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Famous Alabamians: Athletes Hank Aaron Baseball, Mobile

Born in 1934, Henry Louis Aaron began to play semi-pro ball when he was 15. He left Mobile to play shortstop for two seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues, before the Milwaukee Braves paid $7,500 for him in May 1952. He spent the next three seasons in the minor and winter leagues before joining the Braves in 1954.

Later known as "Hammerin Hank", Aaron enjoyed a 23-year major league career, altering the game's record book for power hitters. He finished his career with the all-time home run record (755), an average of 33 per season. He was also tops in RBIs (2,297), driving in more than 100 runs 11 times. His unique defensive style won three Gold Gloves as a right fielder. He was an All-Star in each of the 23 seasons he played, and he won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1957. Aaron also became the first player to amass both 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs.

Considered a reserved man, Aaron began to speak out on the treatment of blacks in baseball. He believed that blacks were not being allowed entry into administrative and management positions, and that more opportunities needed to be offered to blacks.

Aaron remained resilient, and despite the hate mail, death threats and media hype, he continued the chase. On April 8, 1974 in Atlanta, Aaron broke Ruth's record with his 715th career home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.

Soon after the 1974 season, the Braves traded him to Milwaukee, where he played his final two seasons for the Brewers. On August 1, 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Aaron now serves as corporate vice president of community relations for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and a member of the TBS Board of Directors. As senior vice president and assistant to the president of the TBS-owned Atlanta Braves, he has helped develop the talent of many outstanding young players from the team's farm system.

Bobby Allison Auto racing, Hueytown

Talladega may be home to Alabama racing, but Hueytown was home to Alabama's racing family, the Allisons. Bobby Allison was born in Miami, Florida in 1938 and has lived and worked in Hueytown his whole life. One of the first drivers in NASCAR, Allison raced during its formative years in the 1960s and remained a powerhouse until his career ended in 1988.

Allison's racing prowess left him tied for third place on the all-time NASCAR win list with Darrell Waltrip at 84 (the list is topped by Richard Petty). Allison won NASCAR's "Modified Special Crown" in 1962 and 1963, and the Modified Crown in 1964. Bobby won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982 and 1988, where he narrowly beat his son Davey in a close finish. He won the Winston Cup championship in 1983.

Allison once led a formidable group of Alabama drivers that included his brother Donnie, his son Davey and Neil Bonnett, also known as "The Alabama Gang".

Allison nearly died in a crash at the Pocono International Raceway on June 19, 1988. Emergency neurosurgery saved his life, but he was left brain-damaged and disabled.

Bobby continued to work with his sons, but tragedy struck again. He worked with Clifford in the Busch Grand National circuit until 1992, when Clifford died in a crash at Michigan Speedway. Adding to his suffering, Davey died in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993.

On a brighter note, Bobby was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame that same year.

The Official Bobby Allison Site The Allison Legacy Site Davey Allison Auto racing, Hueytown

Born on the eve of the 1961 Daytona 500 in Miami, Florida, the year his father made his first start in the historic race, Davey Allison was destined to follow in the family business. Davey finished fifth in his first start, a race at the state fairgrounds in Birmingham, and never looked back. He won his first race in a car he borrowed from his uncle Donnie, another NASCAR driver. Successes followed, and by February of 1988 Davey was considered one of the best young drivers in NASCAR.

Competitive and ambitious from an early age, Davey insisted that he would have become a race car driver regardless of his father's profession. Davey did every type of job in his father's race shop and became known as a professional on and off the track. With 19 Winston Cup wins between 1987 and 1993, Davey became one of the most successful and popular of NASCAR's drivers.

Davey and his father finished the 1988 Daytona 500 neck and neck; Bobby pulled ahead in the last moments to beat his son. Davey finally won his only Daytona victory in 1992, dedicating the victory to his father.

A promising career was cut short on July 12, 1993, when Davey's helicopter crashed at Talladega Superspeedway's parking lot. He died two days later at the age of 32.

Davey is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

A Web Site tribute to Davey by DieHard Yates Fans

To visit the "Official Authorized WWW Site dedicated to Davey Allison" ... click here

Charles Barkley Basketball, Leeds

In his three-year college career at Auburn University, Charles Barkley earned the nickname "the Round Mound of Rebound" as he averaged 9.6 rebounds per game despite his hefty frame. Barkley was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1984 and entered the 1984 NBA Draft as a junior.

Barkley was selected in the first round (fifth overall pick) by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played until June of 1992, when he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Four years later, in August of 1996, Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets.

During his 14-year NBA career, Barkley has secured numerous records and awards. In 1996 he became only the 4th player in NBA history to total at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 3,500 assists. Named to the 1984-85 NBA All- Rookie Team, Barkley went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1993, and was selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history. He was chosen for the All-NBA First Team five times (1988 to 1991, 1993), the All-NBA Second Team five times (1986, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995) and the All-NBA Third Team in 1996. Barkley earned his 11th consecutive All-Star selection in 1997.

A member of the original men's basketball "Dream Team" that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he returned to the Dream Team in 1996 to win gold in Atlanta.

Barkley's on-court achievements have often been overshadowed by his off-court antics. With a tendency to be outspoken and outrageous, Barkley has earned several suspensions and fines from the NBA in his career. From fighting with referees to throwing bar patrons through windows, Barkley's behaviors have made him both popular and unpopular with the public.

Barkley is philosophical about never winning a championship and focuses instead on the great progress he has made in his life. Barkley wants to help others succeed the way he did - coming up from a small, poor Alabama town to land in the NBA. He plans to become involved in politics, and has said he will run for Governor of Alabama in 2002. Bobby Bowden Football, Birmingham

Robert C. (Bobby) Bowden was an all-star quarterback at Woodlawn High School. He enrolled at Alabama, but after one year, he left to return to Birmingham and marry his wife Ann. He transferred to Howard College (now Samford University) and made the Little All-American team as a quarterback there in 1951.

In 1953, Bobby joined the Howard coaching staff after graduation. After two years, he took the head coaching job at South Georgia Junior College. He returnred to Howard as head coach in 1959. From there, he came to FSU as an assistant coach and then went to West Virginia. After three years as an assistant coach at WVU, he was promoted to head coaching.

Bowden then moved on to Florida State University, where he has been head coach of the Seminoles for 22 years and has made them into a perennial national championship contender. Bowden has the NCAA record for most bowl victories (16 through the 1997-98 season) and is the only coach in the history of Division I-A football to compile 10 consecutive 10-win seasons. Bowden is fifth all-time in coaching victories with 281. FSU won the national championship in 1993.

Kevin Greene Football, Anniston

Kevin Darwin Greene spent his college career at Auburn and now calls Alabama home. Greene played defensive end at Auburn as a walk-on, and his 69 career tackles at defensive end were topped off by 11 sacks his senior year.

Selected by the Birmingham Stallions in the 1985 USFL territorial draft, Greene was the 113th pick overall in the same year's NFL draft. He played linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams for eight seasons. Greene was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 and became a dominating force, getting 12 1/2 sacks in 1993 and leading the NFL with 14 sacks in 1994. He played for the Carolina Panthers in 1996 and is currently with the San Francisco 49ers.

Greene has one Super Bowl appearance (XXX, 1996) and four Pro Bowl appearances. A captain in the Army Reserve, Greene holds a degree in criminal justice. He lives in Anniston and owns several Gold's Gyms in Alabama.

Steve Grissom Auto racing, Gadsden

Born in 1963, Grissom started working on cars when his dad sponsored local Alabama drivers. Grissom captained the 1981 Gadsden High football team and played on the basketball team. After graduation, he began racing on Alabama short tracks around Gadsden, often driving cars owned by his father, Wayne.

Grissom raced in the Winston All-Pro Series before moving to the Busch Grand National circuit in 1987. His early successes brought him a nomination for Alabama Pro Athlete of the Year in 1986. Grissom's consistency as a driver helped him to win the 1993 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Championship. He has 11 NASCAR Busch series wins in 185 career starts.

Grissom made his Winston Cup debut in Atlanta in 1990. In 1994 he posted three top 10 finishes to land 28th in Winston Cup points for the year and finished second to Jeff Burton for 1994 Rookie of the Year. Grissom finished 27th in Winston Cup points in 1995, with four top-10 finishes. Grissom started just 13 races in 1996, but still managed to finish 39th in the standings. His greatest Winston Cup feat to date was winning the outside pole for the 1997 Daytona 500. Mia Hamm Soccer, Selma

Mia Hamm was born in Selma in 1972. Because Hamm's father was an Air Force pilot, the family lived in several different locations before eventually settling in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was there that her soccer career began. At 15, Hamm was the youngest female ever to play for a senior US team.

Hamm attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and helped take the Tar Heels to four consecutive NCAA women's championships. She was also an All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

Hamm was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 17 years. In 1991, that team won the FIFA Women's World Cup. They won their second FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999.

She won her first gold medal in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics, and a silver in Sydney in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, Hamm was named FIFA's World Player of the Year. She retired in late 2004 after winning a second gold medal at the Athens Olympics.

Condredge Holloway Football, Huntsville

Condredge Holloway played quartback for Lee High School in Huntsville. He attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned All-SEC honors in 1974.

Following college, Holloway played in the Canadian Football league for 13 years. He started with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1975, where he was part of a Grey Cup championship. He was traded to the Toronto Argonauts in 1981, and had his best season in 1982, passing for 4,661 yards and being named the league's most outstanding player. Holloway helped an Argonaut franchise that went 2-14 in 1981, but landed the Grey Cup the following year. He finished his 13-year CFL career with the British Columbia Lions in 1987.

After retirement from the CFL, Holloway stayed in the Vancouver area doing various promotion-related jobs. He returned to Tennessee in 1990 to become a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater. While coaching he finished his degree in urban studies. Currently, he is general manager of the Central Hockey League's Huntsville Channel Cats.

Bo Jackson Football and Baseball, Bessemer

Born on November 30, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama, Vincent "Bo" Jackson attended high school at McAdory High School, in McCalla, Alabama. He excelled in track, football and baseball, winning recognition across the state and country. A two-time state high school decathlon champion, Jackson set state records in the 60-yard hurdles, the 120-yard hurdles, and the long jump. As a senior, Jackson gained 1,173 yards on 108 carries and scored 17 touchdowns, earned a spot as an All-State selection, and won the Birmingham Touchdown Club's Back-of-the-Year for Jefferson County.

In his junior year, Jackson pitched his high school team to a 9-1 record, while batting .450. He set the national record for homers in a season with 20 as a senior and hit .447 that same year. His career record of 90 base steals in 91 attempts complimented his hitting and pitching success. Jackson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1982 draft, but turned down a multi-year contract to attend Auburn.

Jackson's football career at Auburn can only be described as spectacular. In 1982, 1983 and 1985 he was selected All Southeastern Conference; he was named a Kodak All-American in 1983 and 1985, and received the Sugar Bowl and Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in 1984. Playing tailback for the Tigers, Jackson took home the 1985 Heisman Trophy

In 1985, Jackson was the first pick in the first round of the National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the fourth round selection in the Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. Bo chose baseball despite his No. 1 football draft pick status and signed with the Royals. His presence on the minor league circuit drew crowds to Southern League ballparks. Jackson spent four years with the Royals, and was named the MVP of the 1989 All-Star Game.

In 1987, Jackson began to pursue his second professional sports career - this time in football. He signed with the Los Angeles Raiders and played with them from 1987 to 1990.

