List of people from Nashville, Tennessee
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The following is a list of notable people who have lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
People born in Tennessee:
| Name | Birth year | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Adams | 1825 | Brigadier General during the American Civil War | [1] |
| Shak Adams | 1998 | Soccer player | [2] |
| Duane Allman | 1946 | Guitarist and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band | [3] |
| Gregg Allman | 1947 | Singer, keyboardist and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band | [4] |
| Frank Maxwell Andrews | 1884 | Important figure in U.S. military aviation | [5] |
| Casey Atwood | 1980 | NASCAR driver | [6] |
| Alfred Bartles | 1930 | Composer of jazz/classical crossover music | [7] |
| Bill Belichick | 1952 | Former head coach of six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots | [8] |
| Madison Smartt Bell | 1957 | Novelist | [9] |
| Julian Bond | 1940 | Civil rights activist | [10] |
| Robert Earl Bonney | 1882 | U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipient, 1910 | [11] |
| Linn Boyd | 1800 | Member of Congress from Kentucky and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | [12] |
| Beverly Briley | 1914 | Mayor of Nashville, 1963–1975 | [13] |
| David Briley | 1964 | Mayor of Nashville, 2018 | |
| Marvelyn Brown | 1984 | HIV/AIDS activist | [14] |
| Kitty Cheatham | 1864 | Singer and actress | [15] |
| Sara Ward Conley | 1859 | Artist | [16] |
| James Craig | 1912 | Actor | [17] |
| Anne Dallas Dudley | 1876 | Women's suffrage activist | [18] |
| Thomas Fletcher | 1817 | Arkansas politician | [19] |
| Colin Ford | 1996 | Actor | [20] |
| Morris Frank | 1908 | Founder, the Seeing Eye, first guide dog training school | |
| Bill Frist | 1952 | Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader | [21] |
| John Gordy | 1935 | Tennessee Volunteers and Detroit Lions football player | |
| Dick Griffey | 1938 | Record executive and promoter | |
| Red Grooms | 1937 | Artist | [22] |
| Noodles Hahn | 1879 | Major League Baseball player | [23] |
| Bobby Hamilton | 1957 | NASCAR driver | |
| Demonte Harper | 1989 | American basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League | |
| Bobby Hebb | 1938 | R&B/soul songwriter, singer, musician known for the hit "Sunny" | |
| Les Hunter | 1942 | Center of 1963 Loyola Ramblers basketball national championship team | |
| Thomas Setzer Hutchison | 1875 | Military officer, police commissioner, civil reformer, author, inventor | |
| Lillian Jackson | 1919 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League founding member | |
| Marion James | 1934 | Blues singer | [24] |
| Claude Jarman Jr. | 1934 | Actor | |
| Randall Jarrell | 1914 | Poet and writer | |
| Jeff Jarrett | 1967 | Professional wrestler | |
| Claude Jonnard | 1897 | Professional baseball player for the New York Giants | |
| Caleb Joseph | 1986 | Major League Baseball player | |
| Lucille La Verne | 1872 | Actress | [25] |
| Margaret Landis | 1890 | Silent screen actress | [26] |
| Mary Louise Lester | 1921 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League founding member | |
| Kathy Liebert | 1967 | World Series of Poker bracelet winner | |
| Beth Littleford | 1968 | Comedian and actress | [27] |
| Ellen McLain | 1952/1953 | Voice actress | |
| Ron Mercer | 1976 | Professional basketball player | |
| Tom Moran | 1899 | Football player | [28] |
| William Morrison | 1860 | Dentist, inventor of cotton candy | |
| Alice Oates | 1849 | Actress and pioneer of musical theatre | [29] |
| Chord Overstreet | 1989 | Singer, songwriter, TV actor | |
| Bettie Page | 1923 | Pin-up model | [30] |
| Keith Paskett | 1964 | Professional football player for Green Bay Packers | [31] |
| James B. Pearson | 1920 | U.S. Senator | [32] |
| Antoinette Van Leer Polk | 1847 | French baroness | |
| Annie Potts | 1952 | Actress | [33][note 1] |
| Shelton Quarles | 1971 | Professional football player for Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| Emily J. Reynolds | 1956 | Former Secretary of the U.S. Senate | [34] |
| Robert Ryman | 1930 | Visual artist | [35] |
| Hillary Scott | 1986 | Singer-songwriter, member of country music trio Lady Antebellum | |
