Before ‘Dirty Jobs,’ Mike Rowe Was Actually A Professional Opera Singer

Barbershop Harmony Society / YouTube

Mike Rowe is probably best known for being the television host on the Discovery Channel series, Dirty Jobs,  closely followed by Somebody’s Gotta Do It on CNN and Returning the Favor on Facebook Watch. Watching him struggle and get dirty alongside people who work some of the most interesting and difficult jobs out there is extremely entertaining for viewers.

What many people don’t know about the popular TV host, is that at one point he was actually an opera singer. Rowe actually used to sing in the Baltimore Opera and when CNN asked about this brief career path, he explained,

“Back in Baltimore in 1984 the unions were a big deal. I wanted to work in acting and commercials and I had to be in the Screen Actors Guild, or in the American Federation of Television and Radio Arts. I couldn’t get into either union because back then, you couldn’t do that kind of work unless you were in the union but you couldn’t do the work unless you had your union card. There was a loophole – there was another union called American Guild of Musical Artists, and if you can get into that guild, you can buy your membership into the other guild. It occurred to me that I’d have a better chance at faking my way into the opera than I would into the movies.”

As it turns out, Rowe is extremely talented, and he even sang right there in the studio during the interview.

Opera isn’t the only thing Rowe can sing. His musical voice is perfect for many different types of performances.

Check out the video below to watch him sing with a barbershop quartet.