Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1837 as the final destination for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The city's official website lists its population at about 420,000 as of 2010. A city that mixes progress with the past, Atlanta has been home to a number notable citizens, famous for their roles in history, entertainment, literature and more.
Brenda Lee is a singer in the rockabilly, pop and country genres. She was born on Dec. 11, 1944, in Atlanta. Originally known as Brenda Mae Tarpley, Lee began her career at age 5 in a school talent competition. From there, she became a regular on the Atlanta radio show “Starmakers Revue.” Lee's career turned to television on a program called “TV Ranch” on the Atlanta television station WAGA-TV. Neither job paid. In pursuit of fame, she moved around the country, spending time in Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia. As of 2010, Brenda Lee resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Civil rights pioneer the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He spent most of his early life in Atlanta and attended Booker T. Washington High School, graduating at 15. King then earned a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College in the city, a school both his father and grandfather attended and graduated. After this, he pursued a degree at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and attended Boston University, where he met and married Coretta Scott, moving back to Georgia in 1954. It was after this that he spearheaded the equality and desegregation movements in the United States. Before his assassination on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, King traveled over 6 million miles, spoke in public over 2,500 times, led a number of protests, rallied in Washington, D.C., with the support of over 250,000 people, was arrested over 20 times, assaulted approximately four times, was presented five honorary degrees and was awarded the distinction of being the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Atlanta's the only place I've ever been where people drive 70 miles per hour, bumper-to-bumper. In most places, people do one or the other--but not both,” quips Jeff Foxworthy, a stand-up comedian specializing in pointing out the idiosyncrasies of working-class rural American lifestyles. Born Sept. 6, 1958, in Atlanta, Foxworthy attended and graduated from Hapeville High School in nearby Hapeville, Georgia. After graduating, Foxworthy attended Georgia Tech, located in the city. After his unsuccessful college attempt, Foxworthy worked as a computer maintenance man for IBM. His first comedic appearance occurred at the Great Southeastern Laugh-off, held at Sandy Springs, Georgia's Punchline comedy club in 1984. After winning, he began his career in stand-up comedy by touring clubs in and around Atlanta before achieving international success with his routines.
