here on Heart!), but Michael David Rosenberg, as he's more formally known, peddled his tunes on the street corners of England and Australia in an attempt to break into the music industry, after he left school at the tender age of 16.
5. Pierce Brosnan

Although he's more widely recognised as the suave and slick James Bond, Pierce Brosnan began his career as bit of a wheeler-dealer. The talented youth originally intended to be an artist, but whilst he was training, he took a workshop where he trained to be a fire eater! Whilst wowing on the streets with his smoking hot act, a young Brosnan was spotted by a circus worker who fixed him up at a drama centre, kickstarting his stellar career.
6. Sheryl Crow

The Grammy Award winning artist, showed great musical skill from an early age, when she began to play the piano aged just six-years-old. Busking can be an amazing way to absorb lots of different influences into your style. When Crow met local musician and producer Jay Oliver, she spent lots of time performing in the studio basement of his parent's home and meeting his many musical friends. These acquaintances helped Crow build up her repertoire of country, blues, pop and rock.
7. Rod Stewart

He may have gone down in musical history now, but Rod Stewart wasn't always so successful. When his first band 'The Raiders' didn't work out, he joined forces with an folk singer named Wizz Jones and together the pair hit the streets of London and then Europe. Eventually the future rockstar was deported from Spain for sleeping rough. Luckily Rod had the last laugh, going on to sell millions of records.
8. Steve Martin

Funny man Martin may not have sung for his supper, but he did perform comedy and play the banjo for lucky passers by. Although he may have long given up busking, the veteran actor has since set up the 'Steve Martin Bluegrass Prize' for brilliance in banjo.
9. Janis Joplin

Anyone who's listened and loved Janis Joplin's music will be able to notice the gritty realness that dominates her tracks. She'll always be remembered as one of the greatest rock n' roll singers in history, but her beginnings were far less glamorous. The 'Piece of my Heart' singer had a rebellious nature and recorded her first song on a tape. Joplin lived a beatnik lifestyle and during her time at University in Texas, she used to commute to Austin to perform alone with her guitar. Picture: PA
10. BB King

Sometimes the most legendary musicians have the most humble beginnings. Riley B. King was one such musician, who's musical success story began on the streets of Mississippi. The guitar and blues player would perform at jazz nights across America, gaining fans wherever he played. Eventually the soulful King became a radio DJ and renamed himself B.B. King, short for 'Beale Street Blues Boy', named after a road where he used to play.