| John Seigenthaler | 1927 | Journalist, writer, and political figure | |
| Jackie Shane | 1940 | Soul and rhythm and blues singer; among first black transgender musicians to chart | |
| Nate Simpson | 1954 | Football player | |
| Ahmaad Smith | 1983 | Football player | |
| Edwin Starr | 1942 | Motown soul and R&B singer/songwriter | |
| Turkey Stearnes | 1901 | Baseball player | [36] |
| Samuel Stritch | 1887 | First American member of the Roman Curia | |
| Phillip Supernaw | 1990 | NFL player | [37] |
| Andrea True | 1943 | Pornstar and disco singer | [38] |
| Anthony Van Leer | 1783 | Prominent iron works owner in Tennessee | |
| Carlos Clark Van Leer | 1865 | United States Army officer and Chief of Personnel at Department of the Treasury | |
| Eric Volz | 1979 | Magazine publisher wrongfully convicted of murder in Nicaragua | |
| Lark Voorhies | 1974 | Television actress | [39] |
| Charlie Wade | 1950 | Football player | |
| Chuck Wagner | 1958 | Actor | [40] |
| William Walker | 1824 | Journalist, adventurer, and briefly the President of Nicaragua | [41] |
| Gretchen Walsh | 2003 | Swimmer | [42] |
| Kitty Wells | 1919 | Musician and singer, commonly referred to as the Queen of Country Music | [43] |
| Hank Williams III | 1972 | Singer and musician | [44] |
| Del Wood | 1920 | Ragtime, gospel, and country music pianist | [45] |
| Young Buck | 1981 | Rapper | [46] |
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With its status as a major hub of music production (especially country and gospel music), Nashville attracts a wide array of musicians, singers, and songwriters.
- Roy Acuff – country singer-songwriter; co-founder (with Fred Rose) of the Acuff-Rose publishing house
- Dean Alexander – country singer-songwriter
- Chet Atkins – country guitarist and record producer
- The Band Perry – country pop band
- Dave Barnes – acoustic singer-songwriter
- Greg Bates – country singer-songwriter
- David Berman – singer-songwriter of Silver Jews
- Beeb Birtles – former member of Little River Band
- Pat Boone (Charles Eugene Boone) – pop singer and actor
- Jordana Bryant – country/pop singer-songwriter, originally from Pennsylvania[47]
- Bully – rock band
- J. J. Cale – songwriter and musician, known for writing "After Midnight" and "Cocaine"
- Glen Campbell – pop and country musician, TV personality and actor, sang "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
- Johnny Cash – country singer-songwriter and actor, known to his fans as "The Man in Black"
- June Carter Cash – country singer-songwriter, wife of Johnny Cash, and member of the A.P. Carter Family
- Desmond Child – hit rock/pop songwriter for Cher, Kiss, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Bonnie Tyler, Bon Jovi, and others
- Cimorelli – YouTube girl group, originally from El Dorado Hills, California
- The Civil Wars – folk/Americana duo
- Kelly Clarkson – pop singer-songwriter, first winner of American Idol
- Patsy Cline – country singer-songwriter, first woman in Country Music Hall of Fame
- Kyle Cook – singer-songwriter of Matchbox Twenty
- Rita Coolidge – pop recording artist and songwriter
- Billy Cox – bassist, last surviving member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Sheryl Crow – singer-songwriter, actress
- Billy Ray Cyrus – country singer-songwriter, and actor; father of Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus
- Miley Cyrus – country/pop singer-songwriter, star of Hannah Montana; daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus and older sister of Noah Cyrus
- Noah Cyrus – singer-songwriter, and actress; daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus and younger sister of Miley Cyrus
- Steve Earle – country singer-songwriter
- Tommy Emmanuel – guitarist, native to Australia but lives in Nashville
- The Everly Brothers – pop music duo
- Zac Farro – drummer
- Fisk Jubilee Singers – gospel choir
- Lester Flatt – bluegrass pioneer
- Béla Fleck – banjoist, lived in Nashville most of his young adulthood, originally from New York City
- Dan Fogelberg – singer-songwriter of diverse musical styles, top-selling musician of 1970s–80s
- Ben Folds – singer-songwriter, former frontman of Ben Folds Five
- Framing Hanley – alternative rock band
- Peter Frampton – English rock musician, producer, songwriter, lives in Nashville
