Did You Know These Famous Musicians Are From Michigan?
This week has been declared Greta Van Fleet week by the Michigan Senate in honor of the band's 4 Michigan dates to headline their latest highly anticipated tour. (Which you should catch if you can, it is INCREDIBLE!)
But the Frankenmuth born band of brothers aren't the only genre changing artists who once called Michigan home. We have a ton of incredible music we can claim, and here are some of the most famous and iconic musicans from Michigan (in no particular order.)
Bob Seger
The ramblin’ gamblin’ man calls Detroit his home, and is proud to do so. In fact, he still owns a home on Orchard Lake, where you can have a scenic cruise and enjoy his music.
Kid Rock
Kid Rock, or as his classmates knew him as Bob Ritchie, was born in Romeo, MI. While he currently is known for spending most of his time in Nashville these days, he still reminds everyone where he’s really from in his songs.
Aretha Franklin
She wasn’t born in Michigan, but the Queen of Soul moved to Detroit when she was 10 years old and made it her home. And we’re glad, because this legend made the mitten proud: she has twice been placed ninth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Eminem
Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, makes it loud and clear that he’s proud to be from Detroit- to the point he made an entire movie about coming up in the city and how he got his start at The Shelter in St. Andrew’s Hall. This Detroit native still has a restaurant in the city where you can try the infamous Mom’s Spaghetti from his song “Lose Yourself”.
Stevie Wonder
This Saginaw native was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label when he was 11. When he turned 13 his single "Fingertips" was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, which made him the youngest artist ever to top the chart.
Greta Van Fleet
These brothers from Frankenmuth have recently reminded people that Michigan is the home of some of the worlds greatest musicians by starting their 2022 Dreams in Gold Tour with 4 Michigan dates, including Grand Rapids.
Alice Cooper
This Detroit born rock legend has made his unique mark on music and radio over the last 4 decades. While his band got their start in Arizona, he’s spend most of his time in motor city. In fact he’s so loud about his love, his most recent album was named Detroit Stories.
Smokey Robinson
The founder and frontman of the Motown vocal group the Miracles was born in Detroit and was a prominent part of the Motown movement that put Detroit on the musical map. In fact, he grew up with some of the other legends in the scene, At one point, he and Aretha Franklin lived several houses from each other on Belmont, and he once said he'd known her since she was about five.
Jack White
The lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes is another person who called Detroit home. This producer and songwriter currently calls Nashville home, but his impact on Michigan’s music scene can still be seen.
Al Green
While he wasn't born here, Al Green move to and grew up in Grand Rapids. During his last performance at the Meijer gardens, Al spoke of his fondness of the area and how it formed the musician we love today.
Grand Funk Railroad
While not every member is from here, this group is pure Michigan. The band's name is a play on name of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a line that runs through the band's hometown of Flint, Michigan.
Aailyah
While she was born in Brooklyn, Aailyah was raised in Detroit and attented the Detroit School of the Arts. Fun fact: her video for Back & Forth was filmed at the school. Her final resting place may be in New York, but we’ll always hold her memory close to our hearts here in Michigan.
The Verve Pipe
The Verve Pipe was formed in East Lansing in the early 1990s, but these days they’re more synonymously known for hanging around Grand Rapids. Their hometown shows are iconic, so if you haven’t caught this band in West Michigan, you haven’t seen them at all.
Unkle Cracker
This Mount Clemens born musician is best known for his cover of “Drift Away”, and while he’s a Nashville Resident these days, you can always count on him to stop by on tour.
Ted Nugent
This controversial musician was born and raised in Charter Township, and his original band name was the Motor City Madmen. He’s so proud to be from the mitten that he named his most recent album Detroit Muscle, and strings the theme throughout it’s tracks.