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Famous Detroiters

People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.

1,912 famous people
135 Detroit places
9 fields

Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →

15 people

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Music · born 1948Alice Coopersinger, songwriterThe shock-rock pioneer was born in Detroit, grew up in East Detroit, and found his first real audience when his band moved to a Pontiac farmhouse in 1970.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1941George Clintonsinger, songwriter, producer, bandleaderLeader of Parliament-Funkadelic, who worked as a Motown staff writer and built P-Funk on Detroit labels and in Detroit studios such as United Sound Systems.Detroit career

Sports · 1941–2015Henry CarrsprinterTwo-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter who grew up in Detroit and set state records at Northwestern High School before starring at Arizona State.Grew up hereStudied here

Press & broadcasting · born 1943E. Jean Carrolljournalist, advice columnist, authorDetroit-born journalist whose Ask E. Jean column ran in Elle for 26 years and who later won major civil verdicts against Donald Trump.Born here

Film & TV · 1943–2003Frederick Coffinactor, singer, songwriterDetroit-born character actor of Hard to Kill, Wayne's World and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and a singer-songwriter.Born here

Sports · born 1946Don Chaneybasketball coach, former playerTwo-time NBA champion as a player elsewhere who worked as a Pistons assistant coach and later served two seasons as Detroit's head coach in the mid-1990s.Detroit career

Music · born 1946Chris Clarksinger, screenwriter, executiveCalifornia-born Motown singer of the northern soul favorites "Do Right Baby Do Right" and "Love's Gone Bad", later Oscar-nominated for co-writing Lady Sings the Blues.Detroit career

Music · born 1940Dennis Coffeyguitarist, producerDetroit guitarist who brought wah-wah and fuzz to Norman Whitfield's Temptations records and scored the 1971 instrumental hit "Scorpio".Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1945G. C. CameronsingerLead singer of the Spinners' 1970 Motown hit "It's a Shame" who stayed with Motown as a solo artist and later sang with the Temptations.Detroit career

Music · born 1948Jacky Clark Chisholmsinger, songwriterEldest of the Clark Sisters, the Detroit gospel group that became the best-selling female gospel act in history.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1940–2008Kenny Coxjazz pianist, bandleader, label founderDetroit pianist whose Contemporary Jazz Quintet recorded two Blue Note albums in 1968–1969 and who founded the city's Strata label and later the Guerilla Jam Band.Born hereDetroit career

Literature · born 1948Pearl Cleageplaywright, novelist, essayist, poetAtlanta playwright and Oprah-picked novelist who grew up in Detroit as the daughter of the Rev. Albert Cleage, founder of the Shrine of the Black Madonna.Grew up here

Music · born 1944Juanita CowartsingerOriginal Marvelette from Inkster who sang on "Please Mr. Postman" and left the group in 1963; the last surviving member of the group.Grew up hereDetroit career

Politics · born 1947Sheila Cockrelactivist, city councilwoman, consultantRadical organizer, widow of Ken Cockrel Sr. and stepmother of Ken Cockrel Jr., who served on the Detroit City Council for fifteen years (1994–2009).Detroit career

Music · 1949–1996Ken Collierclub DJBlack, gay Detroit DJ who bridged Motown-era soul and disco with house and techno and mentored a generation from the decks of Todd's and Club Heaven.Born hereGrew up here

The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗

Famous Detroiters

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