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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
21 fields

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Music · born 1988Lizzosinger, rapper, flutist, actressGrammy-winning singer and rapper of “Truth Hurts” and “About Damn Time,” born in Detroit in 1988 and raised there until age ten.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1920–2013Yusef Lateefjazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, authorJazz saxophonist and flutist who grew up in Detroit, studied at Wayne State and blended jazz with Eastern sounds long before "world music" had a name.Grew up hereDetroit career

Music · born 1946Bettye LaVettesingerDetroit-raised soul singer who cut her first hit at 16 for local producer Johnnie Mae Matthews and found late-career acclaim in the 2000s.Grew up hereDetroit career

Music · born 1949Lene Lovichsinger, songwriterDetroit-born new-wave singer of “Lucky Number” who spent her childhood in the city before moving to England at 13.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1991Dej Loafrapper, singer, songwriterEast-side Detroit rapper and singer whose soft-spoken 2014 hit “Try Me” made her one of the first Detroit women in hip-hop to break nationally in the streaming era.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1930–2009Eddie Lockejazz drummerDetroit-born drummer of the Bop & Locke act who became Coleman Hawkins's and Roy Eldridge's drummer and appears in the photograph A Great Day in Harlem.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1937–2005Ruth Laredoclassical pianistDetroit-born pianist, 'America's First Lady of the Piano', who made the first complete recording of Scriabin's ten sonatas after hearing Horowitz play Scriabin in Detroit as a child.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1960–2004Mark Ledfordtrumpeter, singer, guitaristDetroit-raised multi-instrumentalist and singer of the Pat Metheny Group, heard on the Grammy-winning albums Still Life (Talking) and Secret Story.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1968Kenny Larkintechno producer, DJDetroit-born second-wave techno producer whose soulful, melodic records on Plus 8 and Warp made him a major influence in Europe.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1929–2011Barbara Leajazz singer, actressDetroit-born jazz singer, admired for her faithful readings of the American songbook, whose father was a clarinetist turned Michigan attorney general.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1937Kirk Lightseyjazz pianist, flutistDetroit-born pianist who accompanied singers in Detroit and California in the 1960s, toured with Dexter Gordon, played in The Leaders and has lived in Paris since 2000.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1940–1969Shorty Longsinger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producerMotown singer of "Here Comes the Judge" and co-writer of "Devil with a Blue Dress", who drowned in a boating accident on the Detroit River in 1969.Moved hereDetroit career

Music · born 1976Tony Luccasinger-songwriter, actorPontiac-born, Waterford-raised singer who joined The All New Mickey Mouse Club after a Detroit audition and later finished third on The Voice in 2012.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1935–1997Hugh Lawsonjazz pianistDetroit pianist who was Yusef Lateef's keyboard partner for more than a decade from 1957 and later toured with Charles Mingus.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1945Laura Leesoul and gospel singer, songwriterDetroit-raised soul singer of "Women's Love Rights" and "Rip Off" on Hot Wax, who began in the Meditation Singers gospel group in Della Reese's place.Grew up hereDetroit career

Music · born 1940Shirley Loveoperatic mezzo-sopranoDetroit-born mezzo-soprano, a Wayne State graduate who sang at the Metropolitan Opera for twenty consecutive seasons from 1963.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1927–2015Seymour Lipkinpianist, conductor, educatorDetroit-born pianist who entered the Curtis Institute at eleven, toured with Jascha Heifetz at seventeen and became Leonard Bernstein's assistant conductor.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1942–2021Louis St. Louissongwriter, arranger, music director, singerDetroit-born Broadway arranger and songwriter who co-wrote Sandy for the film Grease, sang on its soundtrack and scored Grease 2.Born here

Music · 1864–1933William Lavintenor, voice teacherTenor raised in Detroit who returned after an international career to teach at the Michigan Conservatory and sing as soloist at Fort Street Presbyterian Church for two decades.Grew up hereMoved here

Music · 1914–2003Josephine Harreld Loveconcert pianist, musicologist, museum founderConcert pianist and musicologist who moved to Detroit in 1941 and in 1969 co-founded Your Heritage House, a fine arts museum and studio for the city's children.Moved hereDetroit career

Music · 1939–1992Ted Lucassinger-songwriter, guitarist, sitaristDetroit folk guitarist of Greek descent, co-founder of the Spike Drivers and Motown session sitarist, whose private-press 1975 album became a cult classic after his death.Born hereGrew up here

Music · born 1955Cary Lorenguitarist, filmmaker, photographer, booksellerDetroit-born filmmaker and guitarist who co-founded Destroy All Monsters and has run the Book Beat, an Oak Park bookstore, since 1982.Born hereGrew up here

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 ↗

Famous Detroiters

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