Quickly accessible, concise information about each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia!
Mississippi
People
Every state of the Union has given birth to people who have left a lasting impression on our history and culture. The following native Mississippians have played distinctive roles.
Born in Mississippi
| Famous Mississippians | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Born / Died | Place | ||||
| Walter Lanier "Red" Barber
Sportscaster |
Born: | February 17, 1908 | Columbus | |||
| Died: | October 22, 1992 | Tallahassee, Fla. | ||||
| Lemuel Joseph "Lem" Barney
Football player |
Born: | September 8, 1945 | Gulfport | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Lance Bass
Singer, Actor |
Born: | May 4, 1979 | Laurel | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell
Baseball player |
Born: | May 17, 1903 | Starkville | |||
| Died: | March 7, 1991 | St. Louis, Mo. | ||||
| Theodore Gilmore Bilbo
Governor, Politician |
Born: | October 13, 1877 | Pearl River County | |||
| Died: | August 21, 1947 | New Orleans, La. | ||||
| Big Bill Broonzy
(born William Lee Conley Broonzy) Musician, Composer |
Born: | June 26, 1893? | Scott County | |||
| Died: | August 15, 1958 | Chicago, Ill. | ||||
| James William "Jimmy" Buffett
Singer, Songwriter, Author, Businessman |
Born: | December 25, 1946 | Pascagoula | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Chester Arthur Burnett
(known as Howlin' Wolf) Musician |
Born: | June 10, 1910 | White Station | |||
| Died: | January 10, 1976 | Hines, Ill. | ||||
| Sam Cooke
(born Sam Cook) Singer, Songwriter, Entrepreneur |
Born: | January 22, 1931 | Clarksdale | |||
| Died: | December 11, 1964 | Los Angeles, Calif. | ||||
| James "Jimmy" Cotton
Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Bandleader |
Born: | July 1,1935 | Tunica | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Craig Claiborne
Restaurant critic, Food journalist, Author |
Born: | September 4, 1920 | Sunflower | |||
| Died: | January 22, 2000 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Bo Diddley
(born Ellas Bates; later took name Ellas B. McDaniel) Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist |
Born: | December 30, 1928 | McComb | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| William James "Willie" Dixon
Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Record producer |
Born: | July 1, 1915 | Vicksburg | |||
| Died: | January 29, 1992 | Burbank, Calif. | ||||
| Charles Evers
Civil rights activist, Politician |
Born: | September 11, 1922 | Decatur | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Medgar Evers
Civil rights activist |
Born: | July 2, 1925 | Decatur | |||
| Died: | June 12, 1963 | Jackson, Miss. | ||||
| Brett Lorenzo Favre
Football player |
Born: | October 10, 1969 | Gulfport | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| William Cuthbert Faulkner
Nobel Prize-winning Novelist, Poet |
Born: | September 25, 1897 | New Albany | |||
| Died: | July 6, 1962 | Byhalia | ||||
| Shelby Dade Foote, Jr.
Novelist, Historian |
Born: | November 17, 1916 | Greenville | |||
| Died: | June 27, 200 | Memphis, Tenn. | ||||
| Richard Ford
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Short story writer |
Born: | February 16, 1944 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Elizabeth Lee Hazen
Inventor, Microbiologist |
Born: | August 24, 1885 | Rich | |||
| Died: | June 24, 1975 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Elizabeth Becker "Beth" Henley
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Screenwriter, Actress |
Born: | May 8, 1952 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Maury "Jim" Henson
Puppeteer |
Born: | September 24, 1936 | Greenville | |||
| Died: | May 16, 1990 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Faith Hill
(born Audrey Faith Perry) Singer |
Born: | September 21, 1967 | Ridgeland | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| John Lee Hooker
Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist |
Born: | August 22, 1917 | near Clarksdale, Coahoma County | |||
| Died: | June 21, 2001 | Los Altos, Calif. | ||||
| Eddie James "Son" House, Jr.
