I was trying to think of successful (and TALENTED) pops stars/musicians who were genuinely from working class backgrounds and...

[said]

...couldn't think of many.

Bruce Springsteen's dad was a bus driver so he qualifies

Who can we name?

The Beatles (bar Ringo) were all pretty middle-class

Ditto the Stones (not sure about Keith?)

Dylan was from an affluent background.

The TALENTED proviso is to exclude the likes of Cheryl Cole etc

Oh, no-one wants to play.

Your chances of becoming a successful musician are greatly enhanced by having learnt something about music as a child. Since music lessons are very much more prevalent among the educated and the middle classes, it follows that musicians (like sportsmen in many fiels) come disproportionately from middle class homes...

Wasn't Johnn Lennon working class?

Most/all of the 60's Motown artists.

Think Tina Turner grew up pretty poor.
Stevie Wonder? Might be wrong...
Dolly Parton...hillbilly, massive family, I think.

These are all American though...

Oh, the Gallagher brothers grew up with nowt, as far as I know. Most of the Manchester bands were proper working class, I think.

No, John Lennon was middle class. Miserable family background, but not poor.

Friend of mine grew up in a similar area - but the wrong side of the tracks.

Nah, John Lennon was relatively well-off, I think.

Motown - yes, good example.

Bonsoir - I know the theory but I'm just interested in names. Who has beaten the odds, as it were

I've been racking my brains on this since I read it last night and couldn't think of any white examples, but plenty of black musicians have come from w/c backgrounds I imagine.

Oh and Elvis?

ELO?
Slade?
Most of the Brum Beat people probably.

I would say a majority of black artists up until the 80's(?) were working class.

Of course, Elvis! Dolly Parton good as well

Gallaghers - yes, from Burnage

But, yes, not many poor white artists

Probably early rock and roll stars and country stars were, Johnny Cash for example.

True

What about from the 70s onwards?

Finding it more difficult to come up with British examples here (Dizzee Rascal?)

I suppose that's because in the US blues was a genuinely w/c musical form

I think many of the early American white rock and roll stars were because they picked up a lot of their music from the black culture around them - blues, old slave songs, etc.

Those from a higher social/economic bracket wouldn't have been associating/working with black people back then.

Artists like Elvis and Johnny Cash made black music palatable for a white audience.

Does Robbie Williams manage to scrape past the talented proviso ?

No.

I think there used to be more w/c artists, in the seventies.

These days opportunities to learn instruments seem to go to those who can afford to pay for lessons.

again.

Wasn't pretending to be working-class a popular sort of pose in the 1970s, though?

Yes good point bonsoir - Joe Strummer et al!

Absolutely Bonsoir - and in the 1960s - if you have ever seen vintage footage of Mick Jagger speaking you will know what I mean.

ian dury?

Depends on your definition of working class really.

seasick steve???
dp says not

ian curtis

Ian Dury definitely
Paul weller
john Lydon
all were a major influence on music
there must be more

dp says plan b
elvis?

we are struggling