A seemingly harmless tackle resulted in a crushed hip in 1990 ended his football career. His baseball career suffered as well, as he was released by the Royals in 1991. Soon after, Jackson signed with the White Sox and spent time in the minors rehabilitating. He was able to return to the majors on Sept. 2, 1991, and in 1992 won the Jim Thorpe Legacy Award. That same year Jackson underwent hip replacement surgery, came back to the majors in 1993, and spent one more season in Chicago. He signed with the California Angels, where he spent much of his time as a designated hitter. He retired from baseball in 1995 with 141 home runs and 415 runs batted in.

Jimmy Key Baseball, Huntsville

A native of Huntsville, where he was born on April 22, 1961, James Edward Key took the long road to the major leagues. Drafted right out of Butler High School in Huntsville by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 1979 free agent draft, Key choose not to sign, but instead went to Clemson. There he earned All-ACC honors as a pitcher and DH in 1982, compiling a 9-3 record and 2.79 ERA on the mound and hitting .300 with 21 doubles.

Key was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round of the 1982 free-agent draft. Key spent his first 11 seasons with the Blue Jays, where he appeared in 4 league championship (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992) and the 1992 World Series. He went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA to lead the Blue Jays past the Atlanta Braves.

After signing with the Yankees as a free agent in December 1992, Key had two of his best seasons. In 1993 he was 18-6, and in 1994 he led the major leagues with 17 victories and a career-high 11-game winning streak. Rotator cuff surgery in July 1995 slowed him down, and Key sat out most of the season on the disabled list. He came back in July 1996, however, to pitch 20 consecutive scoreless innings and win five games. Key prevailed in game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Baltimore, and went on to take the clincher in game 6 of the World Series against Atlanta.

Key was the only pitcher in the major leagues to record at least 12 victories per season from 1985-94. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 1987 and 1994 and finished fourth in 1993. He received the 1994 Players Choice Award as the outstanding AL pitcher and was named American League Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News in 1987 and 1994. Key is a four-time All-Star Game participant (1985, 1991, 1993, 1994) and a 3-time member of The Sporting News' AL All-Star Team (1987, 1993, 1994).

Key currently pitches for the Baltimore Orioles.

Joe Louis Boxing, Lafayette

The eighth child of Munn and Lilly Barrow, Joseph Louis Barrow was born May 13, 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama. Louis made his boxing debut as an amateur in Detroit, winning the 1934 National Amateur Athletic Union light-heavyweight title. He turned pro later that year, winning his first 27 bouts, 23 by knockout, beating the likes of former heavyweight champions Primo Carnera and Max Baer. Louis, also known as the "Brown Bomber," earned a shot at champion James Braddock in 1937, and won the heavyweight title with a stunning performance in which he pummeled Braddock and knocked him unconscious in the eighth round.

Louis began piling up defenses, meeting challengers at a rate of once a month. His opponents were said to make up "The Bum of the Month Club." Later, he would put his career on hold to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Louis successfully defended his title 25 times with 20 knockouts, while posting a career record of 68-3 with 54 knockouts. Louis held the world heavyweight boxing championship longer than any other man in history. His last title defense was against Jersey Jo Walcott in New York on June 25, 1948. He retired in March of 1949 and later failed in two separate comeback attempts in 1950 and 1951.

Louis is buried in Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C. Willie Mays Baseball, Westfield

A third generation ballplayer, Willie Mays, the "Say Hey Kid" was born on May 6, 1931 into a tradition of athletics. His father and grandfather played on the all-black baseball teams of the segregated south, and his mother was a championship sprinter. Mays joined his father on a company ball team at the age of 14, and began his professional career at 16 with the Birmingham Barons in the Negro Southern League. Mays was restricted in his first season to playing home games; his parents insisted that baseball not interfere with finishing high school.

Mays was signed by the New York Giants immediately from high school. Mays quickly moved up the minors to play with the Giants in 1951 and helped the Giants win the National League pennant that year, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

After missing two seasons to serve in the U.S. Army, Mays returned to the Giants and led them to the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. An amazing over-the-shoulder catch by Mays in the first game of the series remains one of the most famous plays in baseball history. The Giants swept the Indians in four straight games, and Mays won the Hickok Belt as Pro Athlete of the Year.

Mays moved with the Giants from New York to San Francisco in 1958, and in 1966 signed a new contract that made him the highest-paid player in the game. In 1972, Mays left the Giants to play for the Mets in New York, where he retired in 1973. After a brief time with the Mets front office, Mays became a public relations executive.

Mays' outstanding career included 7,095 putouts, the all-time record for an outfielder, and a batting average of .302. He drove in more than 100 runs a year for eight years in a row, and his 660 home runs puts him in third place on the all-time home run list, behind Hank Aaron (another Alabama native) and Babe Ruth. He won the Gold Glove Award 12 times, and was voted Most Valuable Player in the National League in both 1954 and 1965. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, Mays is still considered one of the all-time greats in baseball history. In 1986, Mays returned to the San Francisco Giants, where he has a lifetime appointment as special assistant to the president of the club.

Willie McCovey Baseball, Mobile

Born in 1938, Willie Lee McCovey played first base and outfield in the major leagues from 1959-80. Signed by the San Francisco Giants in 1955, McCovey was sent to the Georgia State League and then the Pacific Coast League, and joined the Giants by mid-season.

McCovey was an instant hit with fans, and finished the year with a .354 batting average and 13 home runs in only 52 games. He won the National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1959.

McCovey continued in the outfield until Orlando Cepeda was forced to give up the first base spot due to injury. From 1965 to 1974, "Stretch" played first base for the Giants. McCovey won the National League MVP award in 1969, a season in which he hit 45 homers, drove in 126 runs and posted a .656 slugging percentage. He won the National League batting title in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and lead the league in home runs in 1963 (44), 1968 (36) and 1969 (45) and RBIs in 1968 and 1969. McCovey appeared in six All-Star games, and was the All-Star Game MVP in 1969.

McCovey was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1974, had two good seasons with them, and was then traded to the Oakland Athletics. He was released at the end of the 1976 season and returned to the Giants. His 1977 season included 28 home runs, 86 RBIs, and the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. McCovey retired during the 1980 season. His career accomplishments include: a 10th-place tie with Ted Williams on the all-time home run list (521); the top home run hitting record among NL first basemen (439); a second place ranking (behind Lou Gehrig) in career grand slams (18); and a major league record for most seasons (22) as a first baseman. In 1986, he was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

McCovey now serves as a special assistant to the president and general manager, doing public and community relations work for the San Francisco Giants.

Don Mincher Baseball, Huntsville Donald Ray Mincher was born in Huntsville in 1938, and was a star for the Butler Rebels.

Mincher played 1,400 major league games from 1960-72 as a first baseman for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Oakland Athletics and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers. He hit 200 career home runs and appeared in 10 World Series Games, hitting a home run in his first World Series at-bat with the Twins in 1965.

Mincher was twice an All-Star. With the Angels in 1967, he hit 25 home runs, tied for fifth in the American League. In 1969 with the expansion Pilots, he had 25 home runs and a career-high 78 RBI. His career high in homers was 27 with the A's in 1970.

Mincher is currently the president and general manager of the Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's.

Larry Nelson Golf, Ft. Payne

Larry Nelson, born in 1947, is the only Alabamian to win three major tournaments on the PGA Tour, winning the PGA Championship twice (1981 and 1987) and the U.S. Open (1983).

Nelson attended Kennesaw Junior College and turned professional in 1971. He did not take up golf until after the end of his military service in Vietnam, His first tournament victory came in 1979 in the Jackie Gleason-Inverray Classic. He got his second win that same year in the Western Open.

Nelson amassed 10 PGA Tour victories and four international victories, the last being the 1991 Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. He has been selected for three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1979, 1981 and 1987). In the 1983 U.S. Open, Nelson set a record for the final two rounds with a 10-under-par 132.

Nelson is currently on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. He currently resides in Marietta, Ga. and is active in golf course design and management in the Atlanta area. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

Ozzie Newsome Football, Sheffield

Ozzie Newsome was born in 1956 in Sheffield. At the University of Alabama (1974-77), he started in 48 consecutive games and led them to a 42-6 record and three SEC championships. He had 102 receptions for 2,070 yards and was a consensus All-American in his final season. In 1994 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Newsome was drafted by the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and played in but six games from 1978-90. He is the all-time leading receiver in Cleveland history and the all-time receiver among tight ends in the NFL. Newsome is ninth among receivers in NFL history with 662 catches. He earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and was named to the All- NFL Teams of the '80s.

Newsome is currently the vice president for player personnel with the Baltimore Ravens.

Jesse Owens Track, Danville

James C. Owens was born in 1913. As a high schooler in Cleveland, Ohio, Jesse Owens set world records of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yard dash, 20.7 secords in the 200 yard dash and a 24' 11 3/4" broad jump. In 1935, at the Big 10 championships representing Ohio State, he set three new world records in the 220 yard low hurdles, the broad jump, and tied the 100 yard dash world record.

In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Owens set records in the 200 meter, the broad jump, as part of the 400 meter relay team, and tied the record in the 100 meter. He became the fourth American to win three or more gold medals in an Olympic meet.

In 1976, he was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1979, he received the Living Legends Award. He died in 1980. Satchel Paige Baseball, Mobile

Leroy Robert Paige (1906-1982) was a pitcher known for his charisma and colorful antics on the mound. He is also known for his career longevity -- he played professional baseball from 1924 to 1965. He was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1971.

Paige's career took him through Birmingham with the Black Barons in 1927. By the time he signed with the Nashville Elite Giants in 1931, Paige was already regarded as the premier pitcher of Negro baseball. In 1932, he played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords, where he won a league championship. In 1937, he left to play in the Dominican Republic.

At the age of 42, Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians to become the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball. He pitched to a 6-1 record and helped the Indians win an American League pennant. Paige joined the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and won 12 games in 1952 at the age of 46, becoming the oldest player ever selected to an All-Star team.

In his fifties, Paige played for the Miami Marlins of the International League, walking only 54 batters in 340 innings. After a three-inning appearance with the Kansas City Athletics, Paige retired in 1965.

Ken Stabler Football, Foley

Ken Michael Stabler was born Christmas Day in 1945 in Foley. Stabler, also known as "The Snake", was All-Arnerican at the University of Alabama from 1965-67. He quarterbacked the Tide to the 1965 national championship, an undefeated season in 1966 and a win in the 1967 Sugar Bowl.

Stabler entered the National Football League in 1970 with the Oakland Raiders and stayed with them through 1979, winning Super Bowl XI in 1977. He became the third Tide quarterback to win a Super Bowl and also won the Hickock Belt as the top professional athlete of the year. Stabler finished his NFL career with two years with the Houston Oilers and three years with the New Orleans Saints.

In 1986, Stabler was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

John Stallworth Football, Tuscaloosa

John Stallworth attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville and became the Bulldogs' all-time leading receiver and the first Bulldog to go to the Senior Bowl.

Stallworth was taken in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 14 seasons for the Steelers, twice named the team's Most Valuable Player and in 1982 named to the all-time Steelers' team. Stallworth played in eight conference championship games and four Super Bowls (IX (1975), X (1976), XIII (1979) and XIV (1980)), winning all four.

Stallworth was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He is currently a small business administrator in Huntsville.

Bart Starr Football, Montgomery

Bryan Bartlett Starr was an All-American quarterback at Sidney Lanier High in Montgomery before a four-year college career at the University of Alabama (1952-55).

Starr was drafted in the 17th round by the Green Bay Packers in 1956. During his 15 years in Green Bay, Starr's precision passing helped the Packers win five NFL championships and two Super Bowl victories (I and II), both of which he won the Most Valuable Player award. A four-time player in the Pro Bowl, he was the league's MVP in 1966 and passing leader three years (1962, '64, '66). Starr finished with 24,718 career passing yards and 152 touchdowns.

