- Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. He rose to prominence in the year 2006 as the winner of the fifth season of "American Idol". Upon winning the music competition, he was signed to Arista Records, … - Ruben Studdard
Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American pop/R&B/gospel singer who rose to fame as winner of the second season of the "American Idol" television program. - Bo Bice
Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. (born November 1, 1975 in Huntsville, Alabama) is an American singer and musician who came in second in the fourth season of "American Idol". He is well known for his deep baritone style of singing, his control vibrato, and a unique style incorporating soul, country, blues and rock. - Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway (born October 21, 1986), from Mountain Brook, Alabama, United States, disappeared on May 30, 2005 during a graduation trip in Aruba. Holloway remains officially missing to this day, although according to Aruban authorities, she is most likely dead. The disappearance generated a media sensation in both the U.S. and Aruba and sparked considerable interest in the Netherlands. - Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American singer and Broadway actress. She was the second place finalist to winner Fantasia Barrino on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series "American Idol", narrowly missing the win by about 2% (approximately 1.3 million votes) out of over 65 million votes. - Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (b. April 2, 1947, Birmingham, Alabama) is a country, folk and alternative music singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous big-name artists. - Bull Connor
Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor (July 11 1897, Selma, Alabama - March 10 1973) was a Democratic police official in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama during the American Civil Rights Movement, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and a staunch advocate of racial segregation. As the Public Safety Commissioner of Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s, Connor became a symbol of the fight against integration for using fire hoses and police attack dogs against unarmed, … - Sun Ra
Sun Ra (Born Herman Poole Blount; legal name Le Sony'r Ra; born May 22, 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, died May 30, 1993 in Birmingham, Alabama) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy", musical compositions and performances. He abandoned his birth name and took on the name and persona of Sun Ra (Ra being the ancient Egyptian god of the Sun). - Orenda Fink
Orenda Fink (born September 18 1975) is a musician on Saddle Creek Records. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Fink is half of Azure Ray, a duo signed to Saddle Creek Records (the other member is Maria Taylor). Fink is also a former member of Now It's Overhead, another Saddle Creek band. She released her full first full-length solo album "Invisible Ones" on August 23rd, 2005. She is married to Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle) of The Faint, another Saddle Creek band. - Kate Jackson
Catherine Elise Jackson, (born on October 29, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama), is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress, primarily for her roles in soap operas and television is best known for her roles as Gerald S. O'Loughlin's nurse and Sam Melville's wife, Jill Danko, in the 1970s crime drama, "The Rookies", as Sabrina Duncan, in the 1970s television series "Charlie's Angels", and as Bruce Boxleitner's wife, … - Richard Arrington Jr.
Richard Arrington Jr. (born October 1934 in Livingston, Alabama) was the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama (USA), serving 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He replaced David Vann and, upon retiring after five terms in office, installed then-City Council president William A. Bell as interim mayor. Bell went on to lose the next election to the current mayor, Bernard Kincaid. - Maria Taylor
Maria Taylor (born May 21, 1976) is an American singer/songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She is also a member of the duo, Azure Ray with Orenda Fink, and Now It's Overhead, both on Saddle Creek Records. She plays several instruments, including the piano, guitar, and drums, and has collaborated with such artists as Bright Eyes, Moby, Abra Moore, David Barbe, and Crooked Fingers. She released her first solo album 11:11 on Saddle Creek Records on May 24, 2005. - Courteney Cox Arquette
Courteney Bass Cox Arquette is an American actress and former fashion model, best known for her role as Monica Geller in the long-running television series "Friends". She now plays Lucy Spiller, an executive editor of a tabloid magazine, on the popular drama "Dirt" on FX Networks. - Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler Bowden (born November 8, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known as "Bobby Bowden", is the winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history with 366 career wins. Bowden is currently the head coach at the Florida State University, where he has been since 1976. - Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908-August 31, 2002), was a jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first real jazz vibraphone players. "Hamp" ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker and Quincy Jones. - Paul Finebaum
Paul Finebaum is an American columnist, author, television and radio personality based in Birmingham, Alabama. His primary focus is sports, particularly those in the Southeast. Finebaum was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee, where he received a liberal arts degree. - Fred Shuttlesworth
Fred Shuttlesworth (b. March 18, 1922) is a civil rights activist who led the fight against segregation and other forms of racism as a minister in Birmingham, Alabama and continues to work against racism and for alleviation of the problems of the homeless in Cincinnati, where he took up a pastorate in 1961. - Richard Shelby
Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6 1934), sometimes known as Dick Shelby, is an American politician. He currently is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. Originally elected to the Senate as a Democrat, Shelby switched to the Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in Congress. - Angela Davis
Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American socialist organizer, professor who was associated with the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Davis's main association however, was her membership in the Communist Party USA. She first achieved nationwide notoriety when she was linked to the murder of judge Harold Haley during an attempted Black Panther prison break; she fled underground, … - Paul Williams
Paul Williams was an American second tenor/baritone singer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the popular Motown group The Temptations. Along with David Ruffin, Otis Williams (no relation), and fellow Alabamians Eddie Kendricks and Melvin Franklin, Williams was a member of The Temptations during their most successful years in the 1960s, later dubbed the "Classic 5" period. - Deidre Downs
