35.2064° N, 90.0889° W

MEMPHIS

Most Famous People Born in Memphis, United States

Notable people
950
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1953
Most distinctive
Rapper 16.4×

The 7.4× songwriter over-index is Stax and Sun Studio in one number — the city where Aretha Franklin was born and Elvis is buried still disproportionately manufactures the people who write American pop. The 16.4× rapper multiplier is a newer chapter, Three 6 Mafia and a generation of Memphis horror-rap running through the same neighborhoods that taught Morgan Freeman his accent.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Memphis during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 127 notable births.

What Memphis Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Memphis's biggest profession — 15% of all notables (140).

Memphis over-indexes on rapper — 16.4× the global rate.

Memphis under-produces politician — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Football140
  2. Basket91
  3. Actor69
  4. Singer68
  5. Politician67
  6. Music61
  7. Baseball57
  8. Lawyer25
  1. Rapper1716.4×
  2. Basket917.6×
  3. Songwriter137.4×
  4. Baseball575.3×
  5. Music614.5×
  6. Pianist114.3×
  7. Singer683.5×
  8. Lawyer251.5×
  1. Politician670.6×
  2. Writer200.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Memphis's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Music
  • Film & TV
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
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Showing 39 of 950 notable people

0034 PIANIST

Memphis Slim

1915 - 1988

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0064 JUDGE

Abe Fortas

1910 - 1982

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0183 CINEMA

Charles F. Wheeler

1915 - 2004

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0198 PIANIST

Jimmy Jones (pianist)

1918 - 1982

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0269 MATHEMATICIAN

Marjorie Lee Browne

1914 - 1979

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0271 LAWYER

Adrian S. Fisher

1914 - 1983

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0272 MUSIC

Jimmy Crawford (drummer)

1910 - 1980

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0280 POLITICIAN

Daniel I. J. Thornton

1911 - 1976

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0298 ATTORNEY

George W. Grider

1912 - 1991

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0305 SINGER

Booker T. Laury

1914 - 1995

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0307 MUSIC

Red Saunders (musician)

1912 - 1981

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0316 ANTHROPOLOGIST

John Adair (anthropologist)

1913 - 1997

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0320 SINGER

Nervous Norvus

1912 - 1968

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0344 RABBI

Abraham Klausner

1915 - 2007

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0414 HISTORIAN

J. H. Hexter

1910 - 1996

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0458 PHYSICIAN

Spurgeon Neel

1919 - 2003

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0463 SINGER

Snooky Lanson

1914 - 1990

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0465 MUSIC

Rozelle Claxton

1913 - 1995

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0484 CARTOONIST

Cal Alley

1915 - 1970

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0521 RADIO

Marion Keisker

1917 - 1989

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0562 MUSIC

Red Mack (musician)

1912 - 1993

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0587 JUDGE

Bailey Brown

1917 - 2004

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0591 OFFICER

Benedict J. Semmes Jr.

1913 - 1994

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0651 WRITER

Floyd Mahannah

1911 - 1976

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0658 BASEBALL

John Antonelli (infielder)

1915 - 1990

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0721 MUSIC

Al Williams

Born 1919

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0728 BASEBALL

Dee Moore

1914 - 1997

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0770 BASEBALL

Bill Nagel

1915 - 1981

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0796 FOOTBALL

Foster Watkins

1917 - 2002

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0801 FOOTBALL

Henry Hammond (American football)

1913 - 2004

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0828 BASEBALL

Willie Grace

1917 - 2006

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0838 MILITAR

Lewis C. Hudson

1910 - 2001

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0879 BASEBALL

Dino Chiozza

1912 - 1972

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0887 BASEBALL

Aubrey Epps

1912 - 1984

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0888 GOLF

Buck White (golfer)

1911 - 1982

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0897 BASKET

Frank Sachse

1917 - 1989

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0912 POLITICIAN

Lloyd McCuiston

Born 1918

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0919 FOOTBALL

Bob Gude

1918 - 1998

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0928 OFFICER

Joseph Williams Vance Jr.

1918 - 1942

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