After his playing career, Starr stayed with the Packers as quarterbacks coach in 1972 and head coach from 1975-83. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Hut Stricklin Auto racing, Calera Hut Stricklin began his racing career on local tracks, inspired by his father Waymond Sr. and Bobby and Donnie Allison. He won Limited Sportsman Alabama State championships in 1978 and 1979, followed by division titles in 1982 and 1984.

Stricklin then joined the NASCAR ranks and took the 1986 NASCAR Goody's Dash Series championship with nine wins. He raced in three Winston Cup events in 1987 on his way to the top level. Competing in the Winston Cup series full-time in 1989, he won the Rookie of the Year title.

Through the 1997 season, Stricklin has 27 top ten finishes and eight top five finishes.

Pat Sullivan Football, Birmingham

Pat Sullivan is a 1968 graduate of John Carroll High School in Birmingham, and from there he had an All-American career as quarterback for Auburn University.

Sullivan was a three-year starter for the Tigers, culminating with winning the Heisman Trophy in 1971. He was a two-year consensus All-American.

In the National Football League from 1972-77 , he played four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Washington Redskins.

Sullivan was quarterbacks coach at Auburn for seven years before taking the head coaching job at Texas Christian University in 1992. He remained the Horned Frogs' coach until 1997.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Don Sutton Baseball, Clio

Don Howard Sutton was born in Clio in Barbour County in 1945.

Sutton was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 1964 for $7,500. After two years in the minors, Sutton joined the Dodgers in 1966 and helped them to a National League pennant with 209 strikeouts as a rookie. In 1972, he had a career-high 18 complete games and led the NL with nine shutouts. The Dodgers won another NL title in 1974, and in 1976, Sutton posted his only 20-win season (21-10). In 1977, Sutton was the Most Valuable Player of the All- Star Game, and the Dodgers won another National League title that year and the next. His 2.21 ERA in 1980 was the best in the league.

Sutton signed with the Houston Astros in 1981, winning 24 games over two seasons, but was traded to the pennant- contending Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. He helped the Brewers win the American League championship that season.

Sutton stayed with the Brewers until 1984, when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics and then to the California Angels the next year. In June 1986, he notched his 300th victory.

Sutton finished his career after the 1988 season with 324 victories (tied for 12th all-time with Nolan Ryan) and fifth on the all-time strikeout list with 3,574. He went to the All-Star game four times. Since his retirement, he has been a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. In 1998, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Famous Alabamians: Artists

Nall Hollis, Artist, Arab

Nall Hollis hails from Arab, Alabama, but his art originates in the wilds of the unconscious. Having traveled from the University of Alabama's main campus at Tuscaloosa to Paris, and from there to the Riviera towns of Nice and Vence, Nall demonstrates a thoroughly French sensibility. His tutelage under the great painter Salvatore Dali is evident in his strange, restless works, where carefully wrought faces exist beside luxurious flowers, bones, and mannekins. In both style and substance, Nall's symbolist, surrealist origins emerge.

In 1978, Nall discovered the work of painter Gustav Adolf Mossa, and began a dialogue with the earlier artist that has yielded many rich, meaningful works. Like Mossa, Nall has a fascination with the body and its sexuality. Nall, however, uses a collage-like approach in which certain key elements — teddy bears, rocking horses, skulls, dolls — appear and reappear, suggesting themes of death and sexuality, the uneasy movement from Eros to Thanatos.

The summer of 1997 marked the opening of the N.A.L.L. (Nature, Art, and Life League) Art Association in Vence, France, where the works of Nall were juxtaposed against Mossa. Another exhibition in Nice chronicles Nall's movement between Eros and Agape, the Greek and Hebrew conceptions of love.

In this exhibit, Nall explores the connections between earthly and heavenly love, and the nearness of desire.

For more information, visit Nall.org

Gee's Bend Quiltmakers Gee's Bend/Selma

Gee's Bend is a rural community along the banks of the Alabama River just southwest of Selma. It's so small, that you won't find it on most maps. In the mid 1800s it was home to cotton plantations — primarily the estate of Joseph Gee and Mark Pettway.

With the end of the Civil War, the freed slaves adopted the name Pettway as their own. They continued working on the plantation and gradually developed themselves into an all-black community, tucked away from the rest of the world. At least six generations later, the descendants of the Pettway slaves still reside in that tiny community — only now they own it.

Through those generations, the women of Gee's Bend have taught their daughters to quilt. However, isolated culturally and geographically from other communities, they developed distinctive and sophisticated techniques with little outside influence. Their quilting style is based on traditional American and African quilts, but with a geometric simplicity likened to modern art. To piece together their quilts, the women salvaged any material they could find — from feed sacks to old work clothes. During times when self-expression was discouraged, their singing and their unique quilt patterns represented the women's only creative outlets.

In the mid-1990s, the outside world finally caught up with Gee's Bend, and art historians began to take notice. Quilts that once kept families of sometimes 16 children warm inside drafty log cabins now hang inside some of the world's finest museums. Textiles that were once thought worthless now sell for thousands of dollars. A new sense of self-respect has evolved. And what is most extraordinary, despite their many struggles, the women are not bitter. Wherever they go, they leave behind a kind of inexplicable residual joy — as though they are unwitting ambassadors of goodwill and examples to the world that the key to true happiness exists in positive human relationships, not material wealth.

From September 11 to December 4, 2005 the works of these master quiltmakers will be on display at the Jule Collins Smith Muesum at Auburn University.

For more information Exhibition: The Quilts of Gee's Bend Books: The Quilts of Gee's Bend, Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts DVD: The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend Famous Alabamians: Celebrities Artists | Athletes | Celebrities | Literary Figures | Musicians | Other Tallulah Bankhead Actress, Huntsville

Tallulah Bankhead was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 31, 1902. She was best known for her colorful, eccentric lifestyle.

One of her famous quotes is, "It's the good girls who keep the diaries. The bad girls never have the time."

She died of pneumonia in 1968.

Some of her notable films include the following:

 Die, Die, My Darling (1965)  Main Street to Broadway (1953)  Lifeboat (1944)  Stage Door Canteen (1943)

Brett Butler Actress and Comedian, Montgomery

Butler was born in Montgomery, Alabama on January 30, 1958.

She moved to New York to jumpstart her comedy career. She began to receive national recognition for her work in 1990 when she was nominated for an American Comedy Award as Funniest Female Stand- up.

Butler is best known as the star of the series Grace Under Fire, and, in subsequent seasons, the show's executive producer.

Courteney Cox Actress, Birmingham

Cox was born to a well-to-do Birmingham family on June 15, 1964.

She was just 20 when she got her big break. Director Brian De Palma cast her as the adoring, dancing fan in Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video.

Years later, Cox was cast as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on the hit sitcom Family Ties.

She is most widely-known for her 10-year stint as Monica Geller on the Emmy Award-winning sitcom Friends.

Her big-screen films include:

 November  the Scream series  Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Louise Fletcher Actress, Birmingham

Fletcher was born on July 24, 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama.

During her 40 year career span, Fletcher has appeared in over 50 feature films including:

 Two Moon Junction (1988)  Flowers in the Attic (1987)  Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)  The Lady in Red (1979)

However, she is best known for her role as Nurse Mildred Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won an Oscar for "Best Actress."

Her best known television appearences are VR5 and a recurring role as Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Alan Hunter MTV VJ, Birmingham

Hunter started his career as an actor and appeared in a David Bowie video called "Fashion."

From 1981-1987 he was one of the first VJs on MTV.

In 1994, he returned to Birmingham and started Hunter Films with his brother, Hugh. Hunter has also teamed up with three of his brothers to start WorkPlay in Birmingham. WorkPlay houses Hunter Films and has a soundstage, recording studios, and a theater where every seat is the best seat in the house.

Hunter's other accolades include being President of the Board of Directors for the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

Kate Jackson Actress, Birmingham

Jackson was born October 29, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jackson mader her first real break on the hit series The Rookies. When it ended four years later, she was offered her most popular role on the new series, Charlie's Angels. In addition to being the first Angel to be cast in Charlie's Angels, she was also responsible for coming up with the show's name.Jackson left the series in 1979.

After two decades and two Emmy nominations, Jackson left series television to work in made-for-television movies such as:

 A Mother's Testimony (2001)  Panic in the Skies! (1996)

In January 1987, Jackson discovered a lump in her breast and underwent a lumpectomy. The cancer returned in 1989, and Jackson had a partial mastectomy. She has shared her experience with other women to educate them about the importance of mammograms and cancer prevention. Dean Jones Actor, Decatur

Dean Jones was born in 1930 in Decatur, Alabama.

Jones was groomed by MGM to be the next James Dean — the angry young man of Hollywood. MGM cast him in a series of dramas including 1957's Jailhouse Rock, with Elvis.

Jones' career took a new turn when he was signed by the great Walt Disney, himself. Jones' modest manner and boy-next-store image made him one of the most popular of all Disney actors. During 1981-1991, Jones made documentaries for Compassion International and wrote his autobiography, Under Running Laughter.

His most popular films include:

Beethoven (1992) The Love Bug (1968)

The Ugly Dachshund (1966) That Darn Cat! (1965)

George Lindsey Actor, Jasper George Lindsey was born in Fairfield, Alabama on December 17, 1935 and grew up in Jasper. A high school teacher and athletic coach, in his early 20s he switched to a career in theater. He and his wife moved to New York where he studied at the American Theatre Wing. Lindsey had parts on over 40 television shows before he got his big break. The character of Goober Pyle, cousin to Jim Nabor's Gomer Pyle, made his first appearance on The Andy Griffith Show on April 13, 1964.

He would continue the role of Goober during the '70s and '80s on Hee Haw. He also did voice characters in Disney movies.

Lindsey's other acclaims are as follows:

 Return to Mayberry (1986)  Hee Haw (1970's and 1980's)  The Rescuers (1977)  Disney's Robin Hood (1973)  The Aristocats (1970)  "Mayberry R.F.D." (1968)

Jim Nabors

Actor and Singer, Sylacauga

Jim Nabors was born on June 12th, 1933, in Sylacauga, Alabama.

Andy Griffth cast Nabors as Gomer Pyle, Mayberry's gas station attendant in The Andy Griffith Show (1960 to 1964).

Nabors then began his own series, Gomer Pyle USMC. After Gomer ended, Nabors was given his own variety show, The Jim Nabors Hour, where he displayed his singing abilities.

Nabors career after television has focused on music. He has recorded numerous albums, including the following:

 A Time for Us  I Can't Stop Loving You  Galveston Starburst  The Sweetheart Tree  Yesterday When I Was Young

Fans can view the largest public display of Jim Nabors memorabilia at the Isabel A. Comer Museum in Sylacauga. Paula Poundstone Comedian, Birmingham.

Paula Poundstone was born December 29, 1959 in Birmingham, Alabama.

After being spotted by scouts, she began a series of appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Late Show with David Letterman. Her signature bar stool stage prop appeared with her in two HBO specials.

Poundstone's career took a political turn when she joined The Rosie O'Donnell Show as a roving reporter. She was assigned to cover the 1996 Republican Convention, and displayed her liberal wit to national audiences.

Her list of achievements includes:

 Best Female Stand-Up � American Comedy Awards  Two Cable ACE Awards  Emmy Award

Heather Whitestone Miss America 1995, Birmingham

Heather Whitestone was born in Dothan, Alabama in April 1973. She lost her hearing at 18 months. While in high school, Whitestone endured her parent's painful divorce. Her mother, Daphne Gray, took the children to live near the Gray family in Birmingham. After a year at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Whitestone finished her education at Berry High School.

