6 Famous Musicians Who Served in the Military
Music and the military have an undeniable link. From Reveille to Taps, music is in plenty of everyday experiences for service men and women.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the same respect for music sticks with service members after they leave the military. It’s no coincidence that the military has produced some of the most impressive musical minds in recent history.
Here’s a list of six famous musicians who served in the military.
Playing alto saxophone and clarinet with the “Melody Masters,” a big band composed of more than a dozen different musicians, he mastered the chops needed to become one of jazz’s all-time greats.
In the Air Force, he taught himself to play guitar, which ultimately led to a decades-long career as a pioneering country musician, with more than 55 albums recorded before his death in 2003.
Elvis Presley
He was stationed with the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. In 1960, he would earn the rank of Sergeant, and, later that year, was discharged from active duty.
Kris Kristofferson
He has also acted in movies such as “Blade” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
Tony Bennett
Bennett was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, where he was thrown into the final stages of World War II. Serving with the 63rd Infantry Division, he moved across France and into Germany in what was, as he referred to in his book “The Good Life,” “a front-row seat in hell.”
He studied voice with his GI Bill benefits and became the crooner we still love today.
MC Hammer
What other musicians do you know that served in the military? Leave us comment below.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the same respect for music sticks with service members after they leave the military. It’s no coincidence that the military has produced some of the most impressive musical minds in recent history.
Here’s a list of six famous musicians who served in the military.
John Coltrane
Also known as “Trane,” this jazz saxophonist opened the floodgates for modern jazz, and served as a huge influence to both mainstream and avant-garde musicians. In his decades-long career, he recorded 45 studio albums and 10 live albums, and his “Blue Train” and “A Love Supreme” records remain some of the best-selling and most revered albums in jazz history.
Coltrane was born in 1926, and his father sparked his interest in music, and, by high school, he excelled at the saxophone. In 1945, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserves, and performed with the U.S. Navy band in Hawaii.Playing alto saxophone and clarinet with the “Melody Masters,” a big band composed of more than a dozen different musicians, he mastered the chops needed to become one of jazz’s all-time greats.
Johnny Cash
Before he was “the man in black,” Johnny Cash was a man in blue – U.S. Air Force blue, that is.
The son of an Arkansas sharecropper, Cash grew up in an extremely poor but musical family. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950, where he was assigned as a Morse code operator in Landsberg, Germany, where he was the first American to receive the news of Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953.In the Air Force, he taught himself to play guitar, which ultimately led to a decades-long career as a pioneering country musician, with more than 55 albums recorded before his death in 2003.
Elvis Presley
Often given credit as the godfather of rock ‘n’ roll as we know it, Elvis Presley took off his blue suede shoes to put on combat boots when he served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960.
Early in his career, Presley’s performances were viewed as lewd and lascivious by many Americans. When Presley turned 21 in 1956, he was eligible to be drafted – and he was. Rather than negotiate an “easy” tour in the Army, Presley insisted to enlist as a regular soldier to win over older fans.He was stationed with the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. In 1960, he would earn the rank of Sergeant, and, later that year, was discharged from active duty.
Kris Kristofferson
Well known for his country music – even singing with fellow veteran Johnny Cash in The Highwaymen – and on-screen experience, Kris Kristofferson also served a sucessful stint in the Army.
Kristofferson’s father, a U.S. Army Air Corps officer, encouraged him to join the military at an early age. After graduating from Pomona College in 1958, he earned a scholarship to Oxford, but at his family’s insistance, he turned it down to join the Army. He attained the rank of Captain, and was offered a teaching position at West Point, but decided to pursue music instead. He has received dozens of awards in his career, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985.He has also acted in movies such as “Blade” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, is as New York City as they come, though he may have left his heart in San Francisco.
Hailing from Queens, this musician took the world by storm with 17 Grammy Awards, over 50 million records sold and recorded over 70 albums. Even more astounding than his musical career is his military career.Bennett was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, where he was thrown into the final stages of World War II. Serving with the 63rd Infantry Division, he moved across France and into Germany in what was, as he referred to in his book “The Good Life,” “a front-row seat in hell.”
He studied voice with his GI Bill benefits and became the crooner we still love today.
MC Hammer
Before winning fame for his rap music in the 1990s, MC Hammer (born Stanley Burrell) used the U.S. Navy to launch a successful career.
Born to a poor family in Oakland, Calif., Burrell was a bat boy for the Oakland Athletics and dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but couldn’t make the cut. Instead, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as an Aviation Storekeeper 3rd Class while stationed in Mountain View, Calif. before his honorable discharge.What other musicians do you know that served in the military? Leave us comment below.
