These 5 Celebrities Hail From Some Of Tennessee’s Most Charming Small Towns

From humble beginnings can come greatness — some of Tennessee’s most charming small towns have birthed true American icons. I find it interesting to see where people come from because they will usually hold a little piece of that with them no matter where life takes them. So here are five famous people born in small towns in Tennessee. You might not know about the towns — but you have definitely heard of the people.

Phillip Dodds/ Flickr

Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville have all seen a fair share of individuals who, in one way or another, rose in their field of expertise to become known by the rest of the world. You would expect a fair share of musicians to come from Music City after all, but plenty of actors, athletes, and historical figures have come from other cities and towns Tennessee. It wasn’t just the big cities that produced stars -- no, there are a few small towns where stars were born.

Chester Harding/ Wikipedia

David Crockett was born and raised in east Tennessee. Despite helping settle and build the road out west, Davy spent much of his time on the fringes of society. Nevertheless, Crockett went on to discover and explore areas yet unknown and is revered as an American hero and folk legend. Known as the "King of the Wild Frontier," he contributed much to this country from the late 18th and early 19th century.

Unknown/ Wikimedia

Roy Acuff is also known, in a sense, as royalty here in the South. He is known as "The King of Country" and he was born in a little town just north of Knoxville known as Maynardville. If you are a fan of country music, then you undoubtedly know that this man made way for the country stars we have to this day. His contributions to the genre paved the way for another notable singer you might have heard of who is from Tennessee…

RCA Records/ Wikipedia

It is pretty tough to rank the importance of each individual on this list, but there is no denying the love that people in Tennessee have for Dolly. In a true rags-to-riches story, she was born in a one-room cabin in a little town in Sevier County called Pittman Center. She started singing early on at church and quickly rose to be the country music star she is to date. Many of our state's top tourist attractions owe Ms. Parton a huge “thank you” because her entrepreneurial ways lead the way to make some of the biggest draws to the Smoky Mountain area, aside from our national park of course.

Philip Spittle/ Wikiapedia

It seems as though a lot of people from Tennessee are considered royalty because Tina Turner is known as “The Queen of Rock N’ Roll." Born in a little town north of Memphis called Brownsville, Turner worked her way to stardom with a powerful voice and commitment to the arts.

Dave Ramsey/ Facebook

Dave Ramsey is colloquially known as “America’s Accountant” and was born in Antioch, Tennessee. Antioch isn’t technically a small town, per se, but it is a small neighborhood within Nashville. Mr. Ramsey has risen to the ranks and is considered a hero to all who want financial freedom -- many people have experienced a new way of living and have taken control of their money following his steps. He runs a daily radio show where he makes money talk fun and even funny, which is quite a feat when discussing finances.

These famous people born in small towns in Tennessee might all have very different careers, but they have one thing in common: they have all come from the state’s smallest towns, where they rose through the ranks and now the world knows their name. How many of these small towns in Tennessee have you heard of before? 

For more small-town fun in Tennessee, check out the lovely town of Union City.