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| People from Memphis, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Name | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Nickname | "Bluff City", "Home of the Blues" |
| Founded | 1819 |
| Area total | 317.5 sq mi |
| Population | 633,104 (2020) |
People from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee has produced and attracted a wide range of influential figures across music of the United States, film of the United States, National Football League, Civil Rights Movement, and business sectors. Its cultural landscape has intersected with institutions like Sun Studio, Stax Records, Graceland, Beale Street, and universities such as the University of Memphis, shaping national and international careers. The city's residents include pioneering blues artists, chart-topping rock and roll performers, award-winning actors, Hall of Fame athletes, civil rights leaders who worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, entrepreneurial founders of corporations, and scholars associated with museums like the National Civil Rights Museum.
Memphis has been home to figures such as Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green who intersected with venues like Graceland and labels like Stax Records. Other residents include Morgan Freeman, Carl Perkins, Booker T. Washington (by influence through institutions), Ike Turner, and Isaac Hayes who influenced soundtracks and awards like the Academy Awards and Grammy Award. Sports stars like Peyton Manning, Derrick Rose, and Zack Cozart have ties through schools and local teams such as the Memphis Tigers and events linked to the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball heritage. Civic figures include Benjamin Hooks, Cornelius Vanderbilt-era families tied to river commerce, and activists connected to the Memphis sanitation strike and the King assassination in Memphis.
Memphis's music lineage features pioneers: Elvis Presley recorded at Sun Studio with producers linked to Sam Phillips and shared stages on Beale Street with B. B. King, Junior Kimbrough, Furry Lewis, and W. C. Handy. Soul and R&B innovators include Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes of Stax Records, Carla Thomas, William Bell, and Al Green whose work intersected with labels like Atlantic Records and awards such as the Grammy Award. Rock and roll contributors include Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash (through touring circuits), and later artists like Justin Timberlake who connects to NSYNC and MTV Video Music Awards. Contemporary producers and executives tied to Memphis include figures associated with Def Jam Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment, and independent labels fostering artists similar to Three 6 Mafia, whose members won a Academy Award.
Memphis-born or -based entertainers include Morgan Freeman, Mary Steenburgen, Gibson, Vanessa Williams (through regional ties), and performers who appeared on networks like NBC, CBS, and HBO. Television personalities and comedians with Memphis connections performed at venues that launched careers toward programs such as Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and films honored by the Academy Awards. Media figures include journalists and broadcasters associated with outlets like The Commercial Appeal and networks tied to national reporting on events including the Civil Rights Movement and the King assassination in Memphis.
Memphis has produced athletes who competed in National Basketball Association and National Football League franchises, including Derrick Rose (NBA Most Valuable Player), Peyton Manning (Super Bowl champion), Isaiah Thomas (NBA All-Star), and collegiate stars from the Memphis Tigers program who entered the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Other sports figures include boxers and Olympians who trained at local gyms and were featured in events like the Olympic Games and championships recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Memphis activists and leaders include Benjamin Hooks of the NAACP, Benjamin L. Hooks's allies, local elected officials who worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and figures involved in the Memphis sanitation strike during the Civil Rights Movement. National leaders who visited or engaged in Memphis debates include Martin Luther King Jr. during his final campaign and others associated with federal legislation like civil rights laws debated in Congress. Mayors and civic leaders who influenced urban development worked with institutions such as the National Civil Rights Museum and municipal partnerships connected to the Mississippi River commerce legacy.
Entrepreneurs from Memphis founded and expanded companies such as FedEx, whose headquarters shaped logistics, and business leaders who created regional enterprises in retail, healthcare, and manufacturing with ties to markets like Union Avenue and distribution networks on the Mississippi River. Prominent corporate figures engaged with chambers of commerce and financial institutions, spurring job growth and philanthropy linked to universities like the University of Memphis and cultural sites like Graceland.
Scholars and educators from Memphis have been affiliated with the University of Memphis, the Rhodes College alumni network, and research initiatives in health care connected to institutions like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Cultural contributors include curators at the National Civil Rights Museum, preservationists of Beale Street heritage, and historians who wrote about the Blues and regional music movements documented in archives and by organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution.
Category:Memphis, Tennessee people