Before They Were Famous

Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry has his own steakhouse in Harrodsburg, KY, but thankfully, he leaves the steak cutting to the professionals. Before he and partner Troy Gentry hit it big with 'Hillbilly Shoes' in 1999, the singer worked at a butcher shop.

After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in business, Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood took a job in Atlanta doing computer security. He and Charles Kelley were already playing and writing songs together, but jobs in the so-called real world split them up temporarily. Eventually, Kelley moved from Winston-Salem, N.C. to Nashville and convinced his buddy Dave to do the same. They

Clint Black wasn't afraid of a hard day's work prior to making it big in country music. His first hit single was 'A Better Man' in 1989, but by then he was already a big star in his home stage of Texas. Prior to taking the stage full time, Black took jobs as a fishing guide, bait cutter and construction worker.

A recent episode of GAC-TV's 'Day Jobs' showed Clay Walker as a dedicated cattle rancher before -- and even after -- his country music career. That wasn't the only less glamorous job Walker held, however. He also did cleanup at a tire factory, worked nights at a motel and sold shoes.

According to Trace Adkins, he still is an oil rig worker. The famous country singer says he's more defined by the job he used to have than the job he currently has. "‘Rough neck’ defines me good," he said during his episode of 'Day Jobs' on GAC-TV. "What I do now is a hobby that got way out of control and turned into my career, but what served me better than anything was taking the

Before Chuck Wicks released 'Stealing Cinderella' and spent eight weeks on 'Dancing With the Stars' with then-girlfriend Julianne Hough, he was a potato farmer. The Delaware native grew up on his family's spud farm, working from the time he was 8-years-old until he headed off to college.

Billy Currington's fans know the country singer looks pretty good showing off his toned arms. While he's spent some time in the gym, a job pouring cement certainly helped sculpt his bod. One of the jobs he had before hitting it big with 'Walk a Little Straighter Daddy' in 2003 was working 16 hours a day at a cement plant. He also worked at a paper mill after high school and a pawn shop before gett

Faith Hill found success in Nashville soon after she moved from Mississippi in the late 1980s, but she spent some time flipping burgers at McDonald's prior to her Music City experience. “Fries, burgers, cash register — I did it all,” Hill said. “I hated it. God bless the people that work there.”

Joe Nichols earned an honest and unenviable living before scoring his first hit with 'The Impossible' in 2002. The Arkansas-born singer worked at a warehouse hauling boxes and spent a day as a steak salesman to make enough money for rent, food, bills and beer.

After three albums, Eric Church is finally getting some long overdue recognition -- but it sounds like the singer is used to the long hours and sleepless nights that often come before the rewards of success.