Singer, Guitarist |
Born: | March 21, 1902 | Riverton | |||
| Died: | October 19, 1988 | Detroit, Mich. | ||||
| Mississippi John Hurt
(born John Smith Hurt) Singer, Guitarist |
Born: | July 2, 1892 | Teoc | |||
| Died: | November 2, 1966 | Grenada | ||||
| Elmore James
(born Elmore Brooks) Singer, Guitarist |
Born: | January 27, 1918 | Richland, Holmes County | |||
| Died: | May 24, 1963 | Chicago, Ill. | ||||
| Robert Leroy Johnson
Singer, Guitarist |
Born: | May 8, 1911 | Hazlehurst | |||
| Died: | August 16, 1938 | Greenwood | ||||
| James Earl Jones
(born Todd Jones) Actor |
Born: | January 17, 1931 | Arkabutla Township | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Simbi Khali
Actress |
Born: | April 28, 1971 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Albert King
(born Albert Nelson) Guitarist, Singer |
Born: | April 25, 1923 | Indianola | |||
| Died: | December 21, 1992 | Memphis, Tenn. | ||||
| B. B. King
(born Riley B. King) Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | September 16, 1925 | Itta Bena | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Elisha Archie Manning III
Football player |
Born: | May 19, 1949 | Drew | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Howard Meredith
Civil rights figure |
Born: | June 25, 1933 | Kosciusko | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| William Weaks "Willie" Morris
Writer, Editor |
Born: | November 29, 1934 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | August 2, 1999 | Jackson | ||||
| Brandy Rayana Norwood
(known professionally as Brandy) Actress, Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | February 11, 1979 | McComb | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| George Edgar Ohr
Potter, Artist |
Born: | July 12, 1857 | Biloxi | |||
| Died: | April 7, 1917 | Biloxi | ||||
| Walter Jerry Payton
Football player |
Born: | July 25, 1954 | Columbia | |||
| Died: | November 1, 1999 | Barrington, Ill. | ||||
| Elvis Aaron Presley
Singer, Musician, Actor |
Born: | January 8, 1935 | Tupelo | |||
| Died: | August 16, 1977 | Memphis, Tenn. | ||||
| Charley Frank Pride
Singer, Musician |
Born: | March 18, 1938 | Sledge | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Mary Violet Leontyne Price
Soprano |
Born: | February 10, 1927 | Laurel | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| William Raspberry
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Author |
Born: | October 12, 1935 | Okolona | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Jerry Lee Rice
Football player |
Born: | October 13, 1962 | Crawford | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Margaret LeAnn Rimes
singer, Songwriter |
Born: | August 28, 1982 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Jimmie Rodgers
Singer, Yodeler |
Born: | September 8, 1897 | Meridian | |||
| Died: | May 26, 1933 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| William Lewis "Billy" Shaw
Football player |
Born: | December 15, 1938 | Natchez | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Jackie Ray Slater
Football player |
Born: | May 27, 1954 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Tavis Smiley
Talk show host, Author, Journalist, Commentator |
Born: | September 13, 1964 | Gulfport | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| William Grant Still
Composer, Oboist, Conductor | Born: | May 11, 1895 | Woodville | |||
| Died: | December 3, 1978/td> | Los Angeles, Calif. | ||||
| Conway Twitty
(born Harold Lloyd Jenkins) Singer |
Born: | September 1, 1933 | Friars Point | |||
| Died: | June 5, 1993 | Springfield, Mo. | ||||
| Sela Ann Ward
Actress |
Born: | July 11, 1956 | Meridian | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Muddy Waters
(born McKinley Morganfield) Singer, Musician |
Born: | April 4, 1913 | Issaquena County | |||
| Died: | April 30, 1983 | Westmont, Ill. | ||||
| Ida B. Wells
Civil Rights advocate, Journalist, Suffragist, Speaker |
Born: | July 16, 1862 | Holly Springs | |||
| Died: | March 25, 1931 | Chicago, Ill. | ||||
| Eudora Alice Welty
Pulitzer Prize-winning Author, Photographer |
Born: | April 13, 1909 | Jackson | |||
| Died: | July 23, 2001 | Jackson | ||||
| Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White
Guitarist, Singer |
Born: | November 12, 1909 | near Houston | |||
| Died: | February 26, 1977 | Memphis, Tenn. | ||||
| Big Joe Williams
(born Joseph Lee Williams) Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | October 16, 1903 | Crawford | |||
| Died: | December 17, 1982 | Macon | ||||
| Tennessee Williams
(born Thomas Lanier Williams III) Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright |
Born: | March 26, 1911 | Columbus | |||
| Died: | February 25, 1983 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Sonny Boy Williamson II
(born Aleck "Rice" Miller) Harmonica player, Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | December 5, 1899 | Sara Jones Plantation, near Glendora | |||
| Died: | May 25, 1965 | Helena, Ark. | ||||
| Oprah Gail Winfrey
Talk show host, Actress, Publisher, Entrepreneur |
Born: | January 29, 1954 | Kosciusko | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Richard Wright
Writer |
Born: | September 4, 1908 | Roxie | |||
| Died: | November 28, 1960 | Paris, France | ||||
| Tammy Wynette
(born Virginia Wynette Pugh) Singer |
Born: | May 5, 1942 | near Tremont, Ittawamba County | |||
| Died: | April 6, 1998 | Nashville, Tenn. | ||||
| Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar
Author, Salesman, Motivational speaker |
Born: | November 6, 1926 | Coffee County | |||
| Died: | ||||||
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