Music · 1937–2001Joe Hendersonjazz tenor saxophonist, composerOhio-born tenor saxophone giant of Blue Note and Verve who came of age in Detroit's 1950s jazz scene and studied at Wayne State University.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,912 famous people
- 135 Detroit places
- 8 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
11 people
Clear filtersMusic · 1937–2001Joe Hendersonjazz tenor saxophonist, composerOhio-born tenor saxophone giant of Blue Note and Verve who came of age in Detroit's 1950s jazz scene and studied at Wayne State University.
Sports · 1931–2026Glenn Hallice hockey goaltenderHall of Fame goaltender who broke in with the Red Wings and later set the NHL's iron-man record of 502 consecutive games, mostly earned after leaving Detroit.
Civil rights & activism · 1939–2016Tom Haydenactivist, author, politicianRoyal Oak-raised author of the Port Huron Statement and New Left leader who grew up in Father Coughlin's parish and later served in the California legislature.
Music · 1932–2002Roland Hannajazz pianist, composer, educatorDetroit-born pianist of the city's celebrated bebop piano school, a Cass Tech graduate and longtime Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra member, knighted by Liberia in 1970.
Sports · born 1937Bailey Howellbasketball playerHall of Fame forward who spent his first five NBA seasons starting for the Pistons before a trade sent him on to two championships in Boston.
Music · born 1937Louis Hayesjazz drummer, bandleaderDetroit-born drummer who led a band in the city's clubs before he was 16 and went on to Horace Silver, Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson; NEA Jazz Master 2023.
Music · 1939–2007Billy Hendersonsinger, dancerFounding member of the Spinners, raised in Royal Oak Township, who was the group's leading dancer for half a century.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