- Russ Freeman – lead of award-winning jazz band, The Rippingtons
- Kathy Lee Gifford – television host, singer-songwriter, actress, and author
- Josh Gracin – country singer
- Amy Grant – singer-songwriter known for Christian themes
- Emmylou Harris – country singer-songwriter, and musician
- Kerry Harvick – country singer-songwriter, cast member of the hit reality series Bad Girls Club
- Brandon Heath – Christian singer-songwriter
- Bobby Hebb – R&B/soul songwriter, musician, singer known for the song "Sunny"
- John Hiatt – songwriter and musician
- Faith Hill – country music singer
- Robyn Hitchcock – English alternative-rock musician[48]
- Hot Chelle Rae – popular rock pop band
- Harlan Howard – Music Row songwriter
- David Hungate – bassist for Toto, also recorded with several country artists
- Alan Jackson – country singer-songwriter
- Waylon Jennings – country singer-guitarist
- Naomi Judd – mother-daughter (with Wynonna Judd) country music singer-songwriter
- Wynonna Judd – mother-daughter (with Naomi Judd) country music singer-songwriter
- Donny Kees – musician and songwriter
- Jet Jurgensmeyer – teen actor and musician
- Kesha – pop singer
- Kings of Leon – rock musicians
- Robert Knight – R&B singer best known for the hit "Everlasting Love"
- Kris Kristofferson – country singer-songwriter and actor
- Lady Antebellum – country music trio group
- Brenda Lee – pop singer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- Little Big Town – country music group
- Little Richard – rock musician
- Kimberley Locke – pop and R&B singer
- Liam Lynch – musician and co-creator of the television show Sifl and Olly
- Loretta Lynn – country singer-songwriter
- Mandisa – Christian music artist
- Barbara Mandrell – country singer-songwriter
- Chris Marion – member of classic rock's Little River Band
- Martina McBride – singer-songwriter
- Tim McGraw – country music singer-songwriter and actor
- Reba McEntire – country music singer and actress
- Roger Miller – country singer-songwriter, known for "King of the Road"
- Neal Morse – singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and progressive rock composer based in Nashville
- Dave Mustaine – lead musician for heavy metal band Megadeth
- Willie Nelson – guitarist and country singer, member of the outlaw country movement
- Aaron Neville – soul singer and member of the Neville Brothers; displaced from his native New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina
- The New Schematics – indie rock band
- John Oates – hit rock and soul recording artist from duo Hall & Oates, has homes in Colorado and Nashville
- St. Louis Jimmy Oden – blues pianist, born here in 1903
- Roy Orbison – singer-songwriter, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, known for "Pretty Woman"
- Brad Paisley – country singer-songwriter
- Paramore – rock musicians
- Dolly Parton – country singer-songwriter and actress
- Johnny Paycheck – country singer
- Wayne Perry – country singer-songwriter and producer
- Kellie Pickler – country music singer-songwriter
- Poppy – pop singer-songwriter
- Millard Powers – member of Counting Crows, musician, songwriter, producer, engineer
- Rascal Flatts – country music trio
- Caroline Keating Reed – pianist and music teacher
- Tex Ritter – singing cowboy
- Earl Scruggs – bluegrass banjo player
- Ed Sheeran – English singer, songwriter, producer, actor
- Blake Shelton – country singer, judge on TV series The Voice
- Michael W. Smith – Christian music artist
- Soccer Mommy – indie rock back fronted by Sophie Allison
- Chris Stapleton – country/bluegrass/rock musician
- Starlito – rapper
- Edwin Starr – 1970s funk singer
- Marty Stuart – country/bluegrass musician; host of his own show on RFD-TV
- Donna Summer – disco and R&B singer
- Emma Swift – Australian country/Americana musician[48]
- Taylor Swift – one of the world's top-selling singer-songwriters
- Thompson Square – country music duo
- Ernest Tubb – singer-songwriter, one of the pioneers of country music
- Shania Twain – Canadian country music singer-songwriter and actress
- Steven Tyler – lead singer-songwriter of rock band Aerosmith
- Keith Urban – country music superstar, married to Nicole Kidman
- Townes Van Zandt – folk music singer-songwriter
