List of sons and daughters of the city of Memphis, Tennessee

This is a list of public figures that American US in the city of Memphis ( Tennessee ) were born. The list does not claim to be complete.

19th century

John Sharp Williams
(1854-1932)

Miles Poindexter
(1868-1946)

Charles Stewart (1836–1895), politician
John Sharp Williams (1854-1932), politician
Miles Poindexter (1868-1946), politician
Mary Carr Moore (1873–1957), composer
Florence Kahn (1878–1951), actress
Elmer Imes (1883–1941), physicist
Hy Heath (1890-1965), film composer
Alberta Hunter (1895–1984), blues and jazz singer and songwriter
Erskine Tate (1895–1978), jazz band leader and swing violinist
Lil Hardin Armstrong (1898–1971), jazz pianist, singer and composer
Will Shade (1898–1966), youth band musician

20th century

1901-1930

Abe Fortas
(1910-1982)

Anita Kerr
(* 1927)

Fred Robinson (1901-1984), jazz trombonist
Buster Bailey (1902–1967), jazz clarinetist and saxophonist
Elwood Ullman (1903–1985), screenwriter
William Franklin (* 1906; † after 1948), jazz musician, opera singer
Gorilla Jones (1906-1982), boxer
Ernestine "Tiny" Davis (1907–1994), jazz trumpeter and swing singer
Elizabeth Thomas (1907–1986), Egyptologist
Abe Fortas (1910–1982), United States Supreme Court Justice
George W. Grider (1912–1991), politician
McClure Morris (1912-1993), jazz musician
Rozelle Claxton (1913–1995), jazz pianist and arranger
Abraham Klausner (1915–2007), rabbi and captain in the United States Army
Memphis Slim (1915–1988), blues singer and pianist
Charles F. Wheeler (1915-2004), cameraman
Al Williams (born 1919), pianist
Walt Richmond (1922–1977), science fiction writer
Ben Branch (1924–1987), R&B musician and entrepreneur
Angelo Thomas Acerra (1925–1990), Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in the military ordinariate
Joe Bihari (1925-2013), music producer
Othella Dallas (* 1925), jazz singer and dancer
Chris Woods (1925–1985), saxophonist and flautist of swing, rhythm & blues and modern jazz
Bill Black (1926-1965), musician
Anita Kerr (* 1927), singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist and music producer
Bill Slavick (born 1927), peace activist
Mignon Dunn (* 1928), opera singer and vocal teacher
Andy Goodrich (1928–2008), modern jazz alto saxophonist
Luther Perkins (1928–1968), guitarist
Joseph Scianni (* 1928), composer, music producer, improvisation musician
Koko Taylor (1928–2009), blues singer
Johnny Ace (1929–1954), rhythm and blues singer

1931-1940

Hal Needham
(1931-2013)

Morgan Freeman
(born 1937)

George Hamilton
(* 1939)

Emerson Able (1931–2015), musician and music teacher
Johnny Bernero (1931-2001), rockabilly musician
Jack Clement (1931–2013), music producer, musician and composer
Charles Crosby (* 1931), jazz musician
Hal Needham (1931-2013), stunt performer and film director
Louis Smith (1931-2016), jazz musician
Dorsey Burnette (1932–1979), country and rockabilly musician, guitarist and songwriter
Evans Bradshaw (1933-1978), jazz pianist
Eddie Bond (1933-2013), rockabilly musician
Calvin Newborn (1933–2018), jazz guitarist
William Vollie Alexander (* 1934), politician
Johnny Burnette (1934–1964), rockabilly musician
Hank Crawford (1934-2009), saxophonist
Anne Haney (1934–2001), actress
Junior Wells (1934-1998), blues musician
Mae Wheeler (1934–2011), singer and music organizer
George Coleman (* 1935), tenor saxophonist of modern jazz
Al Jackson, Jr. (1935–1975), drummer, record producer, and songwriter
Lloyd McCollough (1935–1976), rockabilly musician
Garnett Brown (born 1936), trombonist and composer
Dickey Lee (born 1936), country and rock 'n' roll singer and songwriter
Harold Mabern (1936–2019), jazz pianist
Lane Smith (1936-2005), actor
Morgan Freeman (born 1937), actor
Jon Hassell (* 1937), trumpeter and composer
Frank Strozier (* 1937), alto saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist and hardbop composer
Booker Little (1938–1961), jazz trumpeter and hardbop composer
Charles Lloyd (* 1938), jazz musician
Barbara Pittman (1938-2005), rockabilly singer
William Bell (born 1939), singer, songwriter and music producer
William Eggleston (* 1939), photographer
George Hamilton (* 1939), film and television actor
Maury Klein (* 1939), historian
Marvin Stamm (* 1939), jazz musician
Abu Talib (1939–2009), blues and jazz guitarist, singer and harmonica player
Willie W. Herenton (* 1940), politician and Mayor of Memphis from 1992 to 2009

