Famous People Born in Tennessee a to z

Country musician Roy Acuff performed hits suchs as "It Won't Be Long" and "Tennessee Waltz" nearly every weekend on the Grand Ole' Opry during the 1930, 40s and 50s.

James Agee was a film critic for TIME magazine, penned the screenplay for The African Queen, and won the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for his novel A Death in the Family.

Gregg Allman is one of the co-founders of the popular 1970s rock group the Allman Brothers Band.

Bill Belichick is head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots and widely considered one of the best coaches in football history.

John Bell was elected Tennessee senator in 1847, serving in the Senate until 1859. He was also a U.S. presidential nominee on the eve of the American Civil War.

In 1949, mathematician Marjorie Lee Browne became one of the first two African-American women to earn a Ph.D. in her field.

James M. Buchanan is an American economist best known for his work on public choice theory, for which he receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1986.

A former fast-food chain executive, Herman Cain emerged as a Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential nomination.

Dixie Carter was an actress who most TV viewers remember from the hit series Designing Women.

Rosanne Cash is an American singer and songwriter best known for her country hits "Seven Year Ache" and "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me."

Rita Coolidge is an American two-time Grammy Award–winning singer best known for her hits in the 1970s, including the album Anytime...Anywhere.

Davy Crockett was a frontiersman, legendary folk hero and three-time Congressman. He fought in the War of 1812 and died at the Alamo in the Texas Revolution.

David Nelson Crosthwait, Jr. was an African American pioneer in the field of heating and air conditioning, best known for heating up Radio City Music Hall.

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus is the daughter of '90s country star Billy Ray Cyrus and the star of the Disney series Hannah Montana.

Computer scientist and engineer Mark Dean is credited with helping develop a number of landmark technologies, including the color PC monitor, the Industry Standard Architecture system bus and the first gigahertz chip.

Shannen Doherty is best known for her roles as Heather Duke in the film Heathers and on TV as Brenda in Beverly Hills, 90210 and as Prue in Charmed.

Lester Flatt was best known for his bluegrass guitar stylings as part of the Foggy Mountain Boys and Flatt and Scruggs.

Tennessee Ernie Ford was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop and gospel musical genres.

Nominated to replace Earl Warren as chief justice in 1968, Abe Fortas became the first nominee for that post since 1795 to fail to win Senate approval.

Steve Fossett was an American businessman and adventurer best known for circumnavigating the globe in a hot air balloon in 2002.

Megan Fox is an starred in the first two blockbuster Transformers films. She is consistently ranked with the hottest up-and-coming young actresses.

Multiple Grammy winner and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin is known for such hits as "Respect," "Freeway of Love" and "I Say a Little Prayer."

Respected actor Morgan Freeman has appeared in such films as Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and Batman Begins.

The poems of Nikki Giovanni helped to define the African American voice of the 1960s, '70s and beyond. She was also a major force in the Black Arts movement.

Jack Hanna, animal expert and former director of the Columbus Zoo, makes regular appearances on TV talk shows to teach people about exotic animals.

Bob Harper came to fame as a coach on the TV weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser

Issac Hayes was an American musician. His hit song "Soul Man" and the musical score for the 1971 film Shaft are legendary contributions to modern music.

Actress Christina Hendricks, named the sexiest woman alive by Esquire magazine, is known for playing Joan Holloway on the TV series Mad Men.

Actor and stuntman Johnny Knoxville is most famous for performing extreme stunts on the American TV series "Jackass."

Singer Kimberley Locke made a hugely successful run on American Idol and ended up placing third (behind runner-up Clay Aiken and winner Ruben Studdard).

Michael Oher is an NFL football player with the Baltimore Ravens. He was the subject of Michael Lewis's book, The Blind Side, and the 2009 film of the same name.

Bettie Page was a Playboy pin-up model and sex symbol of the 1950s. Her straight black bangs and innocent, playful attitude made her a fashion icon.

Country music queen Dolly Parton is a cultural icon whose voluptuous figure and powerful voice made her popular on both stage and screen.

Politically minded first lady Sarah Polk led her husband James Polk’s successful campaign to become the 11th U.S. president in 1845.

Lisa Marie Presley is a singer and actress who is familiar to most as the only daughter of Elvis Presley and the ex-wife of Michael Jackson.

Sam Rayburn was an American politician best known for his roles as Speaker of the House, Majority Leader to Congress and Chairman of the National Democratic Convention.

Hall of Fame basketball guard Oscar Robertson played 14 NBA seasons. He averaged more than 25 points per game and retired as the league’s all-time assist leader.

In 1960, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

Dinah Shore was an award-winning television personality and singer known for her string of TV shows, including Dinah!, Dinah's Place, and Dinah and Friends.

Jazz and blues vocalist Bessie Smith's powerful, soulful voice won her countless fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues."

Quentin Tarantino jolted onto the Hollywood scene with his screenplay for True Romance, before directing the early 1990s films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

Mary Church Terrell was a charter member of the NAACP and an early advocate for civil rights and the suffrage movement.

Singer Justin Timberlake got his start on The New Mickey Mouse Club and made it big with boy band 'N Sync, before becoming a solo singer and budding actor.

Tina Turner is an American singer and actress who topped the pop music charts in the 1980s.

Usher is a successful American R&B and pop musician who began making music at age 15. His hit albums include My Way, Confessions and Looking 4 Myself.

A country music legend, Kitty Wells had a string of hits in the 1950s and '60s, including "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."

Sonny Boy Williamson, originally John Lee Curtis Williamson, was a blues singer and harmonica player. He was the first musician to use the nickname Sonny Boy.