10 Most Famous people from Detroit


 

Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan. The city is home to the neoclassical Detroit Institute of Arts.

This institution is famous for the Detroit Industry Murals painted by Diego Rivera. The city is also known by its nickname Motor town (Motown), thanks to the auto industry.

Detroit is also home to Motown Records, a music house that has produced chart-topping hits. Diversity in this city has been influenced by both local and international cultures.

Music from Detroit has greatly influenced others around the world. Several genres have risen from here such as jazz, hip-hop, rock, and punk.

People from Detroit have greatly contributed to music, art, politics, entertainment as well as other spheres. Several of these award-winning people are not only known in Detroit but also the whole world.

Here are the 10 most famous people from Detroit.

1. Aaliyah – Singer

Aaliyah is famously known as the Princess of R&B. she was born in New York but grew up in Detroit.  Her singing career began when she was 10 years old.

Aaliyah’s debut album ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number’ was her big break at age 15.

Shortly after the release of the album, she graduated from Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts in 1997.

She went to be one of the most influential artists of the ‘90s. Some of her global hits were ‘One in a Million, ‘At Your Best’, ‘Rock the Boat’, ‘Try Again’, ‘We Need a Resolution.

2. Anita Baker – Singer

Anita Baker was abandoned aged 2 and grew up an hour away from the city of Detroit. She was raised by a foster family.   

In 1982 Anita signed with Otis Smith’s label, Beverly Glenn, and released her debut album Songstress 1983.

A few years later in 1986, Baker rose to stardom after the release of her Platinum-selling second album, Rapture. Part of the album was the Grammy-winning single “Sweet Love”.

Baker is a multi-award winner with 8 Grammy Awards and 5 Platinum albums, along with one Gold album.

Additionally, she is a contralto, with a vocal range that extends her register to at least three octaves.

3. Diana Ross – Singer

Diana Ross is famously remembered as the lead singer of Detroit’s 1960s mega girl group, The Supremes.

As a member of this girl group, their hit songs ‘Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love’ were entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These songs were among the top 500 that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Her solo career was also glamourous with several souls and pop hits. Some of her timeless hits include Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Reach Out and Touch, ‘Endless Love, and ‘Coming Out’.

Diana has sold over 100 million records and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

4. Lily Tomlin – Actress

Another famous person from Detroit is Lily Tomlin. She got her big break from the role on the variety show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In from 1969 to 1973.

Lily also featured as Frankie Bergstein on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, which debuted in 2015.

This show earned her nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

Part of her signature role was written by her partner, Jane Wagner, which opened on Broadway in 1985. Lily won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play.

In 2014, she was given Kennedy Centre Honours and in 2017 she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

5. Selma Blair – Actress

Selma played several roles in films and on television before earning recognition for her leading role in the film Brown’s Requiem (1998).

Her great leap came when she starred as Zoe Bean on the WB sitcom Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane (1999–2000).

Selma’s success continued with the comedies Legally Blonde (2001), The Sweetest Thing (2002). Additionally, she achieved international fame with her portrayal of Liz Sherman in the big-budget fantasy films Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).

Furthermore, Blair narrated the audiobook The Diary of Anne Frank, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2010.

6. Eminem – Rapper

Eminem is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. He is the 15-time Grammy award-winning recording artist with a truly inspiring story.

A high school dropout, Eminem pursued his passion for music and participated in several freestyle battles and radio appearances.

After years of making the appearances, he signed with Dr Dre as his producer. His career soared and some of his hit tracks were Lose Yourself,” “Stan,” “My Name Is,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “Cleaning Out My Closet,” “When I’m Gone,”.

Eminem’s global success and much-admired works are widely attributed to him breaking racial barriers. He was one of the first white rappers in popular music.

7. J.K. Simmons – Film Director

J.K. Simmons has featured in several films, including the Marvel Spider-Man as J. Jonah Jameson, For the Love of the Game and The Gift.

AS an Oscar award-winner, Simmons initially wanted to be a singer and studied at the University of Montana with the hopes of becoming a composer.

In his entire career, he has appeared in more than 200 films and television roles.

J.K won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award winner, among other accolades.

In 2020, J.K had recurring roles on the miniseries Defending Jacob and The Stand.

8. Big Sean – Rapper

Photo by Arturo Pardavila III – Wikimedia

Anderson, popularly known as Big Sean, began his music career in 2007. His big break came in 2010 after the release of his third mixtape Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big.

Big Sean was able to achieve this after he was discovered by Kanye West. They released a hit single Blessings featuring Drake and Kanye West.

Soon after, he signed a recording contract with GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings and released his debut studio album, Finally Famous in 2011.

This album had one of the US top 10 singles ‘ Dances (Ass)’ (featuring Nicki Minaj).

He released the second album, Hall of Fame (2013), while his third album, Dark Sky Paradise (2015), debuted atop the US Billboard 200.

9. Jack White – Guitarist

Jack White is an instrumental virtuoso who served as the lead singer and guitarist of the Grammy award-winning band The White Stripes.

Other than playing the guitar, he has also featured in several film roles. Additionally, White is a member of the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Foundation.

White was featured in Beyoncé’s Lemonade album in 2016 for the rock-inspired track Don’t Hurt Yourself.  

Through several of his various collaborations and solo work, he has won regional, national and international awards, including twelve Grammy Awards and has been nominated for 33.

10. John Witherspoon – Comedian

Witherspoon is a famous actor and comedian best known for his role in the Friday film franchise as Willie Jones created by rapper Ice Cube.

Some of his popular films include Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), The Five Heartbeats (1991), The Boondocks (2005–2014), Black Jesus (2014–2019) and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).

He died of a heart attack at his home in 2019.