Random Childhood Homes Of Famous Musicians (16 items)

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  (#9) Ray Charles

  • Dec. at 74 (1930-2004)

  Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, GA. His family moved to Greenville when he was a young infant, and he lived in this house until he began attending the School for Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, FL, at the age of 7. At the school, he learned to read and play music, and to write and arrange it in Braille. His mother passed when he was 15.

  The house was small and rustic, with no electricity or plumbing. The Robinson family would pump well water by hand, and they used a wood-burning stove. The house decayed over the years, and was slated for demolition in 2006 - until Elesta Pritchett, the mayor of Greenville and Charles’ childhood friend, campaigned to buy and repair the historic landmark.

  The house was restored and became open to the public in 2009. In front of the house, there is a commemorative plaque celebrating Ray Charles’ memory. Pritchett provides personal tours by appointment.
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  (#15) Bono

  • 58

  Bono, born Paul David Hewson, is a Dublin native. While Bono’s home has been a popular tourist destination for U2 fans over the course of his career, it became the source of international intrigue when “Cedarwood Road” from Songs of Innocence was forcibly planted on every iPhone in 2014.

  Bono describes the home as a regular three-bedroom house in an "lower middle class" neighborhood. His mother passed when he was young, so Bono grew up with his father and brother in a "macho" environment.

  Bono's long standing issues with his father and the neighborhood were major sources of inspiration for his music, as reflected in the lyrics of “Cedarwood Road”:

  It was a war zone in my teens

  I’m still standing on that street

  Still need an enemy

  The worst ones I can’t see

  You can, you can

  The neighbors were confused by the “war zone” designation. Local native Vera Murphy says, “We’re at the entrance to the estate and we see a lot, but I never saw a war zone, hand on heart.”
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  (#10) Beyoncé Knowles

  • 37

  Before she was one of the most influential female artists of all time, Beyoncé lived in a French Traditional home in Houston, TX. The Knowles family resided in this home until Beyoncé was 5 years old.

  Beyoncé grew up with her parents, Tina and Mathew Knowles, alongside her younger sister, Solange. Her parents were both actively involved with her musical projects as she rose to fame - her mother designed costumes for Destiny’s Child, and her father was their manager.

  Knowles’ talents were apparent very early in her life, as she began performing by the time she was in elementary school. When she was 7 years old, she won a local talent competition with her rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine," beating competitors who were in their mid-teens.

  The house drew great public interest when it was listed for sale. While the listing mostly describes the amenities and location, it begins with a single exclamation: "BEYONCÉ!"
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  (#2) Freddie Mercury

  • Dec. at 45 (1946-1991)

  Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, spent many of his childhood years in Zanzibar . However, the validity of the house claiming to be the "Freddie Mercury's Zanzibar Home" is unconfirmed, even by its current owners.

  When Mercury was a teenager, his family emigrated to Feltham, a suburb west of London. Even as a teenager, Mercury was flamboyant and expressive. He regaled the neighborhood with his loud guitar practice, immaculately designed outfits, and what would soon become his inimitable vocal abilities. Mercury met his future Queen bandmates while living in this home.

  The people of Feltham still remember young Freddie Mercury with great fondness. Though the Bulsara family no longer resides in the home, it was awarded an English Heritage blue plaque in 2016.
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  (#16) Mick Jagger

  • 75

  Mick Jagger grew up in Dartford, England, a suburb of London. Jagger was the oldest of two boys, and grew up in a comfortable middle class family. A talented student, Jagger was well liked and popular in school. He developed an interest in music at a young age, and was gifted his first guitar when he was 14 years old.

   
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  (#8) The Notorious B.I.G.

  • Dec. at 25 (1972-1997)

  Christopher Wallace, the arbiter of the original East coast hip-hop style, grew up in Brooklyn, NY. His alleged "one-room shack" was actually more of a three-bedroom apartment, though the neighborhood is hardly recognizable from the Clinton Hill of Biggie's youth.

  Wallace's mother, Voletta, worked two jobs to send him to private school. Though he showed promise in his English class, he often skipped school and began selling drugs at the age of 12, leading to legal troubles that followed him throughout his life.

  In 2013, Wallace's childhood home hit the competitive New York market. Valued at hundreds of thousands more than its worth during his life, it sold for $825,000.

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