Music · born 1944Gladys Knightsinger, actressThe “Empress of Soul,” whose family group Gladys Knight & the Pips moved to Detroit in the 1960s and cut the first hit version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” for Motown.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.
- 1,940 famous people
- 270 Detroit places
- 8 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
10 people
Clear filtersMusic · born 1944Gladys Knightsinger, actressThe “Empress of Soul,” whose family group Gladys Knight & the Pips moved to Detroit in the 1960s and cut the first hit version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” for Motown.
Film & TV · born 1949Lawrence Kasdanscreenwriter, film director, producerScreenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, who studied at the University of Michigan and spent about five years as a Detroit advertising copywriter before Hollywood.
Music · 1948–2020Ivan Králguitarist, bassist, songwriter, producer, filmmakerPrague-born guitarist of the Patti Smith Group and Iggy Pop, co-writer of “Dancing Barefoot,” who spent his final years recording in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Music · 1948–2024Wayne Kramerguitarist, songwriter, producerMC5 guitarist from the Downriver suburb of Lincoln Park whose band, the house band of the Grande Ballroom, recorded Kick Out the Jams live there in 1968.
Politics · 1945–2025Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrickteacher, politicianDetroit schoolteacher who served 18 years in the Michigan House and 14 in Congress (1997–2011), chaired the Congressional Black Caucus and was the mother of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Music · born 1944Betty KellysingerFormer Velvelette who replaced Annette Beard in Martha and the Vandellas in 1964 and sang in the lineup behind "Nowhere to Run" and "I'm Ready for Love".
Music · born 1948Bill Kirchenguitarist, singer, songwriterAnn Arbor–raised guitarist of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, whose twangy solo on “Hot Rod Lincoln” earned him the title “Titan of the Telecaster.”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 ↗