After enrolling at Jacksonville Sate University, Whitestone began competing on the beauty pageant circuit. After winning the Shelby County Junior Miss pageant and the Miss Point Mallard contest, Whitestone competed in the Miss Alabama Pageant. After three appearances (she was first runner-up in 1992 and 1993), Whitestone finally took the crown in 1994. She went on that year to win the 1994 Miss America Pageant, dancing the ballet Via Dolorosa for an admiring crowd. When Whitestone was crowned, September 14, 1994, she became the first deaf Miss America; in fact, she was the first Miss America with a physical disability of any kind.

After her reign ended, Whitestone continued to travel promoting her STARS program (Success Through Action and Realization of your dreamS) and wrote her autobiography, Listening with My Heart. Famous Alabamians: Literary Figures

Beverly Barton Romance Novelist, Tuscumbia

At the age of nine Beverly Beaver found her avocation. She wrote short stories, poetry, plays and novels all through her school years. After taking time off to marry, have children and become a homemaker, Beverly returned to her early love — writing. Having been a long-time fan of romance and living life with her own true love, romance writing seemed a natural.

Some of her most accomplished romance novels include the following:

 On Her Guard (2002)  What She Doesn't Know (2002)  Grace Under Fire (2003)  The Last to Die (2004)

As founder of the Heart of Dixie Romance Writers of America, Beverly put Alabama on the romance map. She has been rewarded with two National Readers' Choice Awards, a GRW Maggie Award and the Laurel Wreath Award. Beverly has also been nominated for a RITA award, the highest award given by the Romance Writers of America. Rick Bragg Author, Piedmont

Born in Piedmont on July 26, 1959, Rick Bragg suffered a childhood of poverty and struggle. His difficult, alcoholic father and strong-willed mother would later become the main characters in his book All Over But the Shoutin'. Bragg attended Jacksonville State University from 1978-80, and began his journalism career as a sportswriter for the Jacksonville News. He went to work for The Anniston Star from 1980-85, then became a reporter for The Birmingham News (1985-89). After four years as the Miami Bureau Chief for the St. Petersburg (FL) Times, Bragg moved to L.A. as a metro reporter and magazine writer for the Los Angeles Times.

In January 1994, Bragg received an offer from The New York Times. He joined the Times as a metro reporter, but by October he won the position of domestic correspondent in the Atlanta office of the Times. Bragg's storytelling earned him an American Society of Newspaper Editor's Distinguished Writing Award, over thirty other national and state awards, and finally, in 1996, the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism. Bragg's stories have appeared in Best of the Press (1988) and Best Newspaper Writing (1991).

Bragg's memoir, All Over But the Shoutin', has received enormous acclaim since its release in 1996. Labeled "a classic piece of Americana," Shoutin' recounts Bragg's youth in Alabama. While a particularly Southern piece, Shoutin' transcends time and place as it chronicles the weaknesses and strengths of an American family.

Truman Capote 1924-1984 Writer, New Orleans

Capote is among the most famous of Southern writers, known not only as a Southern Gothic novelist, but also as a journalist and flamboyant public figure. He was born in New Orleans on September 24, 1924 and given the name Truman Streckfus Persons. His first stay in Alabama came after his parent's divorced and he was sent to live with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. When his mother remarried, Truman changed his surname to Capote. His experiences with the people and places of Alabama are reflected in many of his books.

Capote's most accomplished pieces include the following:

 Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948)  Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958)  In Cold Blood (1966)  Music for Chameleons (1981) Capote died in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1984, of liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication. Mark Childress Writer, Monroeville

Born in 1957 in the hometown of the soon-to-be-famous Harper Lee, Mark Childress was raised in both the South and the Midwest. Having graduated from the University of Alabama in 1978, he launched his career as a journalist by reporting for The Birmingham News. He later moved on to be the Features Editor of Southern Living magazine and Regional Editor of The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, while his articles and reviews appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Times of London, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Travel and Leisure.

Childress' contributions to the literary world include both children's books and novels aimed at adults. His four novels have been the ones to bring him success and notoriety:

 V For Victor (1988)  Tender (1990)  Crazy in Alabama (1993)  Gone for Good (1998)

Crazy in Alabama is the novel that has placed Childress among the bestselling contemporary authors in Alabama. The novel relates the tale of the racially charged summer of '65 in the Deep South. New Regency Pictures purchased movie rights for this novel and made the film Crazy in Alabama (1999).

Childress has received recognition in his home state of Alabama. He has won the Thomas Wolfe Award of the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama's Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Alabama Library Association's Writer of the Year for 1994.

Dennis Covington Writer, Birmingham

Dennis Covington, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has authored works of both young adult fiction and journalistic exposition.

Covington's most accomplished novels include the following:

 Lizard (1991)  Lasso the Moon (1995)  Salvation on Sand Mountain (1995)  Redneck Riviera (2003)

Covington's best-known work is Salvation on Sand Mountain (1995). Covington wrote Salvation on Sand Mountain after being assigned to cover a scandalous trial in Scottsboro in 1992. In this novel, Covington deals with the world of poor southern whites with dignity and sensitivity, and creates a semi-historical novel replete with the history of Alabama. Zelda Fitzgerald 1900-1948 Writer, Montgomery

Zelda Sayre was born and raised in Montgomery, daughter of Alabama State Supreme Court Justice Anthony Dickinson Sayre. Known as a rebel and "show-off", her enigmatic personality was at odds with the genteel nature of her time. She became known for her party antics at the University of Alabama and her "philosophy of flapperdom". Her wild behavior, her social activities, her writing, and her marriage, to the writer F.Scott Fitzgerald, made her a major figure of the Jazz Age.

Between 1920 and 1932 Zelda published numerous essays and short stories, including the following:

 Southern Girl (1929)  Miss Ella (1931)  Save Me The Waltz (1932)

Her complicated relationship with her husband, both personally and professionally, was commented upon by writers of the day; their relationship continues to be a subject studied and contended by various critics. There are those who believe that Zelda was responsible for her husband's downfall, while others feel she was blamed and punished for their shared mental illnesses. This dispute, more than any specific works by Zelda, has kept her memory alive and controversial.

Zelda's mental health began to deteriorate about 1927 and she was in and out of institutions until her death. Her last years were spent between her mother's home in Montgomery and the Highland Mental Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. She died in a fire at that institution in 1948. She remains popular in her home town of Montgomery, and her memory lives on at the Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum.

Fannie Flagg Actress, Writer, Birmingham

Fannie Flagg was born in September of 1941 as Patricia Neal. She would later change her name to Fannie Flagg as she pursued acting and writing careers. By age 19, she already had her own 90-minute television show for ABC.

Fanny became a celebrated television and theatre scribe over the next decade. She continued to perform, appearing in television shows, recording comedy albums and winning small roles in films such as Five Easy Pieces, Patio Porch, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, and the starring role in the Tony award-winning musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She also starred in the 1999 film Crazy in Alabama

In her thirties, Flagg decided to try her hand at yet another profession: novelist. Her most accomplished novels include the following:

 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987)  Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (1992)  Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (1998)  Standing in the Rainbow (2002)

Her fame as a novelist rests upon the success of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Thirty-six weeks on the New York Times "Bestseller List," a Pulitzer Prize Nomination and a hit film provide evidence of the immense popularity of Flagg's tale. Based on events from her own youth growing up in Birmingham, the novel tells of two young women struggling with life in small-town Alabama. Shirley Ann Grau Author, New Orleans

Born in 1930 in New Orleans, Shirley Grau spent many of her formative years in her mother's rural Alabama. Restless and determined from an early age, Grau set her sights on pursuing a career as a writer. Grau attended the Sophie Newcomb College — Tulane's women's division, and began publishing her fiction after her graduation in 1950.

The South is the backdrop and foreground for Grau's powerful works. She first published a series of short stories , The Black Prince and Other Stories (1955), then began her novel writing including the following novels:

 The Hard Blue Sky (1958)  The House on Coliseum Street (1961)  The Keepers of the House(1964)  The Condor Passes (1973)  Roadwalkers (2003)

Her best known and most compelling novel, The Keepers of the House, won Grau one of the highest honors a writer can receive, the Pulitzer Prize. Winston Groom Writer, Mobile Winston Groom grew up in Mobile, Alabama. After editing both the literary and humor magazines while a student at the University of Alabama, Groom found himself in Vietnam. This wrenching experience would provide material for two of Groom's later works.

Some of Groom's most accomplished novels include:

 Forrest Gump (1994)  Shrouds of Glory (1996)  Such a Pretty, Pretty Girl (1999)  A Storm in Flanders (2002)

Groom returned to Alabama in 1986 and created his now-famous character, Forrest Gump. The novel had respectable sales, but was not a best-seller and Groom moved on to other projects. Forrest was resurrected in the surprise film hit of 1994. Forrest Gump won Best Picture, and the re-release of the novel sold 1.7 million copies. Groom has since written a sequel, Gump & Co., and published several books of gumpisms and Gump recipes. Linda Howard Writer, Gadsden

Linda Howard stills lives in the small town of Gadsden, where she was born and bred. A prolific writer, Howard attended a small community college where she was the only journalism major. She began to write romance novels because these were the books she enjoyed reading. She wrote for many years before publishing her first novel.

Some of her most popular novels include the following:

 Open Season (2001)  Cry No More (2003)  Dying to Please (2003)

Romance aficionados enjoy Howard's characters and thrilling plots, as well as her sense of humor. She writes historically based tales, contemporary narratives, and even a time-travel story, using the South as the locale for many of her books. Like many other romance novelists Howard produces large volumes of prose, writing as much as 72 pages in 2 days, and even producing a whole novel in two weeks.

James Byron Huggins (1959-) Writer, Decatur

Novelist, journalist, religious activist; these all describe James Byron Huggins. Born in 1959, a graduate of Morgan County High School, and Troy State University, Huggins began his career as a journalist with the Hartselle Enquirer. Now known for his science fiction novels, Huggins did not take a direct route to writing fame.

While his fiction is fantastic, Huggins real life is even more bizzare. Huggins became homeless, living in his car and the woods. He decided to devote his life and life-savings to the efforts of the Christian Underground in Eastern Europe, a group created to smuggle information in and out of Iron Curtain countries. He continued his precarious lifestyle when in 1987 he traveled to Romania, smuggling Christian materials to the locals while sending photos and information to the U.S.

When he returned to the U.S., Huggins also returned to journalism. He worked for several small newspapers and a Christian magazine in Alabama, married, and began a family.

After penning three best-selling Christian oriented action thrillers, Leviathan, The Reckoning and A Wolf Story, Huggins broke into the mainstream science fiction market with the novel Cain. He picked up $1 million from Paramount Pictures for the film rights, and Universal Studios spent $1.25 million for the rights to Huggins' next book, Hunter.

William Bradford Huie (1910-1986): Writer, Hartselle Born in Hartselle in 1910, and educated at the University of Alabama, Huie became one of this century's most prominent and controversial writers when he simultaneously waded into the subject of civil rights in the South and created the practice of check-book journalism.

While settling into Hartselle, Huie wrote about the murder of a black teenager in Mississippi for Look magazine. In an effort to uncover the truth about the crime, he paid the two white men acquitted of the slaying for their story. Since they could not be tried again, they admitted to the killing. Despite the check-book journalism, Huie became known as a courageous investigator who helped hasten the Civil Rights movement.

In 1968, Huie again created outrage when he paid James Earl Ray $40,000 for his story of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Huie later concluded that Ray had indeed acted alone in committing the murder. This made him unpopular with his former supporters within the Civil Rights movement, as well as those outside the movement.

