Stars from the Piney Woods: Famous People from East Texas
Did you know that there are quiet a few Famous People from East Texas? Some born here and some raised here.
I am sure you can name a few but there is possibly more than you think. Check out all the Stars from East Texas that we have found.
Stars from the Piney Woods: Famous People from East Texas
Actors
Matthew David McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas.
His mother, Mary Kathleen (McCabe), is a substitute school teacher originally from New Jersey. His father, James Donald McConaughey, was a Mississippi-born gas station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business.
He is of Irish, Scottish, German, English, and Swedish descent. Matthew grew up in Longview, Texas, where he graduated from the local High School (1988)
Martindale was born inย Jacksonville, Texas, the youngest of three children and only daughter of William Everett and Margaret (nรฉeย Pruitt) Martindale.ย
In addition to owning and operating a lumber company in Jacksonville, her father was known as a championย dog handlerย in Texas and throughout theย Southern United States.
Duncan was born on February 20, 1946, inย New London, Texas, to Sylvia and Mancil Ray Duncan, a gas-station owner.
She spent her early years there before moving toย Tyler, Texas, when she was in third grade. She performed in her first dance recital at the age of five.
Spacek was born inย Quitman, Texasย and grew up inย Texas.
She aspired to have a career as a recording artist. In 1968, at age 18, she recorded a single, "John, You Went Too Far This Time," under the name Rainbo.
Spacek began her professional acting career in the early 1970s, making her debut as an extra inย Andy Warhol'sย Women in Revoltย (1971).ย
Born inย Terrell, Texas, Foxx is the son of Darrell Bishop (renamed Shahid Abdula following his conversion toย Islam), who sometimes worked as a stockbroker, and Louise Annette Talley Dixon.
Shortly after his birth, Foxx was adopted and raised by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle Marie (Nelson), a domestic worker and nursery operator, and Mark Talley, a yard worker.
Singers
Donald Hugh Henley was born July 22, 1947, inย Gilmer, Texas, and grew up in the small northeast Texas town ofย Linden.
He is the son of Hughlene (nรฉeย McWhorter; 1916โ2003) and C. J. Henley (1907โ1972). He hasย Irish,ย Englishย andย Scottishย ancestry.
Henley attendedย Linden-Kildare High School, where he initially played football, but due to his relatively small build his coach suggested that he quit, and he joined the high school band instead. He first played theย trombone, then in the percussion section.
Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr. was born on July 30, 1958, inย Jacksonville, Texas, to an Filipino-American mother and Irish-American father.
Inspired by the variety of music that his parents listened to, which includedย country,ย rock,ย discoย andย R&B, McGaughey first sang in his church choir before founding an R&B band. He later switched his focus to country music, performing in various bars and clubs in Texas.
McGaughey, after attendingย junior collegeย near his hometown, found work selling shoes at a shopping mall. In the early 1980s, he met his wife, Melinda, at the store.
Lee Ann Womack was born on August 19, 1966, inย Jacksonville, Texas. At an early age she was interested in country music.
Her father, a disc jockey, often took his daughter to work with him to help choose records to play on the air.
Womack was the second of two daughters. Her mother was aย schoolteacherย and her father was a high schoolย principal.
As a child, Womack studied the piano and later graduated fromย Jacksonville High Schoolย in 1984. After graduating, Womack attendedย South Plains Junior Collegeย inย Levelland, Texas.
Miranda Leigh Lambert was born November 10, 1983, to Rick and Bev (nรฉe Hughes) Lambert inย Longview, Texas, and was raised inย Lindale, Texas. She was named after her great-grandmother, Lucy Miranda.ย She has one younger brother.
Her parents met while Bev was attending camp atย Southern Methodist Universityย and Rick was an on-campus undercover narcotics officer, and they got together a few years later.
Rick is a formerย Dallasย police officer who played in a country-rock group called Contraband in the 1970s. Rick and Bev later becameย private detectivesย and even worked on the high-profile case of the impeachment of Presidentย Bill Clinton.
After the oil crisis dampened the economy in Texas, her family lost everything.
Mathis was born inย Gilmer, Texas, on September 30, 1935, the fourth of seven children of Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd, both domestic cooks.
Mathis is African-American and has stated that he has Native American ancestry on his mother's side.
The family moved toย San Franciscoย when Mathis was five years old, settling on 32nd Avenue in theย Richmond District, where Mathis would grow up.
Reeves was born at home inย Galloway, Texas, a small rural community nearย Carthage.
He was the youngest of eight children born to Thomas Middleton Reeves (1882-1924) and Mary Beulah Adams Reeves (1884-1980). He was known as Travis during his childhood years.
Winning an athletic scholarship to theย University of Texas, he enrolled to study speech and drama but quit after only six weeks to work in the shipyards inย Houston.ย
Kacey Lee Musgraves was born August 21, 1988, inย Golden, Texas, to Craig and Karen (nรฉe Abrams) Musgraves.
Craig is the owner of a small printing business, M-Prints Printing, Inc., inย Mineola, Texas, and Karen Musgraves is an artist.
Musgraves has stated that she was born six weeks prematurely and weighed only five pounds. Musgraves has one younger sister, Kelly Christine Sutton (nรฉe Musgraves), who is a photographer.
Other Famous People
Mahomes was born on September 17, 1995, inย Tyler, Texas. His father isย Pat Mahomes, a formerย MLBย pitcher.
He attendedย Whitehouse High Schoolย inย Whitehouse, Texas. He playedย football, baseball, andย basketball. Mahomes believes that training inย pitchingย and playing basketball improved his quarterback skills.
In football, he had 4,619 passing yards, 50 passingย touchdowns, 948 rushing yards, and 15 rushing touchdowns as a senior in high school.
In baseball, he threw aย no-hitterย with 16ย strikeoutsย in a game his senior year. He was named theย Maxprepsย Male Athlete of the Year for 2013โ2014.
