Country music is born from hard living, mined from blue collar pursuits and late nights at the bar.
In this gallery, we have a look at some of the first careers of your favourite country stars — from legends like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash to more recent chart-toppers such as Toby Keith and Shania Twain.
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Joanne Cash on growing up with Johnny Cash
What did they do before they were famous?
From Willie Nelson to Hank Williams Jr: charting country music's political spectrum
Randy Travis arrested in the nude, and other epic country music benders