This area has shaped Oscar-winning actors, influential leaders, legendary athletes and even a Nobel Prize-winning inventor. It’s proof that big talent doesn’t need a big city — sometimes it just needs Upstate roots.
Musicians
The Marshall Tucker Band
This Southern rock band, hailing from Spartanburg, had hits including “Can’t You See.”
Edwin McCain
McCain is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose hits include “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More.”
Marcus King
King is the lead singer and founder of The Marcus King Band. His 2020 album, “El Dorado,” was nominated for a Grammy for best Americana album.
Peabo Bryson
A winner of two Grammy Awards, Bryson is known for his soulful ballads such as “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” and Disney feature soundtracks such as for “Beauty and the Beast.”
Entertainers
Chadwick Boseman
Boseman (1976-2020) was a renowned actor with notable roles including as Jackie Robinson and the Black Panther.
Danielle Brooks
A graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Brooks is known for her roles in “Orange is the New Black” and Broadway’s “The Color Purple.”
Joanne Woodward
Woodward won an Academy Award and multiple Golden Globe and Emmy awards during her career.
Peg Leg Bates
Known for tap dancing with a wooden leg, Bates (1907-1998) performed on Broadway, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and on USO tours.
Tyler Florence
Florence is a celebrated chef and restaurateur who has hosted several Food Network TV shows.
Athletes
“Shoeless Joe” Jackson
Jackson (1887-1951) played for the Chicago White Sox in the early 20th century and holds one of the highest batting averages in MLB history. Although acquitted in court of wrongdoing, Jackson was banned for life from baseball due to the 1919 World Series scandal.
Kevin Garnett
Garnett played 21 seasons in the NBA and was named the 2008 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Sandi Morris
Morris is a pole vaulter and silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Notable Figures and Innovators
Charles Townes
Townes (1915-2015) was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who is known for inventing the laser.
Jesse Jackson
A Civil Rights activist, Jackson (1941-2026) became a notable political figure and founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Dick Riley
Riley was a South Carolina governor and former U.S. Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton.