- Gillian Welch – contemporary "alt-country" songwriter and singer
- Kitty Wells – singer and musician from country music's early days
- Matt Wertz – acoustic singer-songwriter
- Dottie West – country singer-songwriter
- Jack White – guitarist and lead vocalist of The White Stripes
- Hayley Williams – musician, songwriter, lyricist
- Allen Woody – bassist for the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule
- Victor Wooten – virtuoso electric bass guitar player
- Emily Wright – songwriter, producer and engineer
- Tammy Wynette – country singer-songwriter, known for "Stand By Your Man"
- Dwight Yoakam – country musician, songwriter and actor
- Taylor York – musician, songwriter, lyricist
- Young Buck – rapper and member of G-Unit
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National
- Edward Carmack – former U.S. Senator, newspaper editor, and attorney
- Bill Frist – former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
- Al Gore Jr. – former U.S. Vice President and Senator; recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- Tipper Gore – Second Lady of the United States 1993–2001
- Sam Houston – U.S. Congressman, Governor of both Tennessee and Texas, and President of the Republic of Texas; for whom the city of Houston is named
- Andrew Jackson – former U.S. President
- Andrew Johnson – former U.S. President and Vice President
- John Lewis – civil rights leader, U.S. Congressman (GA 5th Dist.), and former SNCC chairman
- Fred Meyer – treasurer of Aladdin Industries in Nashville, pre-1971; chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, 1988–1994; president of Tyler Corporation in Dallas, 1983–1986; native of suburban Chicago[49]
- James K. Polk – former U.S. President
- Fred Thompson – former U.S. Senator and actor
Local
- Megan Barry – first female mayor of Nashville; first female mayor of Nashville to resign office
- Phil Bredesen – mayor of Nashville 1991–99, governor of Tennessee 2003–2011
- John Ray Clemmons (born 1977) – member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing the 55th district, in West Nashville
- Karl Dean – former mayor of Nashville
- John Jay Hooker – attorney, perennial candidate, and political gadfly
- Diane Neighbors – vice mayor of Nashville, 2007–2015
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 | This sectionion needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
Artists and writers
- Emelie C. S. Chilton - writer, editor
- Greg Downs – Flannery O'Connor Award-winning short story writer
- Tony Earley – novelist and short story writer
- Karen Kingsbury – novelist
- Harmony Korine – filmmaker and artist
- Rachel Korine – actress and photographer, married to Harmony Korine
- Alan LeQuire – sculptor
- Jon Meacham - Pulitzer-prize winning writer, reviewer, historian and presidential biographer
- Ann Patchett – novelist
- T. M. Schleier – early photographer
- Robert Penn Warren – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet
- Tennessee Williams – foremost playwright of 20th-century drama, lived briefly in Nashville
Business leaders
- Mike Curb – founder of Curb Records, former Lieutenant Governor of California
- George A. Dickel – liquor distributor
- Dick Griffey – record producer, music promoter
- Wallace Rasmussen – businessman, philanthropist, CEO of Beatrice Foods
- Preston Taylor – minister, businessperson, philanthropist
Civic leaders
- William N. Bilbo – attorney, lobbyist for passage of the 13th Amendment, ending slavery
- William Driver – nicknamed the U.S. flag "Old Glory"
- Francis Guess – Nashville businessman and member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights (1983–1989)[50]
- James Lawson – civil rights leader and Methodist minister
- John Lewis - civil rights leader and Congressman from Georgia's 5th Congressional District
- Z. Alexander Looby – lawyer active in the American Civil Rights Movement
- Dan May – civic leader
- Diane Nash – civil rights leader
- Azariah Southworth – former host of a Christian television show; LGBT rights advocate[51][52]
Entertainers
- Nate Bargatze – comedian
- Kristin Chenoweth – Tony Award-winning Broadway actress
- Rachel DiPillo – actress, currently stars in NBC's Chicago Med
- Doug the Pug – famous dog
- Natalia Dyer – actress
- Ralph Emery – country music disc jockey and television host
