Anyone even a little familiar with Tennessee knows
that Dolly Parton is a native daughter of Sevier County, Tennessee. People may also know that former Vice
President Al Gore is from Tennessee. But
who else 'famous' is from the Volunteer State?
Can you make a list? I did, let’s
see who has connections to Tennessee....
Kenny Chesney: Born in Knoxville, TN on March 26, 1968
This world famous country music star was born in
Tennessee, and he has said so in some of his songs. When Kenny plays a concert in Knoxville, he
feels like he is home. He is always
welcome to come home to Tennessee! I
have never been to one of his concerts but I hear they are fantastic!
Morgan Freeman:
Born in Memphis, TN on June 1, 1937
Actor and Director, you probably know him from many different movies but who can forget him
in the Shawshank Redemption from 1994. I
associate him more with the movie Driving Miss Daisy. I don’t drive therefore my husband drives me
wherever I want to go!
Aretha Franklin: Born
in Memphis, TN on March 25, 1942
Let’s give this Tennessean singer a little
‘Respect’! She was the Godmother to
Whitney Houston. During her career more than 75 million copies of her records
have been sold in the US and across the world. That's impressive for sure.
Lisa Marie Presley:
Born in Memphis, TN on February 1, 1968
How could I not put the daughter of Elvis Presley on this
list! She has a singing career, but it
appears is more well known for being her father’s daughter and her 4 marriages,
especially her marriage to Michael Jackson.
Have you been to the house where Lisa Marie spent her childhood, have
you been to Graceland?
Jack Hanna: Born
in Knoxville, TN on January 2, 1947
Any animal lover knows his name and his face. He has had a few TV shows including Jack
Hanna’s Animal Adventures and Jack Hanna’s into The Wild. You can catch him on various TV commercials
for dog supplements. I actually know
someone who knows him very well!
And that is just the beginning of a list of famous people
from Tennessee. How about:
- Alex Haley, he wasn’t born in Tennessee but soon after his birth his family moved here
- Annie Potts from the TV show Designing Women
- Dixie Carter also of the Designing Women show
- Bill Landry of the Heartland Series
- George Hamilton, actor sometimes remembered for his tan
- Kathy Bates, a wonderful and talented actress
I think you get the point; there is a huge number of
famous people who have roots in Tennessee, including me. I may not have been born here, but I'm a transplant!
Tennessee Flag:
Kenny Chesney:
I'm a transplant too! May not have been born here but its where my heart is most at home. As a small child I drew pictures of the mountains and I'm what they call around here "a flat lander". There is not even a single point of land in all of FL that geologically speaking, qualifies as a 'hill'. So, I guess the mountains were in my blood whether my roots were or not. Morgan Freeman is definitely one of my favorite actors. Such compassion. Kenny Chestnut has a huge following in and around Knoxville. You better get on line quick if you want tickets to any of his performances in his home town! And we can't forget Davy Crockett and Andrew Jackson. The list is lengthy so even though we have plenty of Appalachia to go around, a lot of talent has come out of this state.
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