Random the Most Famous Musician From Every Stat (50 items)

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  (#3) Prince

  • Dec. at 57 (1958-2016)

  Prince Rogers Nelson was born in 1958 in Minneapolis, MN. The "Purple Rain" singer taught himself how to play the drums, guitar, and piano at a very young age. He went on to become one of the most successful artists of the 1980s and ultimately a music legend. While most big-time musicians eventually leave their hometown for New York City or Los Angeles, Prince never abandoned his Minnesota roots.

  Prince's close friend Nik West talked about Prince's connection with Minnesota:

  "He said Minneapolis raised him... [moving]will never happen," she said. " He would say, 'I'm never leaving... there's a legacy here for me' He was just all about just being who he was - being at home."
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  (#13) Chuck Berry

  • 92

  Chuck Berry was born in 1926 in St. Louis, MO. He got his start in music at both church and school. The "Johnny B. Goode" singer first delighted audiences at a school talent show. Berry learned how to play the guitar and ultimately became one of the pioneers of rock music.
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  (#30) Joe Perry

  • 68

  Joe Perry was born in Lawrence, MA in 1950. He started playing the guitar at the age of 10, dropped out of high school his senior year, and moved to Boston. The decision to leave his hometown was a fortuitous one because Perry met up with Steven Tyler in Boston. The pair would go on to form Aerosmith.

   

   
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  (#38) Wiz Khalifa

  • 31

  Cameron Jibril Thomaz was born in 1987 in Minot, ND. The future rap star showed an early interest in music and began writing his own lyrics at the age of nine. By the time the "Say Yeah" singer was a teenager, Wiz Khalifa was recording his own tracks.

   
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  (#48) Shawn Colvin

  • 63

  Shawn Colvin was born in 1956 in Vermillion, SD. The folk singer taught herself how to play the guitar at ten years old. Colvin gained popularity during the late 1980s as part of the "new folk movement." She achieved international fame with her 1997 Grammy Award winning single "Sunny Came Home."
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  (#36) Billy Corgan

  • 51

  Billy Corgan was born in 1967 in Elk Grove, IL. The "Tonight, Tonight" singer's father was a blues guitarist, and Corgan formed his own band in high school. However, real success did not come until the late 1980s, when the front man formed the alternative rock group the Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins went on to be one of the most popular bands of the '90s. 

   

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