- Eddie Frierson – voice actor, playwright
- Kathie Lee Gifford – television personality and former star of NBC's Today show
- Phil Harris – comedian, actor, singer, and jazz musician
- Melissa Joan Hart – actress
- Ashley Judd – actress and political activist
- Demetria Kalodimos – Emmy Award-winning anchor for WSMV-TV
- Nicole Kidman – actress
- Sondra Locke (1944–2018) – Oscar-nominated actress from Shelbyville, Tennessee lived briefly in Nashville
- Minnie Pearl (Sarah Cannon) – country comedian who appeared frequently on the Grand Ole Opry
- Jason Priestley - actor who starred on the television series "Beverly Hills, 90210"
- Dinah Shore – singer, actress, and television personality
- Richard Speight Jr. – actor
- Mary Steenburgen – actress, songwriter wife of Ted Danson
- Frank Sutton – actor, played Sergeant Carter on the hit TV series Gomer Pyle
- Austin Swift – actor, brother of Taylor Swift
- Niki Taylor – supermodel and TV presenter
- Adair Tishler – actress
- Jim Varney – actor, known for his character Ernest P. Worrell
- Dawn Wells – actress, Gilligan's Island
- William Wilkerson – founder of Flamingo Las Vegas hotel, Ciro's nightclub
- Oprah Winfrey – talk show host, movie producer, and entrepreneur
- Reese Witherspoon – Academy Award-winning actress
- Evan Rachel Wood – actress, musician, and star of TV series Westworld
- Patricia Heaton - actress
- Dwayne Johnson - actor, professional wrestler, alumni of both Glencliff High School and McGavock High School.
Journalists and talk show hosts
- Tomi Lahren – political commentator for Fox News
- Jon Meacham – Pulitzer Prize-winning author; former Newsweek editor
- Dave Ramsey – talk radio host and author
- Grantland Rice – sportswriter
- Fred Russell – sportswriter
- Pat Sajak - DJ, TV weather reporter, and game show host for "Wheel of Fortune"
- John Seigenthaler Jr. – MSNBC news anchor; son of John Seigenthaler Sr.
Religious leaders
- Richard Henry Boyd – founder and head of the National Baptist Publishing Board
- Virginia E. Walker Broughton – African American author and Baptist missionary[53][54][55]
- James T. Draper Jr. – president of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1982–1984; president of Nashville-based LifeWay Christian Resources, 1991–2006
- W. T. Handy, Jr. – United Methodist bishop, died in Nashville
Sportspeople
- Mookie Betts – baseball player
- Tracy Caulkins – three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer
- Eddie George – Heisman Trophy winner, four-time Pro Bowl NFL running back, businessman and professional actor
- Sonny Gray – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Scott Hamilton – world champion and Olympic gold medalist ice skater
- Demonte Harper (born 1989) - basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Mike Hasenfratz – National Hockey League referee[56]
- Adam Hooker – 2008 Slamball League MVP and starting stopper for Champion Slashers
- Andy Kirby – NASCAR driver
- Jessica Kresa – professional wrestler, known as ODB
- Herb Rich (1928–2008), 2x All-Pro NFL football player
- Wilma Rudolph – track star and Olympic gold medalist
- Martin Strel – long-distance swimmer, Big River Man and actor from Slovenia
Criminals and victims
- Jesse James – notorious outlaw and bank robber
- Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, fka Carlos Leon Bledsoe – committed the 2009 jihadi Little Rock military recruiting office shooting[57][58]
- Paul Dennis Reid - Serial killer nicknamed “The Fast Food Killer”
- Oscar Franklin Smith - Convicted murderer on Tennessee’s death row
- Marcia Trimble – victim of an infamous child murder case
Other
- Mary R. Calvert (1884–1974) – astronomical computer and astrophotographer
- Joseph Fuisz – attorney, inventor, and entrepreneur; founder of Fuisz Pharma LLC
- Richard Fuisz – physician, inventor, and entrepreneur, with connections to the United States military and intelligence community
- Amelia Laskey – ornithologist[59]
- Nat Love – famous African-American cowboy and hero of the Old West
- Ronal W. Serpas – Chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, 2004–2010[60]
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- Some sources list Potts' birthplace as Franklin, Kentucky, rather than Nashville.
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