The following is a list of notable people who have lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
Native Nashvillians People born in Tennessee: Name Birth year Notability Reference John Adams 1825 Brigadier general during the American Civil War Shak Adams1998Soccer player Duane Allman 1946 Guitarist and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band . Accessed April 24, 2007. Gregg Allman 1947 Singer, keyboardist and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band . Accessed April 24, 2007. Frank Maxwell Andrews 1884 Important figure in U.S. military aviation Casey Atwood 1980 NASCAR driver Alfred Bartles 1930 Composer of jazz/classical crossover music Bill Belichick 1952 Former head coach of six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Madison Smartt Bell 1957 Novelist Julian Bond 1940 Civil rights activist Robert Earl Bonney 1882 U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipient, 1910 Linn Boyd 1800 Member of Congress from Kentucky and speaker of the United States House of Representatives Beverly Briley 1914 Mayor of Nashville, 1963–1975 David Briley 1964 Mayor of Nashville, 2018 Marvelyn Brown 1984 HIV/AIDS activist (co-written with Courtney E. Martin) Thomas Bunday 1948 Serial killer who murdered six women in Fairbanks, Alaska Kitty Cheatham 1864 Singer and actress Sara Ward Conley 1859 Artist James Craig 1912 Actor Anne Dallas Dudley 1876 Women's suffrage activist Thomas Fletcher 1817 Arkansas politician Colin Ford 1996 Actor Morris Frank 1908 Founder, the Seeing Eye, first guide dog training school Bill Frist 1952 Former U.S. Senate majority leader John Gordy 1935 Tennessee Volunteers and Detroit Lions football player Dick Griffey 1938 Record executive and promoter Red Grooms 1937 Artist Noodles Hahn 1879 Major League Baseball player Bobby Hamilton 1957 NASCAR driverDemonte Harper 1989American 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 Claude Jarman Jr. 1934 Actor Randall Jarrell 1914 Poet and writer Jeff Jarrett1967 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 Margaret Landis 1890 Silent screen actress 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 Ellen McLain 1952 Voice actress Ron Mercer 1976 Professional basketball player Tom Moran 1899 Football player William Morrison 1860 Dentist, inventor of cotton candy Alice Oates 1849 Actress and pioneer of musical theatre Chord Overstreet 1989 Singer, songwriter, TV actor Bettie Page 1923 Pin-up model Keith Paskett 1964 Professional football player for Green Bay Packers James B. Pearson 1920 U.S. Senator Antoinette Van Leer Polk 1847 French baroness Annie Potts 1952 Actress Some sources list Potts' birthplace as Franklin, Kentucky, rather than Nashville. Shelton Quarles 1971 Professional football player for Tampa Bay Buccaneers Emily J. Reynolds 1956 Former Secretary of the U.S. Senate Robert Ryman 1930 Visual artist Hillary Scott 1986Singer-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 Samuel Stritch 1887 First American member of the Roman Curia Phillip Supernaw 1990 NFL player Andrea True 1943 Pornstar and disco singer 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 Charlie Wade 1950 Football player Chuck Wagner 1958 Actor William Walker 1824 Journalist, adventurer, and briefly the President of Nicaragua Gretchen Walsh 2003 Swimmer Bliss, Jessica (June 24, 2016). "Nashville swimmer youngest Olympic Trials qualifier". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 24, 2021. Kitty Wells 1919 Musician and singer, commonly referred to as the Queen of Country Music Hank Williams III 1972 Singer and musician . Accessed April 24, 2007. Walter K. Wilson Sr. 1880 US Army major general Del Wood 1920 Ragtime, gospel, and country music pianist . Accessed April 24, 2007. Young Buck 1981 Rapper . Accessed April 24, 2007.
Musicians and songwriters 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 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 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 Jelly Roll – musician, songwriter, lyricist Struggle Jennings – musician, songwriter, lyricist 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 Jet Jurgensmeyer – teen actor and musician Donny Kees – musician and songwriter Tay Keith - Rap music artist and record producer 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 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 Upchurch – rapper, singer-songwriter, and comedian Keith Urban – country music superstar, married to Nicole Kidman Townes Van Zandt – folk music singer-songwriter Gillian Welch – contemporary "alt-country" songwriter and singer