Some of his popular novels include:

 Can Do! (1944)  From Omaha to Okinawa (1945)  Three Lives for Mississippi (1964)  He Slew the Dreamer (1970)

In the 80's, despite his success, Huie's reputation waned. Forever linked to check-book journalism and the era of civil rights, his books were out of print when he died in 1986.

A renewed interest in World War II and the Civil Rights movement has led to a renewed interest in Huie works.

Harper Lee Writer, Monroeville

Born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Nelle Harper Lee is Alabama's most famous author, despite the fact that she only published one novel in her lifetime. As the defining event of Harper Lee's early childhood, the Scottsboro Boys' trial formed the basis for the trial in To Kill A Mockingbird and also formed the race consciousness of young Nelle.

Lee attended Huntington College in Montgomery and then moved on to the University of Alabama, where she began to write for several student publications. She studied law, but left school in the mid-50's to move to New York and write. During this time, she began to collaborate with her childhood friend Truman Capote, and eventually would travel to the mid-west with him to research In Cold Blood.

Lee originally approached a literary agent with some short stories, but was convinced to lengthen one into a novel. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 and has never been out of print since that date. In 1961 it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; Harper Lee was the first woman since 1942 to win the Pulitzer for Fiction. The novel became an Academy-award winning film, and was later adapted for the stage. The coupling of the story of a young girl's coming of age in rural Alabama and a tale of racial injustice created a powerful novel still popular among people of all ages. A Library of Congress Center for the Book study found that To Kill A Mockingbird was the second most influential book readers had ever experienced; the Bible took first place.

The popularity of To Kill A Mockingbird, along with the financial success of the film, allowed Harper Lee to retreat from the public eye and live a comfortable, quiet life.

Robert R. McCammon Writer, Birmingham Born in Birmingham, McCammon attended Banks High and then the University of Alabama. He discovered his love for writing when he had to read one of his stories in speech class at Banks. The students were mesmerized, and McCammon was hooked.

McCammon's most popular books include the following:

 Swan Song (1987)  Boy's Life (1991)  Speaks the Nightbird (1997)

McCammons books have been compared favorably to works by Stephen King and Peter Straub. T.S. Stribling Writer, Florence

T.S. Stribling, one of the better known Alabama writers of the first part of the century, was born in 1881 in Clifton, Tennessee. The greater part of his life was spent in North Alabama, studying at the Normal College of Florence (now the University of North Alabama), and the University of Alabama. He received a law degree in 1905, returned to Florence to practice at the bar, and remained that town's resident for the rest of his life.

After teaching school and traveling, Stribling turned to the literary life in 1921, working for newspapers and magazines, writing adventure stories, detective fiction, and several novels including the following:

 Birthright (1922)  Teeftallow (1926)  Bright Metal (1928)  Backwater (1930)

Regardless of the genre, Stribling's writings often involve small town politics, the racial divisions of the Deep South, or big business. Using social satire, Stribling explored the themes of prejudice and injustice long before the time of the Civil Rights movement. His most famous works are referred to as his North Alabama trilogy. The Forge (1931), The Store (1932) and Unfinished Cathedral (1938) attempt to paint a real picture of the South and record its history for future generations. The Store, set in the Florence of 1884- 85, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1933.

Though his writing career slowed in the later years of his life, Stribling continued to produce novels and short stories. He taught novel writing at Columbia University in 1946 and 1950, but always returned to Florence, where he died in 1965.

Margaret Walker Writer, Birmingham

Margaret Walker was born in Birmingham in 1915. Walker's grandmother had begun her life as a slave in Georgia, and her stories provided inspiration to young Margaret.

Langston Hughes read some of her poetry when Margaret was just sixteen; he encouraged her to go north for her education. Walker attended Northwestern University, graduated in 1935. In 1940, Walker received an M.A. in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She published her thesis as For My People (1942) a collection of poetry. This collection brought her the Yale Younger Poets Prize in 1942. Walker would later earn her Ph.D. from Iowa.

Walker's novel, Jubilee (1966), provides a view of the Civil War and emancipation from the standpoint of slaves. It is considered a groundbreaking work for its frank depictions of slave life. Walker went on to publish three more volumes of poetry:

 Ballad of the Free  Prophets for a New Day  October Journey Walker taught from 1949 through 1979 at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. She initiated a Black Studies program at the school in the early 1970s, and Jackson State has since created The Margaret Walker Alexander National Research Center for African-American Studies.

Professor Emeritus of English at Jackson State, Walker published a "psychobiography" of her friend and fellow writer Richard Wright. Entitled Daemonic Genius: A Portrait of the Man, the biography has received wide-spread acclaim.

Walker died in December 1998.

Kathryn Tucker Windham Author, Selma

Born in Selma on June 2, 1918, Kathryn Tucker Windham is best known for her Jeffrey series of ghost stories. She graduated from Huntingdon College in 1939, and was hired as a reporter for The Alabama Journal. She became one of the first female reporters to cover crime for a major daily newspaper in the South. She also worked for The Birmingham News and The Selma Times-Journal, winning several Associated Press awards for her writing and photography.

She published her first book, Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery, in 1964. Other titles by Windham include:

 Thirteen Georgia Ghosts and Jeffery (1973)  Thirteen Mississippi Ghosts and Jeffery (1974)  Odd-Egg Editor (1990)  Ernest's Gift (2004)

In addition to her beloved ghost stories, she has authored several cookbooks, short story collections, and a play about Julia Tutwiler. She is also a much sought after storyteller, and her segments for NPR's "All Things Considered" and speaking engagements in the US and all over the world have proved wildly popular. Famous Alabamians: Musicians

Alabama Country/Western Band, Ft. Payne

Lookout Mountain, Alabama produced the most popular band in country music history. Taking their name from their home state, cousins Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook, joined to form the group Alabama.

The bands' career heated up in the eighties; after performing in the Country Music New Faces show, the group was signed by RCA records. The single Tennessee River began a streak of 21 number one hits for the band; by the end of the decade they had recorded 27 number one singles, produced seven multi-platinum albums with sales in excess of 45 million, and hit the pop charts nine times. They became the first group ever to be named the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year, and went on to win the Academy of Country Music's Artist of the Decade title for the 1980's. In the next fifteen years, the group would be awarded over 150 other honors, including Country Music Association awards for Top Vocal Group and Instrumental Group of the Year.

Brother Cane

Rock/Blues Band, Birmingham

All the members of the rock band Brother Cane, David Anderson, Damon Johnson, Scott Collier, and Roman Glick hail from the state of Alabama; they cut their proverbial teeth playing the Southeastern club circuit. Each member of the group learned the trade in bar bands before coming together to create the signature bluesy, earthy rock sound of Brother Cane.

Original bassist Glenn Maxey was with the band when they recorded their first album, Brother Cane, in May 1993. The band landed the starting spot for the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Bad Company tour, traveled with Robert Plant, and then landed their biggest gig, opening for Aerosmith during that band's 1994 tour. Three singles from their first album hit the Album Rock charts - Got No Shame reached No. 2, That Don't Satisfy Me climbed to No.6, and Hard Act to Follow made it to No. 12. Brother Cane, the album, has sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S.

A tour of Europe was followed by a break to record their next album, Seeds, in July 1995. The band's line-up changed when David Anderson replaced Glenn Maxey. Roman Glick began playing Maxey's bass parts, while Anderson took over Glick's guitar licks. They returned to Atlanta to record Seeds, and the emotion of their lyrics and performance have a distinct Southern flavor. And Fools Shine On was the first single released from Seeds; it gained heavy airplay across the country and was followed by other singles including Hung On A Rope, Kerosene, and 20/20 Faith.

Bibi Black Classical Trumpet, Huntsville

Bibi Black took up the trumpet at the age of 11, unaware that she would enter the history books through her instrument. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Black earned a Bachelor's in Music from The Curtis Institute of Music. While attending Curtis, Black participated in numerous trumpet competitions; she won both the prestigious Grahm-Stahl competition and the Philadelphia Orchestra's Young Artist Competition. The Young Artist contest gave Black to opportunity to make first major solo debut, and win a place in the Philadelphia Orchestra. Indeed, it was only two days after she received her music degree that Black gained the position of Second Trumpet in the Orchestra. At the young age of 23, Black had become the first woman trumpet player and the second female brass player in the orchestra's history.

Black has gone on to play all over the world as a guest soloist with the likes of The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Vancouver Symphony and the Camerate Musica of Berlin. She has recorded 3 solo trumpet CD's with EMI records.

Jimmy Buffett Popular Singer and Songwriter, Mobile Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1947, Jimmy Buffett grew up in Mobile, Alabama surrounded by Cajun, Indian and Caribbean cultures. Buffett became involved in music as a freshman at Auburn. Buffett began to evolve his signature beach-bum, tropical- rock style when he moved to Key West and recorded the album A White Sport Coat and A Pink Crustacean (1973). His next album, Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, produced the hit single Come Monday. His popularity was firmly established when the single Margaritaville, from the 1977 Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes lp, became a hit. Both Living and Dying and Changes went gold.

Buffett's easy-going, seafaring persona and his sometimes touching, often ironic lyrics won him a faithful following that may be compared to the Deadhead phenomenon. By the mid-80's Buffett's core of fans, known as "Parrotheads," made him one of the hottest touring acts in the country. His concerts were infamous for their Mardi Gras atmosphere and their length; Buffett would tour from Memorial Day to Labor Day, staying two or three days in one place, in the fashion of an old-time carnival.

Buffett has translated his musical success into a business empire estimated to be worth $50 million. Not only does he record and tour, he has expanded into nightclubs, with two Margaritaville clubs in Key West and New Orleans, and clothing, with his Margaritaville line.

Larry Byrom Rock Guitarist, Huntsville

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Barry Byrom moved to South Bend, Indiana in his youth; later in his musical career he would return to his roots in the South. Byrom got his big break playing in a band named The Precious Few. The group appeared in Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, resulting in an invitation to Byrom to move to California. Once in L.A., Byrom linked up with Nick St. Nicholas to form T.I.M.E. (Trust in Men Everywhere). Both St. Nicholas and Byrom went on the play with the band Steppenwolf. Byrom was with the group from 1970 to 1971 and played on three albums, Monster (1970,) Steppenwolf Live (1971), and Steppenwolf 7 (1971).

After his stint with Steppenwolf, Byrom formed an acoustic band, Ratchell. The band failed, but helped Byrom return to a folk, blues and country sound. He moved to Muscle Shoals and became a studio player for R&B acts. A return to L.A. in 1979 brought motion picture work, but an introduction to Eddie Rabbit brought Byrom home again. Moving to Nashville began the next phase of Byrom's career. He has established himself as a free lance studio player, and recorded with Travis Tritt, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, Pam Tillis Lorrie Morgan, Clint Black and Steve Winwood.

Byrom has appeared on over 112 albums playing electric, slide and acoustic guitar.

Nat "King" Cole Singer and Piano Player, Montgomery

Nathaniel Adams Coles (he later dropped the s) was born in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17, 1919. Cole's mother, Perlina, taught him to play the piano; by age 12 he was playing organ and singing in his father's church.

His family moved to Chicago, and at 16 Cole's interest turned to jazz. He formed the group the Royal Dukes in 1935, then left to join his brother's band, The Rogues of Rhythm. He made his recording debut with this group (known also as Eddie Cole's Swingers) in 1936. Forming the Nat Cole Swingsters with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince, Cole began to make a reputation for himself in musical circles. With little confidence in his singing voice, Cole and the band concentrated on instrumentals; Cole was finally persuaded to sing on the 1940 Decca recording of Sweet Lorraine.

