# Veteran Rockers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467 "2011-06-06T01:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/1 "2011-06-06T01:59:03Z")
The one that immediately jumps to mind is Elvis of Tupelo. Can anybody think of anybody else? Bonus points for those who both served and rocked with distinction. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/2 "2011-06-06T02:09:55Z")
Jimi Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/3 "2011-06-06T02:19:28Z")
Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Garcia were both in the army for the same reason - a judge told them they could enlist in the military or go to jail. Neither had what you would call exemplary service records, and in both cases, the army chose to discharge them early rather than deal with them. Rick James and John Fogerty both joined reserve units to avoid the draft. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/4 "2011-06-06T02:49:27Z")
Kris Kristofferson, although more country/folk than rocker. Army captain, helo pilot, completed ranger training. Did not see combat, but was offered a professorship at West Point. Turned it down to go into songwriting. SS ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/5 "2011-06-06T03:12:56Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Kris Kristofferson, although more country/folk than rocker. Johnny Cash was a country artist, though he influenced many rockers. He served in the Air Force as a “code intercept operator”. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/6 "2011-06-06T03:15:50Z")
The Everly Brothers - Marines Drake Levin of Paul Revere and The Raiders - National Guard Lou Christie - Army Reserve Michael Nesmith - Air Force ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/7 "2011-06-06T03:19:12Z")
Maynard James Keenan was in the [Army](http://www.mtv.com/bands/a/a_perfect_circle/news_feature_040122/) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/8 "2011-06-06T03:26:32Z")
Maynard James Keenan of Tool - briefly served in US Army. James Blunt (not a fan of his, but worth mentioning) - served in British army, saw combat in the Balkans. John “Bushcat” Edmond - served in 3rd Battalion, Royal Rhodesia Regiment ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/9 "2011-06-06T03:39:07Z")
Moving to Cafe Society from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/10 "2011-06-06T04:08:59Z")
Heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson, probably best known for his work in Iron Maiden, served in the British military as a young man. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/11 "2011-06-06T05:04:00Z")
Shaggy, the Boombastic/It Wasn’t Me Reggae singer, was a US Marine during Operation Desert Storm. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Falling\_Reverend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Falling\_Reverend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Falling_Reverend)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/12 "2011-06-06T05:29:47Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Garcia were both in the army for the same reason - a judge told them they could enlist in the military or go to jail. Neither had what you would call exemplary service records, and in both cases, the army chose to discharge them early rather than deal with them. Rick James and John Fogerty both joined reserve units to avoid the draft. Maybe I’m thinking of someone else but I thought Hendrix was discharged after he broke his leg during a training jump while in airborne training? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/13 "2011-06-06T11:53:02Z")
Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones was in the Royal Air Force from 1955-57. I think he was the only one of the group that was old enough when there was a draft. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/14 "2011-06-06T12:30:11Z")
[Deniz Tek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deniz_Tek), an American, but a legend in Australian music was a Navy flight surgeon with the Marines and was the original **Iceman**. ---
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/15 "2011-06-06T12:38:20Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Kris Kristofferson, although more country/folk than rocker. Army captain, helo pilot, completed ranger training. Did not see combat, but was offered a professorship at West Point. Turned it down to go into songwriting. > SS Got his MA in English Lit from Oxford, iirc. Helicopter pilot and also a nationally recognized gifted athlete. I would consider KK to have the best acting career of anyone who ever came from a singer/songwriter background. KK should go into politics. Surely he could solve this whole economy problem and the whole mess there in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/16 "2011-06-06T13:54:40Z")
Army: The Big Bopper Fred Parris of The Five Satins was on guard duty one night when he wrote “In the Still of the Night,” the Satins’ lovely doo-wop ballad. Lloyd Price Del Shannon Link Wray Air Force: The Del-Vikings, all of them Marvin Gaye Clyde McPhatter Marines: The Essex, all of them Tim Hardin Bob Mosley of Moby Grape Navy: Johnny Ace Gene Vincent Bill Withers Boyd Bennett, rockabilly star, served in WWII ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/17 "2011-06-06T14:18:55Z")
I think Billy Joe Royal was in Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/18 "2011-06-07T12:34:24Z")
[Geno Washington](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geno_Washington) (big in the UK in the 60s) was in the USAF and stationed in the UK when he started playing in clubs, etc. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/19 "2011-06-07T14:04:49Z")
[The Monks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monks) (wiki link) were a band formed by GI’s stationed in Germany. Their album Black Monk Time is considered a progenitor to punk ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467/20 "2011-06-07T14:39:16Z")
Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, and Buzz Gardner of the Mothers of Invention were in the army; Preston met Buzz when they were stationed together in Trieste, Italy. Roy Harper had a less than distinguished stint in the RAF, lying about his age to get in and faking mental illness to get out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veteran-rockers/584467.md?page=2)