Deidre Downs (born July 7, 1980), Miss America 2005, is an aspiring physician from Birmingham, Alabama. As part of her year of service as Miss America, she campaigned for Curing Childhood Cancer. For her talent, she sang a rendition of the ballad "I'm Afraid This Must Be Love". Downs succeeded Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap on September 18, 2004. Downs is also the winner with the longest consecutive reign (Mary Katherine Campbell had two separate wins in 1922 and 1923), … - Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden (born July 10, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama) is the head football coach at Clemson University. He is the son of Bobby Bowden, head coach at Florida State University. Bowden has never had a losing season at Clemson. He is a two-time ACC Coach of the Year. In the 2003 season, he became the first coach in NCAA history, to defeat two coaches with 200 or more wins in a one-month span, in Bobby Bowden, and Lou Holtz. - Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr., (born May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama outside Birmingham) is a retired American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mays, nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. During his playing days, Mays won two MVP awards and tied a record with twenty-four appearances in the All-Star Game. He ended his career with 660 career home runs, 4th all-time. - Mike Anderson
Mike Anderson is an American college basketball coach, who was appointed as the head men's coach at the University of Missouri on March 26, 2006. As of the end of the 2005-2006 season, Anderson had finished his fourth year as the head coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. At UAB, Anderson coached the Blazers three appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament over four years, and one appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. - Fannie Flagg
Fannie Flagg (born September 21, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American author and actress. She was born Patricia Neal, a name she could not professionally use, as there was already a well-known Oscar-winning actress named Patricia Neal. - Spencer Bachus
Spencer Thomas Bachus III (b. December 28 1947), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing. The district, Alabama's wealthiest, includes sections of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, along with their most affluent suburbs. - Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Commonly nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the most dominating power forwards in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times, and All-NBA Third Team once. - Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama) is an American athlete and a former multi-sport professional. Jackson played at the highest level of sports in the United States in both American football and baseball. In football, Jackson played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League. In baseball, Jackson played left field and designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, … - A. G. Gaston
Arthur George Gaston (July 4, 1892 - January 19, 1996) was an African American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham, Alabama and who played a significant role in the struggle to integrate Birmingham in 1963. - Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton ("Carl") Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were golds, in a career that spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired. He currently lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing an acting career. - Bernard Kincaid
Bernard Kincaid (born June 5, 1945) is the Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama USA, elected in 1999. Kincaid was born in the Birmingham neighborhood of Pratt City to a coal-miner. He began his political career early, being elected president of his fifth-grade class at South Pratt Elementary School. He was also president of the Miles College Student Government Association during his senior year of college. - Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane (born Radric Davis), is a American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved to Atlanta during the 4th grade, attending Shy Haven Elementary School and first began recording in the studio at the age of 14 while attending Ronald E. McNair Junior High School. He later, in June 1998, graduated from Ronald E. McNair Senior High school. - Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards (born February 3, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers. A member of The Contours during the late-1960s, Edwards soon replaced David Ruffin as lead singer of The Temptations in 1968 after Ruffin was fired for what has been deemed unprofessional behavior. Edwards had been a friend of the group before hand and in particular had been a friend of Ruffin's. - Howell Raines
Howell Hiram Raines (born February 5, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama) was Executive Editor of "The New York Times" from 2001 until his resignation following the Jayson Blair scandal in 2003. He currently writes political commentary for British newspaper "The Guardian". - Vonetta Flowers
Vonetta Flowers (born Vonetta Jeffery October 29, 1973 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American bobsledder and athlete. Flowers was a star sprinter and long jumper at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and originally aspired to make the U.S. Summer Olympic Team. After several failed attempts, Flowers turned to bobsledding, and found success as a brakewoman almost immediately. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, she, along with driver Jill Bakken, … - E. O. Wilson
Edward Osborne Wilson (born June 10, 1929) is an American biologist (Myrmecology, a branch of entomology), researcher (sociobiology, biodiversity), theorist (consilience, biophilia), and naturalist (conservationism). Wilson is known for his career as a scientist, his advocacy for environmentalism, and his scientific humanist ideas concerned with religious, moral, and ethical matters. - Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. He is noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style and was one of the lead singers of the Motown singing group The Temptations during the 1960s and early 1970s, and also for recording hits as a solo artist during the 1970s. - Jay Barker
Jay Barker (born July 20, 1972) is a former American football and Canadian football quarterback, and currently a Birmingham, Alabama radio personality. Barker's football career began at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama. He graduated in 1990. Barker played college football at The University of Alabama, where he led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1992 and was the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner in 1994. - James Spann
James Spann (born June 6, 1956) is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently works for ABC 33/40, whose studios are located in Hoover, Alabama but which has transmitters in Tuscaloosa and Anniston. Spann has worked in the field since 1978. - Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was a trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is most remembered as the composer of the jazz standard, "Tuxedo Junction" (1939), which became a popular hit during World War II. In 1978 Erskine Hawkins became one of the first five artists inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. He died in 1993 in Willingboro, New Jersey. Hawkins was an exact contemporary of another Birmingham jazz great, …
|
| |