Renamed the King Cole Trio in 1937; the group was one of the first acts signed to the fledgling Capitol Records in 1942. In 1943 the Trio recorded its first hit, Straighten Up and Fly Right, which was followed by It's Only a Paper Moon, and Get Your Kicks on Route 66. The 1948 tune Nature Boy brought Cole to the peak of prominence; he would eventually sell over 50 million records for Capital, and become the first black man to top the record charts as an independent vocalist. In 1950 Cole recorded the still popular ballad Mona Lisa. The success of the single prompted Cole to leave the trio and jazz behind. Cole built the rest of his career on his smooth vocal styling, but is still considered by music critics to be one of the great jazz pianists of all time. Cole continued his successful recording and concert career until the time of his death. A smoker, Cole died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, February 15, 1965. He was 47 years old. Cole posthumously received the 1985 Lifework Award for Performing Achievement.

Cole had two adopted children, Carol and Kelly, and three others, Natalie, Timolin and Casey. Natalie Cole grew up to be a pop artist, and recorded a retrospective album of her father's hits.

The Commodores Pop Group, Tuskegee

In 1967, a fateful meeting took place between two freshmen at Tuskegee Institute. Saxophone player Lionel Richie bumped into guitarist Thomas McClary on campus; the two formed a band called the Mystics, unaware they were creating the core of one of the most popular funk bands of all time. After adding William King on trumpet and Milan Williams on keyboards, the band began to make a name for itself. As their reputation spread throughout the Montgomery area, and their hometown of Tuskegee, the newly renamed Commodores traveled to New York to perform at a benefit talent show. Briefly returning to Tuskegee the band changed personnel, with Walter Orange (drums and vocals) and Ronald LaPread (bassist) coming on board.

The band's appearance in New York had raised interest, and in 1969 they were signed to a contract with Atlantic Records. After one disappointing album, the Commodores moved on to sign withMotown Records in 1971. Motown immediately sent them on the road to open for the Jackson Five. In 1972, the Commodores released a series of singles with MoWest, Motown's new West Coast subsidiary. An instrumental single, Machine Gun (1974), became the Commodores first hit; the song landed at number 7 on the R&B charts and number 22 on the pop charts. The band would follow this first hit with a succession of 22 gold records, including six platinum, two double-platinum and three triple-platinum albums.

After opening for The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder, the Commodores focused once again on recording. Their first R&B number one, Slippery When Wet, was released in April 1975. Considered a funk band, the Commodores began to widen their repertoire. Lionel Richie (who began simply playing sax before moving into the role of lead vocalist) began writing ballads for the group. This Is Your Life (1975), Sweet Love (1975), and Just To Be Close To You (1975) all hit the top twenty on the R&B charts. In 1977, the Commodores hit the road, headlining 85 concerts in 72 North American cities before heading to Europe to begin a world tour.

The band made a short foray into film when they were featured, along with their music, in the Donna Summer 1978 disco- movie Thank God Its Friday. Easy, Brick House, Three Times a Lady and Sail On continued the Commodores hit-making success. Three Times A Lady (1979) won the People's Choice Award for Best Song, and the American Music Award for Most Popular Single. The 1980 cut Still won the People's Choice Award for Best Song and helped propel the group to a win at the American Music Awards, where they were named Favorite Soul Group of the Year.

Brad Cotter Country Singer, Auburn

Brad is a singer/songwriter who has been touring and recording since the age of 11. Between the ages of 11 and 17, he recorded five gospel albums, two of which were recorded on major labels. He is single and resides in Nashville, where he has been making a living for the past eight years as a freelance demo singer and songwriter, writing songs for Warner/Chappell and EMI Music. He has been turned down by every label in Nashville at least four times. Brad has won a few talent contests over the years, and has learned to play piano, guitar, drums, and bass. His biggest musical influences include Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Percy Sledge, Eric Clapton, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard.

Cleveland Eaton Jazz, Birmingham

Cleveland Eaton, born in Birmingham in 1940, began his career as a jazz bassist, and created an international reputation as a producer, composer and arranger. He is considered by some to be the top jazz bass player in the world, and by many to be among the top ten jazz bass players.

After relocating to Chicago, Eaton built a career as a one of the best bass players in the Windy City. For 17 years he played gigs all over town, once performing with thirteen different groups in one day. He often played Chicago's Regal Theatre with the likes of Dizzy Gillespy, Miles Davis, Billy Eckstein, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, and the Four Tops. Over ten years he played on 30 recordings: among them, four gold albums (Solar Wind, Sun Goddess) and four gold singles (Hang On Sloopy, Wade in the Water).

Eaton increased his fan base during his years with the Count Basie Orchestra. A one-night substitution with the Orchestra turned into a 6-year stand. Dubbed the "Count's Bassist," Eaton recorded over ten albums with the group before leaving in 1985. Returning to his hometown of Birmingham, Eaton formed the group Cleve Eaton & Co. The ensemble performs pop, R&B, and jazz pieces in small venues around the South.

Eaton was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979, and nominated for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1985. He and his wife, Myra, work to promote jazz in the Birmingham area.

W.C. Handy Father of the Blues, Florence

William Christopher Handy ended his life with the designation "father of the blues." Born on November 16, 1873, Handy's ancestors were both slaves and preachers. Despite his father's misgivings, Handy turned to music early on. He sang with his classmates at the Florence District School for Negroes, and played cornet in the brass band.

Handy toured the South with minstrel and tent shows, playing along with both an instrumental group and a vocal quartet. During his travels Handy began to pen arrangements, adapting tunes to his own style. Handy was the first to add the now famous "blue-notes" (flatted thirds and sevenths) to compositions. In 1896, Handy joined the W.A. Mahara's Minstrels as cornetist and musical director. The group recorded their first tune in 1897, and toured the South playing rags and dance tunes. Handy continued to cultivate his own musical style, drawing upon the folk melodies, spirituals, and popular tunes of his youth. His compositions were the first written form of what came to be called "the blues."

Handy actually published the first tune with the word "blues" in it, the Memphis Blues of 1912. He followed this with St. Louis Blues (1914 - considered by some to be the world's first penned Jazz music) and Beale Street Blues (1917). He took his Memphis Orchestra to New York in 1918 to record for Columbia Records. He had formed a publishing company with friend Harry H. Pace, Pace & Handy Music Company, and in 1922 also formed his own recording concern, the Handy Record Company. By 1923 an eye disease had taken its toll on Handy's vision. He withdrew from performing and concentrated mostly on publishing and composing.

His record company failed, but Handy continued to write many blues tunes, now considered classics, including Ole Miss Blues, Harlem Blues, Basement Blues, and Yellow Dog Blues. He worked with several orchestras, and recorded with musicians such as Red Allen and Jelly Roll Morton. While other musicians would enrich the world of the blues, Handy was the first to craft and popularize the form. His contributions to music were commemorated by his adopted home of Memphis, Tennessee; on March 29, 1931 a city square was named after Handy.

Handy lived in New York for the remainder of his life. Silent during his last years, Handy died a quiet death on March 28, 1958 at the age of 83. Nat King Cole starred in the 1958 film version of Handy's life, St. Louis Blues. The picture did not accurately reflect the reality of Handy's life, but it did reflect the extent of his popularity. Memphis further honored Handy with a park, a statue, and a museum; the latter is located in his childhood home, a structure moved from Florence, Alabama to Beale Street.

Handy entered the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1983. His influence is still felt in the world of blues - the W.C. Handy Award is considered the most prestigious honor a blues artist can acquire.

Emmylou Harris Country, Birmingham

Emmylou was born in Birmingham, AL, on April 2, 1947. Her father was a Marine pilot. The family moved around various bases in North Carolina before her father was transferred to Virginia, and was there where she grew up.

Emmylou made her first record "Gliding Bird" in New York in 1970. In Wahington DC she met Gram Parsons, who was looking for a girl singer to work with him. He introduced her into Country music. In 1973 Gram Parsons died. On her 1975 major label Debut, Pieces of the Sky, she introduced her Hot Band, which over the years has included such world-class players as Albert Lee, Rodney Crowell and Hank DeVito.

Emmylou has achieved seven no. 1 and 27 top 10 hits, including, "If I Could Only Win Your Love," "Together Again," "Sweet Dreams," "Making Believe," "To Daddy," "Heartbreak Hill," and "Heaven Only Knows." She's earned 6 Grammys, 8 gold albums, and her 1987 Trio album with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton is Platinum-plus.

Sonny James Country Singer, Hackleburg

Known as the "Southern Gentleman," Sonny James was born James Loden in Hackleburg, A1abama, on May 1, 1929. James show-biz family started him off early — he began his musical career at the age of three. He and his four sisters appeared throughout the South as the Loden Family. Radio shows like the Louisiana Hayride and Saturday Night Shingdig provided the teen-age James with his first professional exposure.

After signing with Capitol Records, James released his first single, That's Me Without You. This 1953 song hit the Country Top Ten. James hit again in 1956 with For Rent (One Empty Heart), Twenty Feet of Muddy Water, and The Cat Came Back. James used his voice and guitar to craft a country music with pop overtones that helped broaden country's appeal. Young Love (1956), James biggest hit single, spent nine weeks at number one on the country charts; its appearance on the pop charts made it the first crossover hit for James and for country music.

Between 1967 and 1971 James held the number one spot on the country charts for a total of 45 weeks; his sixteen number one singles in five years constitute an amazing record.

Billboard christened him the Number One Artist of 1969, Record World declared James the Country Male Artist of the Decade for the 1960s, and other industry publications named him as the Top Male Country Singles Artist. Though James number-one streak ended in January, 1972, he continued to produce hits throughout the 70's.

James expanded into producing and publishing in the 1970's before ending his music career in 1983. In 1987, James became a recipient of the prestigious Lifework Award for Performing Achievement. He now spends his time raising cattle in Alabama.

Henry Panion, III Musician, Birmingham

Henry Panion, III, Ph.D., holds degrees in music education and music theory from Alabama A & M University and Ohio State University, respectively. He is most known for his work as conductor and arranger for superstar Stevie Wonder, for whose performances and recordings he has led many of the world's most notable orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, the Birmingham (England) Symphony, the Orchestra of Paris, the Melbourne (Australia) Symphony, the Rio de Janeiro Philharmonic, the Ra'anana Philharmonic, the Nice Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. The two-CD set Natural Wonder features Dr. Panion conducting his arrangements of many of Stevie Wonder's award-winning, chart-topping songs with Stevie and the Tokyo Philharmonic. Other artists for whom Dr. Panion has had the opportunity to conduct and/or arrange include The Winans, Chet Atkins, Dionne Warwick,, Eugenia Zuckerman, Aretha Franklin, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Chaka Khan, and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra.

Dr. Panion's own works for orchestra are programmed by orchestras throughout North America and by many of this country's major orchestras, including the Cleveland Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the National Symphony. A selected list of other orchestras performing Dr. Panion's works include San Antonio, Columbus, Charlotte, San Diego, Louisville, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Arkansas, Jacksonville, Alabama, and the former Birmingham Metropolitan Orchestra, for which he served as Music Director from 1995-1997.

As a producer, composer, arranger, and orchestrator, Dr. Panion's work has produced two Grammy Awards, two Dove Awards, and a host of other national music awards and nominations. From 1994 to 2000, Dr. Panion served as chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Other honors included a 1995 Distinguished Alumni Award from Alabama A & M University and a 1996 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award from the Ohio State University. He is the 1996 recipient of the Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction and a 1995 inductee into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. In 2000, Dr. Panion was inducted into the Alabama A & M Hall of Fame. Also in 2000, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees honored Dr. Panion for his many contributions to the field of music and bestowed upon him the distinguished appointment of University Professor.