1941-1950

Herman Cain
(1945-2020)

Kathy Bates
(* 1948)

Cybill Shepherd
(born 1950)

Donald Dunn (1941–2012), bass player and music producer
Andrew Love (1941–2012), musician and songwriter
Don Nix (* 1941), saxophonist, songwriter, arranger and author
Daniel Pinkwater (* 1941), radio presenter and author of fantastic children's and youth literature
Maurice White (1941–2016), funk and soul musician
Olivia Cole (1942–2018), actress and Emmy winner
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), soul singer
Carla Thomas (* 1942), soul singer
Frank Lowe (1943–2003), jazz musician
Hilton McConnico (1943–2018), designer and artist
Rodney J. Bartlett (born 1944), chemist
Carolyn Franklin (1944–1988), singer and songwriter
E. Hunter Harrison (1944-2017), Railroad Manager
Jimmy Hart (born 1944), wrestling manager and musician
Claude Humphrey (born 1944), American football player
Booker T. Jones (* 1944), songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist
Frank McRae (born 1944), actor and American football player
William Sanderson (born 1944), actor
Herman Cain (1945–2020), businessman, politician, columnist and radio host
Harold Ford senior (* 1945), politician
Arthur Lee (1945-2006), rock musician
Ken Rhodes (1945-2016), jazz musician
Mwata Bowden (* 1947), jazz musician
John Kahn (1947–1996), bassist
Kathy Bates (* 1948), actress, director and Oscar winner
Alan Lightman (* 1948), astrophysicist, novelist, essayist and non-fiction author
Bobby Whitlock (* 1948), keyboardist
Michael Beck (born 1949), actor
Steve Cohen (born 1949), politician
Ric Flair (born 1949), wrestler
Jerry Lawler (born 1949), wrestler
Dee Dee Bridgewater (born 1950), jazz singer and actress
Alex Chilton (1950–2010), songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer
Cybill Shepherd (born 1950), actress and singer

1951-1960

Michael A. Baker
(born 1953)

Charly McClain
(* 1956)

Chris Bell (1951–1978), singer, songwriter and guitarist
Verna Mae Bentley-Krause (* 1951), German-American singer
Callie Crossley (* 1951), journalist, radio presenter and film producer
JoJo Billingsley (1952-2010), singer
Steve Earle (* 1952), racing car driver
James Peter Sartain (* 1952), Roman Catholic clergyman and Archbishop of Seattle
Deborah Allen (born 1953), country singer and songwriter
Michael A. Baker (* 1953), astronaut
Billy Burnette (* 1953), guitarist, singer and songwriter
Rocky Burnette (* 1953), musician, singer and songwriter
Rosanne Cash (born 1955), country singer
Bill Mobley (* 1953), jazz musician, composer, band leader and arranger
Andrew Stevens (* 1955), film producer, actor and director
Adriane Lenox (* 1956), actress
Charly McClain (born 1956), country singer
Anita Ward (born 1956), singer
Bobby Blake (* 1957), Baptist pastor, former porn film actor
Thomas Hearns (born 1958), boxer
Salim Washington (* 1958), jazz musician and cultural historian
Kirk Whalum (* 1958), jazz musician
Robert Marshall (Bishop) (* 1959), Roman Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Alexandria