05/29/2025
Musicians with a GED
Elton John
The Young Elton John quit high school at the age of only 16. The reason was that after he had entered the London Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship to study the piano at the age of 11, the now legendary member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame became pretty bored with all sorts of classical compositions. So he left school at an early age to perform some real rock’n’roll piano playing at one of the local pubs.
Check here for -> more music stars who never completed high school but were extremely successful.
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper got accepted into a highly reputed, special high school for talented students looking to specialize in the visual arts. Cyndi, however, was held back, so she eventually quit the school and earned her GED diploma a little while later. At age 17, Cyndi Lauper decided to leave her parents’ home to pursue an education in the arts.
George Harrison
Harrison, born in 1943 in Liverpool, Britain, 1 of the Beatles, the Fab Four. George Harrison wanted to play music and quit high school without graduating. The musician, singer-songwriter, music- and film producer was the Fab Four’s lead guitarist. Harrison was sometimes also called ‘the quiet Beatle.’ George Harrison died in 2001.
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr is one of the Fab Four, The Beatles, who also didn’t complete his high school education. He was born in Liverpool, Britain, in 1940, and as a kid, he suffered from illnesses that urged him to leave high school already at an early age. Sir Ringo Starr is a singer, musician, songwriter, and actor who earned worldwide fame during the 1960s as the drummer for The Beatles. He also sang a few two songs on each Beatles album.
Eminem
Eminem went to Lincoln High in Warren, Michigan. However, he failed the 9th grade several times, so he quit school at age 17. Eminem was a poor student, true, but he always kept a deep affinity for everything that related to language, he devours comic books, and he even loves to study dictionaries!
He says he found that, no matter how terrible he was at school, and no matter how low his grades may have been at times, he always was pretty good at Language, at English. He felt and still feels like he wants to have all these beautiful words at his disposal, in his vocabulary all the time, and especially whenever he needs or wants to pull ’em out.
In an interview with Rolling Stone’s Josh Eells (October 17, 2011), Eminem said as a reply to Josh Eells asking him: More acting? Perhaps you can go back to school: Well, I actually did go back to school and got my GED. Perhaps that doesn’t count, but I’m darn proud of it.
Waylon Jennings
Country music superstar Waylon Jennings has been singing different tunes since he gained his GED high school equivalency diploma. On the day he accepted his GED certificate from then Kentucky First Lady Martha Wilkinson at the state’s Capitol in Frankfort, Jenning was heard saying: ‘Mamas, please don’t let your young ones grow up and not hold a high school diploma.’
50 Cent
50 Cent quit high school as a sophomore after the school decided to expel him for the possession of illegal drugs. He subsequently went on to earn his GED diploma while taking part in a boot camp. Check here to read more about famous music stars that have a GED.
Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne left high school at the age of only 15. The reason was that the Canadian singer-songwriter, after a performance for a New York music producer one weekend, secured a record deal. She has admitted that her family was having serious plans for starting to homeschool her, but because of her musical endeavors, those plans fell through.
Bo Bice
Bo Bice was trying to enroll himself in a school program when he was stopped by a school staff member who questioned him about his rocker looks with piercings and long hair.
Bo says the guy talked to him like “Excuse me, but where do you think you are going?’ Bo then answered, ‘Oh, I want to sign up for school. Then the guy said: ‘Doesn’t look like you’re gonna do that. Take out your piercings, cut your hair, get your shirt tucked in, and come back tomorrow!'”
Well, he didn’t come back the next day, so he didn’t end up completing high school, but he got his GED.
Cher
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian in 1946) left high school before graduating to pursue a career in the music industry. The singer, actress, and television personality is also known as the Goddess of Pop. She is also known for her autonomy in the male-dominated music industry. Her career spans over six decades across multiple entertainment areas.
For Cher, it all started out in 1965 when she was successful with her husband (performing as Sonny & Cher) with the mega-hit I Got You Babe. Within a 2-year period, the record had sold more than 40 million copies across the world. Cher was awarded several Grammies, an Emmy, an Academy Award, the prestigious Billboard Icon Award, several Golden Globe Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors Award, and the highly respected Cannes Film Festival Award.
Jay Z and Beyonce
Not so long ago, Jay Z and Beyonce topped the highest-earners Forbes list for couples. Reportedly, the Knowles-Carter family had a combined net worth of more than $6.9900 million.
Over the last few years, Jay Z transitioned from being a rapper to a well-respected business mogul. In 2008, he signed a $150-million, 10-year Live Nation deal, and the “Watch the Throne” tour raked in some $1.4 million a night. Beyonce was successful with the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, which brought in around $2 million a night, as reported by Forbes.
Jay Z went to several Brooklyn schools and reportedly also attended Trenton Central High in Trenton, N. J. He never graduated, however. There are conflicting reports about whether Beyonce ever obtained her high school diploma. There are reports that she got her diploma through a homeschooling program in the days that she worked successfully with the girl group Destiny’s Child.
A few years back, however, rumors went around that Beyonce was looking to get a GED when she was seen entering one of New York City’s Alternative Education Complexes. Well, the fact of the matter is that neither of them attended college.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears quit high school prematurely to pursue a career in the music industry. She went to Kentwood High in Louisiana but she never graduated. We couldn’t find any information as to whether Britney ever got a GED. Well, when considering some of her decisions, we may wonder if she ever did.
