‘AMERICA’S DIGITAL GODDESS” ∗ Born July 1, 1967 in Watchung, New Jersey; mother was a systems analyst at Bell Labratories; father was a manager at United Airlines; Komando is their actual last name ∗ Graduated from high school a year… Continue reading
COUNTRY MUSIC “OUTLAW” ∗ Born June 15, 1937 in Littlefield, Texas; began playing guitar at age 8 ∗ Worked as a disc jockey at KVOW in Littlefield; then KDAV and KLLL in Lubbock ∗ Met Lubbock native Buddy Holly in… Continue reading
“AMERICA’S GREATEST ARCHITECT” ∗ Born June 8, 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin; mother was a teacher; father, a preacher and musician; family moved frequently (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Iowa) before settling back in Madison, Wisconsin ∗ Attended high school in Madison,… Continue reading
FLEETWOOD MAC’S GYPSY ∗ Born Stephanie Lynn Nicks on May 26, 1948 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix; her parents were both Arizona natives ∗ Learned to perform from her grandfather A.J., an aspiring country music entertainer, who brought her… Continue reading
THE “OUTLAW” QUEEN ∗ Born Mirriam Johnson on May 25, 1943 in Phoenix; mother was a Pentecostal minister, father was a race car driver ∗ Began singing and playing piano at age 11 at her mother’s church; entered Phoenix area… Continue reading
SUN CITY FOUNDER ∗ Born May 17, 1899 in Fresno, California; dropped out of high school to become a carpenter’s apprentice ∗ Moved to Phoenix at age 28 to recover from typhoid fever ∗ Founded the Del E Webb Construction… Continue reading
“TITAN OF TWANG” ∗ Born April 26, 1938 in Corning, New York; began playing guitar at age 5 ∗ Moved with his family to Tucson at age 13, then to Coolidge, and to Phoenix at age 15; played local gigs… Continue reading
COUNTRY AND POP SUPERSTAR ∗ Born April 22, 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, but famously claimed nearby Delight as his hometown, where his father was a sharecropper; youngest of 12 children ∗ Learned guitar by mimicking Django Reinhardt records, and later… Continue reading
“THE ANGRY MAN OF JAZZ” ∗ Born April 22, 1922 on Camp Stephen Little military base in Nogales, where his father was a “buffalo soldier”; family moved when he was 18 months old to the Watts section of Los Angeles,… Continue reading
PIONEERING GOSSIP REPORTER ∗ Born April 7, 1897 in New York City; dropped out of school in sixth grade to help support his family by working odd jobs ∗ Got his start in Gus Edwards’ kiddie vaudeville troupe the Newsboy… Continue reading