Lionel Richie Pop Singer, Tuskegee

Lionel Richie has enjoyed two careers, one as a member of the successful band, the Commodores, and another as a solo artist.

Richie released his debut solo single in 1982. When the song, Truly, sold four million copies and won Richie a Grammy for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, he officially quit the Commodores. In October 1983, Richie released Can't Slow Down, which included the single All Night Long. All Night Long hit number one in eighteen countries: the album sold 15 million copies worldwide, and became Motown's biggest seller ever. Richie continued his successful collaborations; in 1984 he wrote Missing You, a tribute to the late Marvin Gaye, for Diana Ross; in 1985 he co-wrote, with Michael Jackson, We Are The World. The all-star recording of WATW raised money for famine victims in Africa, and Richie joined with others to perform the tune at the Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985.

During the course of his career, Richie has taken home several Grammy's, American Music Awards, Golden Globes, and even awards for Writer of the Year and Publisher of the Year from the professional organization ASCAP. He received an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the song Miss Celie's Blues for the film The Color Purple.

Tommy Shaw Pop Guitarist and Singer, Montgomery

Tommy Roland Shaw was born September 11, 1953 to Dalton and Mildred Shaw in Montgomery, Alabama. Shaw became involved in music at the age of eleven. His parents bought him a guitar for his birthday, and soon he was appearing on a local morning television show. By 13, Shaw was playing Montgomery clubs and lounges, performing soul music and jazz. After graduation from Robert E. Lee High School, Shaw moved to Nashville with the band M.S. Funk.

Shaw came on board as Styx's guitarist and vocalist, but quickly became one of the band's primary songwriters. The Shaw penned tune, Crystal Ball (1976), from the album of the same name, began a string of multi-platinum hits for the band.

After the initial 1982 break-up of Styx, Shaw launched a solo career. He released two successful albums, Girls With Guns (1984) and What If. In the late 1980's, Shaw joined with Ted Nugent and Jack Blades to form the group Damn Yankees. Damn Yankees drew nationwide attention and placed in the top ten with several singles. Shaw returned to the solo arena with the release of his fourth album 7 Deadly Zens (1998).

Percy Sledge Soul Singer, Leighton

Sledge was born November 25, 1940, in Leighton, Alabama, a poor and isolated farming community. After honing his skills by performing at local parties and dances in his teens, Sledge joined the Muscle Shoals-based Esquires Combo. At the age of 20, Sledge was singing Beatles and Smokey Robinson tunes on college campuses and clubs across the Southeast with the popular Combo. When he had time, Sledge would also perform with the local Galilee Baptist Church Choir.

An introduction to Quin Ivy, a record store-owner and producer in Sheffield, Alabama, lead to a 1966 recording contract for Sledge. Sledge recorded a series of soul ballads with Ivy; the first tune they put to vinyl was titled When A Man Loves A Woman. Recorded at Rick Hall's Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, the record moved quickly up the charts. When A Man Loves a Woman was the first Southern soul recording to top both the R&B and pop charts.

Sledge recorded several hits over the next few years, including It Tears Me Up (1966), Warm and Tender Love(1966), Out of Left Field (1967), and Take Time to Know Her (1968). Throughout his career, Sledge released five gold and two platinum records. In 1989 Sledge became the first recipient of the R&B Foundation's Career Achievement Award.

Ruben Studdard Singer, American Idol Birmingham

Nicknamed the "Velvet Teddy Bear" by singer Paula Abdul, Ruben Studdard made Birmingham's area code famous when he wore jerseys emblazoned with the number 205 while competing on the television show American Idol in 2003. Studdard went on to win the competition. His first album, "Soulful," debuted atop Billboard's sales charts and has been certified platinum. His performance of the song "Superstar" was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Take 6 Contemporary Christian, Huntsville

Claude V. McKnight III (b. 1963), Mark Kibble (b. 1965), Mervyn Warren (b. 1965), David Thomas (b. 1967), Cedric Dent (b. 1963), and Alvin "Vinnie" Chea (b. 1968) all attended Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1980, McKnight and Kibble formed the quartet Alliance, changed the name to Gentlemen's Estate Quartet, then expanded into a sextet. They took the name Take 6, and launched their contemporary Christian a cappella sound.

Take 6 signed a recording deal with Warner's Reprise records, which released their album Take 6 (1988). The stylish arrangements and incredible vocal range of the group brought critical acclaim; they won 1988 Grammy Awards in both jazz and gospel categories and were the first gospel group nominated for a "Best New Artist" Grammy.

The group's most popular albums include the following:

 Brothers (1996)  So Cool (1998)  Beautiful World (2002)

Take 6 was credited with renewing the life of Christian music, and expanding its appeal to a broader audience. Devoutly religious, the group consider themselves non-traditional evangelists with a message to spread. Temptations Pop Group, Birmingham

The most successful soul group of the 1960's, the Temptations, is known for intense vocals, tight harmonies, and dynamic rhythms-- all choreographed into an unforgettable stage routine.

The original lineup, Melvin Franklin (Montgomery, Alabama), Otis Williams (Texas), Paul Williams (Birmingham, Alabama), Eddie Kendricks (Birmingham, Alabama), and David Ruffin, joined forces in Detroit after being involved with different music groups for several years. Originally signed to Motown, Berry Gordy Jr. put Smokey Robinson in charge as the Temptations producer in 1964 and the hits started.

Their first hit song "The Way You Do The Things You Do" was R&B chart #11 in April 1964. It was followed by "My Girl", #1 in March 1965, which introduced the Temptations to white audiences.

In October, 1968, David Ruffin left the group and was replaced by Birmingham native, Dennis Edwards. He spent the next nine years as lead singer, fueling such songs as "Cloud Nine,", "I Can't Get Next to You," and "Psychedelic Shack."

Ali Ollie Woodson who grew up in Town Creek, Alabama auditioned for the group back in 1977 and maintained an ongoing relationship with members of the group before finally joining in 1984. With Woodson in the lead, the Temptations wedded timeless harmony with '80s techno-pop and came up with a snappy hit in "Treat Her Like A Lady."

Toni Tennille Singer, Montgomery Toni Tennille was born May 8, 1943. Toni studied classical piano for ten years, and worked her way through college with her musical talents. She sang the big band tunes of the 30's and 40's with the Auburn Knights while attending Auburn University. Tennille catapulted to stardom when she met her husband, Daryl Dragon, in 1974 and formed the duo Captain & Tennille.

The duo's 1974 debut album established them as a pop phenomenon. The single Love Will Keep Us Together won the 1975 Grammy for Song of the Year, and sold a million copies. Tennille's songwriting prowess produced several of the couple's hits, including Do That To Me One More Time and The Way I Want to Touch You. They starred in their own show, Captain & Tennille Variety Show and several popular television specials for ABC. Hitting the pop charts 14 times, the duo had amassed five gold and two platinum albums, and six gold and one platinum single. The twosome is still considered one of the top 5 recording duos of the past 20 years.

In 1984, Toni Tennille took her career in a new direction. Drawing from her past, she recorded two big band albums, More Than You Know (1984) and All Of Me (1986). In 1991 Tennille released her third solo third album, Never Let Me Go, followed by Things Are Swingin'. Tennille made her stage debut in 1992, appearing in the Los Angeles production of the musical, Stardust.

To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, Tennille and Dragon released Captain & Tennille - 20 Years of Romance. This 1995 disc features a collection of their hit singles and other romantic ballads.

Hank Williams Country/Western, Mount Olive

Born on September 17, 1923 in Georgiana, Alabama, Hiram "Hank" Williams was a superstar by the age of 25. He began playing guitar at the age of 8, receiving lessons from a local blues singer, Rufus Payne. In his early teens, Williams, inspired by gospel and country music, especially Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff, began singing in Georgiana and Greenville. Williams formed the Drifting Cowboys in 1941, and landed a gig with local radio station WSFA.

In 1946, Williams went to Nashville to meet Fred Rose, co-head of Acuff-Rose Publishing. Rose took Williams into the studio to record Never Again (1946) and Honky Tonkin' (1947). Records in 1947, and Rose came on board as his manager and producer. Williams next single, Move It Over (1947), climbed into the country Top Five; he followed it with I'm a Long Gone Daddy which peaked in the Top Ten.

Williams next release, Lovesick Blues, was released in the spring of 1949. Spending 16 weeks at number one on the country chart and crossing over into the pop Top 25, Lovesick Blues propelled Williams to the Grand Ole Opry and stardom. The success of his Opry debut on June 11, 1949, still one of the most talked- about debut appearances, made him a regular.

Williams' popularity crossed boundaries, and he found himself appearing on the Perry Como television show and touring with Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and Minnie Pearl during his career. His songwriting talents and his ardent lyrics affected audiences, impacted popular music and transformed country music for all time. Considered the father of modern country, Williams' influence continued to be felt long after he stopped performing.

The combination of drinking and drugs finally took Williams life on January 1, 1953. Headed to a New Year's Eve concert in Canton, Ohio, Williams overdosed on morphine and whisky in the back seat of a chauffeured Cadillac. He was 29.

In 1961, he was one of the first inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame and later was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Tammy Wynette Country, Red Bay

Born Virginia Wynette Pugh in Itawamba County, Mississippi on May 5, 1942, Tammy Wynette moved to Red Bay, Alabama at eight months of age. She moved to Birmingham as a teenager to live with her mother and attend high school. Wynette began singing on an early-morning TV show in Birmingham, the Country Boy Eddie Show, and playing local clubs. After performing on Porter Wagoner's TV program, Wynette moved to Nashville, changed her name to Tammy Wynette and landed a record contract with Epic Records.

Her debut single, Apartment No. 9 (1966), was a minor hit. Wynette's next single, Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad, became her first top-ten hit, peaking at number three. That same year, 1967, I Don't Wanna Play House hit number one and gained Wynette her first Grammy. In 1969, Wynette recorded the tune that is still her most popular; Stand By Your Man crossed over to the pop-music top-20 and won Wynette her second Grammy.

Named Country Music Associations Female Vocalist of the Year for 1969, she also took the Top Female Vocalist award at the Academy of Country Music''s 1969 show. Wynette's 1969 release, Tammy's Greatest Hits, sold more copies than any other female country artist's album, and crossed over to the pop charts. In 1970, Wynette was again named CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and appeared on the soundtrack of the film Five Easy Pieces.

By now Wynette was the established "First Lady of Country Music" with 32 number one hits to her name. Her career slowed down somewhat in the late 70's and early 80's; her biggest success was her autobiography, Stand By Your Man, published in 1979.

Wynette was awarded a Living Legend Award from TNN/Music City News in 1991. She joined Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn for 1993's Honky Tonk Angels, and appeared in the television special, The Women of Country. She went on to pursue her most recent release, Without Walls (1994). An album of duets, Walls teams Wynette up with stars such as Sting, Wynonna Judd, Elton John and Lyle Lovett.

Tammy Wynette passed away in her sleep on Monday, April 6, 1998. Famous Alabamians: Others Artists | Athletes | Celebrities | Literary Figures | Musicians | Other N. Jan Davis Astronaut, Huntsville

Born November 1, 1953 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, N. Jan Davis moved with her family to Huntsville, Alabama - the perfect place to be for a future astronaut.

Davis pursued her career in 1979 when she began work as an engineer for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The year 1987 was an exciting one for Davis; along with her new position of lead engineer, she received the Marshall Space Flight Center Director's Commendation, and qualified to be an astronaut and mission specialist on Space Shuttle flight crews.

Davis had her first opportunity to travel to space in 1992. She was a mission specialist on STS-47, the Space Shuttle's 50th mission. During her eight days in space, Davis operated Spacelab and performed various experiments. Davis' second flight came on STS-60 in 1994. Davis shared this flight, launched on February 3, 1994, with the first Russian cosmonaut to be a Shuttle crew member. When Davis returned to earth on February 11, 1994 she had 389 hours in space under her belt.

Dr. Mae Jemison Astronaut, Decatur

Mae Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama on October 17, 1956. She was the youngest of three children. When Mae was three, she moved to Chicago, Illinois.

Mae liked science when she was young. She was a very good student. By the age of sixteen she had received a scholarship to attend Stanford University. Mae Jemison received a degree in chemical engineering in 1977. She received a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981.

NASA selected Dr. Jemison for astronaut training in 1987. Her first mission was aboard the Shuttle Endeavour in September of 1992. On this mission, Dr. Jemison became the first African-American woman into space.

In 1993, Dr. Jemison resigned from NASA. She now works on projects to advance technology in developing countries. She is also a professor at Dartmouth College.

Helen Keller Historical figure, Tuscumbia

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She was a lively and friendly child until she caught a fever at the age of 18 months. Her illness, described as an acute congestion of the stomach, robbed her of her sight and her hearing. Keller created her own set of signs to make her wishes known to her parents; by age seven she had invented over 60 signs in order to communicate with her family.

Anne Sullivan came to the family in March of 1887. Sullivan began to teach Keller the manual alphabet; Keller's made her first connection between words and physical phenomenon when Sullivan taught her the word water. This moment has been memorialized not only on paper, but in numerous films chronicling Keller's life.

Keller's strength and courage made her an inspiration to many people throughout the world; she was able to advance the well being of disabled people across the globe. She spent the last years of her life raising funds for organizations working with the blind and deaf.

Keller died on June 1, 1968 in Westport, Connecticut. Her influence is still felt through Helen Keller International, an organization combating blindness in developing countries. Many books, plays and films were written about Keller's life, the best-known being the 1962 film The Miracle Worker.

Condoleeza Rice Secretary of State, Titusville Condoleeza Rice was born on November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama. She entered the University of Denver at age 15 and graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in political science and went on to receive her master's, doctorate, and several honorary degrees.

From 1989 through March 1991, Rice served with the Bush Administration as Director of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council. She went on to be named Senior director and also served as a Special Assistant to President Bush for National Security Affairs.

Condoleeza Rice was named National Security Advisor for the Bush Administration on January 22, 2001.

On January 28, 2005, Rice was named Secretary of State.

David Satcher Surgeon General, Anniston

Born in rural Anniston in 1941, David Satcher grew up on the family farm. Satcher decided to become a doctor after suffering through a bout of whooping cough at the age of two. His mother saved him with her special southern brand of home-grown medicine, and inspired David; he dreamed of being Anniston's first family doctor.

Satcher's parents stressed the importance of education and sent their son to Atlanta to study at Morehouse College. After graduation from medical school, Satcher pursued a career in epidemiology, disease research and academic medicine. He trained numerous medical students in the field of family medicine. Satcher climbed through the ranks of the profession to reach the position of president of Meharry Medical College and CEO of Meharry/Hubbard Hospital. Satcher was involved in the Civil Rights Movement in his college days, and has found himself confronting racial issues all through his medical career. As CEO of Meharry, Satcher oversaw the merger of White-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Hospital into the multi-racial Meharry/Hubbard system.

In 1993, Satcher was chosen to head the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Altanta. The first African-American to run the Center, Satcher confronted the problems of AIDS, gun violence, and cigarette smoking. In 1997, Satcher found himself nominated for the post of Surgeon General of the United States. He was the third Black nominated for the position by President Clinton. Satcher's hearings went smoothly, although there were tough questions about his stand on gun violence and AIDS education. He was confirmed by the Senate in late October 1997.

State Poets Laureate

On January 1, 1995, Helen Friedman Blackshear became the eighth Poet Laureate of Alabama. The office of Poet Laureate was established in 1931 by the state legislature. Every four years, the Writers' Conclave holds an election of the nominated candidates, in which the winner will be issued commission by the state governor. Membership of the Alabama Writers' Conclave is not required, but a fifteen-year residency is required for nomination to the position.

Among Helen Friedman Blackshear's publications are: Mother Was a Rebel (non-fiction), The Creek Captives and Other Alabama Stories, Southern Smorgasbord (collection of essays). Also, she has 5 books of poems in publication. In addition to these credits, she has been published in the Georgia Review, as well as in publications. In 1993 she published From the Peddler to Philanthropist: The Friedman Story, which chronicle 3 generations of the Friedmans, her father's family.

Past Alabama Poet Laureate have been: Ralph Hammond, 1992-1995 Morton Dennison Prouty, Jr. 1988-1991 Carl Patrick Morton, 1983-1987 William Young Elliott, 1975-1982 Bert Henderson, 1959-1974 Mary B. Ward, 1954-1958 Samuel Minturn Peck, 1930-1938

Alabama Governors The Current Governor: Robert J. Bentley

Historical Gubernatorial Inauguration Facts

With the inauguration of Robert Bentley, fifty-three persons have served as governor of the State of Alabama (not counting those who served as acting governor or post-Civil War military governor).

Number Governor Elected County Term Political Party 52 Bob Riley Clay 2003-2011 Republican 51 Don Siegelman Mobile 1999-2003 Democrat 1/16 1995- Forrest "Fob" James Lee Republican 1999 April 50 James E. Folsom, Jr. Cullman 22,1993- Democrat 1995 (Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr. became governor upon conviction of Guy Hunt for ethics violations) 1/19 1987- 49 Guy Hunt Cullman April 22, Republican 1993 1/17 1983- George C. Wallace Barbour Democrat 1987 1/15 1979- 48 Forrest "Fob" James Lee Democrat 1983 June 5- Jere Beasley Barbour July ***Democrat 7,1972 (Lieutenant Governor Jere Beasley became acting governor while Governor George Wallace was in a Maryland hospital for

more than 20 days recovering from an assassination attempt) 1/18 1971- George C. Wallace Barbour Democrat 1979 5/7 1968- 47 Albert P. Brewer Morgan Democrat 1971 (Lieutenant Governor Albert Brewer became acting governor for a portion of one day as Governor Lurleen Wallace received

medical treatment out-of-state for more than 20 days. He became governor upon the death of Lurleen Wallace) 1/16 1967- 46 Lurleen B. Wallace Tuscaloosa Democrat 1968 1/14 1963- 45 George C. Wallace Barbour Democrat 1967 1/19 1959- 44 John Patterson Russell Democrat 1963 1/17 1955- James E. Folsom Cullman Democrat 1959 1/15 1951- 43 Gordon Persons Montgomery Democrat 1955 1/20 1947- 42 James E. Folsom Cullman Democrat 1951 1/19 1943- 41 Chauncey M. Sparks Barbour Democrat 1947 1/17 1939- 40 Frank M. Dixon Jefferson Democrat 1943 1/14 1935- Bibb Graves Montgomery Democrat 1939 1/19 1931- 39 Benjamin M. Miller Wilcox Democrat 1935 1/17 1927- 38 Bibb Graves Montgomery Democrat 1931 July 10- Charles McDowell Barbour 11, Democrat 1924*** (Lieutenant Governor Charles McDowell became acting governor when Gov. Brandon spent 21 days in New York City chairing the state delegation to the 1924 Democratic Convention. According to the 1901 Constitution, if the governor is out of the state more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor) 1/15 1923- 37 William W. Brandon Tuscaloosa Democrat 1927 1/20 1919- 36 Thomas E. Kilby Calhoun Democrat 1923 1/18 1915- 35 Charles Henderson Pike Democrat 1919 1/17 1911- 34 Emmet O'Neal Lauderdale Democrat 1915 1/14 1907- 33 Braxton B. Comer Jefferson Democrat 1911 April 25, 1904- Russell Cunningham Jefferson Democrat March 5, 1905 (Lieutenant Governor** Russell Cunningham became acting governor during Governor Jelks' illness) 6/11 1901- 32 William D. Jelks Barbour Democrat 1907 (President of Senate, William Jelks became governor upon the death of Governor Samford: subsequently he was elected to a

four-year term as governor) 12/26 31 William J. Samford Lee Democrat 1900-1901 December William D. Jelks Barbour Democrat 1-26, 1900 (President of the Senate, William Jelks became acting governor because Governor William Samford sought medical

treatment out-of-state during the initial days of his administration which began December 1, 1900) 12/1 1896- 30 Joseph F. Johnston Jefferson 1900 12/1 1894- 29 William C. Oates Henry Democrat 1896 12/1 1890- 28 Thomas G. Jones Montgomery Democrat 1894 12/1 1886- 27 Thomas Seay Hale Democrat 1890 12/1 1882- 26 Edward A. O'Neal Lauderdale Democrat 1886 11/28 25 Rufus W. Cobb Shelby Democrat 1878-1882 11/24 24 George S. Houston Limestone Democrat 1874-1878 11/17 23 David P. Lewis Madison Republican 1872-1874 11/26 22 Robert B. Lindsay Colbert Democrat 1870-1872 7/24 1868- 21 William H. Smith Randolph Republican 1870 Wager Swayne Montgomery 1867-1868 (Appointed military governor) 12-13 1865 20 Robert M. Patton Lauderdale Pre-War Whig December - 1867 1865 June 19 Lewis E. Parsons Talladega - Democrat December (Appointed provisional governor) 12/1 1863- 18 Thomas H. Watts Montgomery Democrat 1865 17 John G. Shorter Barbour 12/2 1861- Democrat 1863 12/1 1857- 16 Andrew B. Moore Perry Democrat 1861 12/20 15 John A. Winston Sumter Democrat 1853-1857 12/17 14 Henry W. Collier Tuscaloosa Democrat 1849-1853 12/16 13 Reuben Chapman Madison Democrat 1847-1849 12/10 12 Joshua L. Martin Tuscaloosa Democrat 1845-1847 11/22 11 Benjamin Fitzpatrick Autauga Democrat 1841-1845 11/22 10 Arthur P. Bagby Monroe Democrat 1837-1841 7/17 - 9 Hugh McVay Lauderdale 11/22 Democrat 1837 (President of the Senate, Hugh McVay became governor upon Governor Clay's appointment to the U.S. Senate) 11/21 8 Clement Comer Clay Madison Democrat 1835-1837 11/26 7 John Gayle Greene Democrat/Whig 1831-1835 6 Samuel B. Moore Jackson 3/3 1831 Democrat (President of the Senate, Samuel Moore became governor upon Governor Gabriel Moore's election to the U.S. Senate) 11/25 5 Gabriel Moore Madison Democrat 1829-1831 11/25 4 John Murphy Monroe Democrat 1825-1829 11/9 1821- 3 Israel Pickens Greene Democrat 1825 7/25 1820- 2 Thomas Bibb Limestone Democrat 1821 (President of the Senate, Thomas Bibb became governor upon the death of his brother Governor William Bibb) 11/9 1819- 1 William Wyatt Bibb Autauga Democrat 1820 NOTES: * Initially, the governor served a two-year term. The Alabama Constitution of 1901 set the term at four years and prohibited a governor from serving two consecutive terms. Constitutional Amendment No. 282, ratified in 1968, allows the governor to serve two consecutive terms. ** The Constitution of 1901 designated the lieutenant governor as next in line to succeed the governor followed by the president pro tem of the Senate. *** The Constitution of 1901 states that if the governor is absent from the state for more than 20 days, then the lieutenant governor shall assume the powers and duties of the governor until his return. Authorities: Gubernatorial Election Results, Secretary of State's Office. Rogers, William Warren et al., Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, 1994.

http://www.archives.alabama.gov/govslist.html Updated: February 3, 2011

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