(b. 1946) – In the early 70s, 200 women sent soul sensation Al Green a signed petition begging him never to get married. That, in the proverbial nutshell, captures the amazing popularity of this sweet crooner from Forrest City – especially among women. “The phenomenon of women is love,” Green once said, trying to explain his female fans’ attraction to him. “Men are more into their careers, making money and achieving goals in their lives, but a woman will turn down a career to say, I love you, and really mean it.” Al Green’s secret weapon, then, was that he understood love. That and a lot of talent plus some lucky breaks led him from a sharecropper’s shack in the Delta to the top of the soul charts. Soon Green had audiences swooning with his own hits such as “Tired of Being Alone” and “Let’s Stay Together,” followed by “Call Me,” “I’m Still in Love With You,” and “You Ought to Be With Me.” In 1972, Green was named rock “n” roll star of the year by Rolling Stone. But even as he was seducing millions with his songs about secular love, Al Green was feeling a pull toward something else. “I ran from it,” he told Rolling Stone. Green eventually became an ordained minister and bought the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis, assuming full-time duties as its pastor. Over time, he gave new meaning to the term “soul” music, blending his sweet R & B style with gospel. In the early 1980s, his “The Lord Will Make a Way” won his first Grammy but not his last. He still preaches every single Sunday. Today, Al Green understands a deeper kind of love. www.rockhall.com/inductee/algreen

 (1913-1964) – Born in Hot Springs and raised in California, he worked a variety of jobs before landing bit parts in films and theatrical productions. His big break came when he was cast as the psychotic paid killer, Philip Raven, in “This Gun for Hire” (1942). With a career consisting primarily of westerns and adventure films, he is perhaps best known as the mysterious stranger in “Shane” (1954). He appeared in 150 films. www.cmgww.com/starts/ladd

 (1934-1993) – Legendary jazz pianist born in Little Rock, Porter, the Arkansas jazz statesman, never officially worked as a touring musician; choosing instead to perform, teach, contribute to his church as well as to other charitable causes in his hometown and state. There were two exceptions: In 1977 at FESTAC 77 (the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture) and at jazz festivals in Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands during a 1991 European Tour with his son, saxophonist Art Porter, Jr. Porter has appeared on stage with Pharaoh Sanders, Steve Allen, O.C. Smith, James Leary, Al Hibbler and many others. www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net

 (b. 1955) – A native of Hot Springs, Thornton was featured on the television series “Hearts A’Fire.” He directed and starred in “Slingblade” a movie he filmed in Benton. He received two Oscar nominations for the film, one for Best Actor and one for Best Screenplay, which he won. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1999 for “A Simple Plan.” Thornton has since gone on to star in “Monster’s Ball” (2001), as Davy Crockett in “The Alamo” (2004), “Bad Santa” (2003), and “Astronaut Farmer” (2007).  www.billybobthornton.net 

 (1932-1995) – Born in the Colt community between Wynne and Forrest City, Arkansas, Rich got his start at Sun Records in Memphis and penned many songs for other artists before recording his first hit “Behind Closed Doors” in 1973. Other hits like “The Most Beautiful Girl” followed and Rich was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1974. In 1978, he appeared in the Clint Eastwood film “Every Which Way But Loose.” His nickname was “the Silver Fox.” www.mahalo.com/Charlie_Rich

(1902-1980) – Creator, along with Norris Goff, of the radio comedy team of “Lum and Abner.” He was born in Alleene but grew up with Goff in Mena. Their cracker barrel humor was popular in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s in both radio and the movies. Lauck played the character, Lum. The Lum ‘N’ Abner convention is held each June in Mena, Arkansas. www.chesterlauck.com

 (1904-1963) – Actor, director and producer was born in Mountain View. A former band vocalist and emcee, he played the male lead in a number of musicals in the 1930s, often opposite Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell. He then made a successful transition from the boyish crooner to more serious roles as the hardboiled detective in thrillers of the 1940s. In the early 1950s, he became president of the successful Four Star television production company. Movies included: “42nd Street,” (1933) “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” (1935) “Murder My Sweet” (1944) and “The Bad and Beautiful” (1952). His television series include “Four Star Playhouse” (1952), “The Dick Powell Zane Gray Theatre” (1961), “The Rifleman,” and “Wanted, Dead or Alive.” www.imdb.com/DickPowell

 (b. 1936) – A native of Delight in Pike County, the famous pop/country singer and songwriter hosted his own TV variety shows, “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” (1969) and “The Glen Campbell Music Show” (1982). His hit recordings include: “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Gentle on My Mind.” He appeared in the movies “True Grit” (1969), “Any Which Way You Can” (1980), “Uphill All The Way” (1985), and “Family Prayers” (1993). Campbell, who in 1960 was a session musician playing on recordings by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley and counless others, now headlines concerts throughout North America and the British Isles. www.glencampbellshow.com

(b. 1955) – Born and riased in Hampton, Arkansas, this former Little Rock high school speech teacher and football coach who is now one of the hottest producers in Hollywood. His hits include “The Fall Guy,” “The Blue & The Gray” mini-series (1983), “Designing Women,” “Evening Shade,” and “Hearts A’Fire.” He has been nominated for numerous awards including an Emmy, Director’s Guild Award, and a People’s Choice Award – among many others. www.mozarkproductions.com/principals

 (1907-1998) – Noted folk singer and songwriter who was born on a farm near Mountain View. While serving as superintendent at Snowball, he wrote his big hit “The Battle of New Orleans.” He is also known for another composition, “The Tennessee Stud.” Today, Jimmy Driftwood’s Barn in Mountain View is the setting for performances by the Rackensack Folklore Society. www.encyclopediaofarkansas.com

 (1932-2003) – This “Man in Black” was born to a Kingsland, Arkansas sharecropper on February 26, 1932. His first big hit was “Folsom Prison Blues” which rose to the Top Five in country singles in 1956. “I Walk the Line” became Cash’s first No. 1 hit. In 1957, he made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, and by 1958, he’d published 50 songs, sold more than six million records and moved to Columbia label. Some of his other well-known recordings include “A Boy Named Sue,” “Orange Blossom Special,” “Ring of Fire” and “Jackson,” which he recorded with his wife June Carter Cash. He starred in “The Johnny Cash Show” (ABC, 1969-71) and “Johnny Cash and Friends” (CBS, 1976). He also appeared in the movie “Gunfight” (1970), the television miniseries “North and South” (1985), and made guest appearances on various television shows. His 11 Grammys include a Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1998 Grammy for Country Album of the Year for “Unchained.” Cash was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992). www.johnny-cash.com

 (b. 1953) – This Academy Award-winning actress from North Little Rock was discovered by Jack Nicholson. She has starred in “Ragtime” (1981), Woody Allen’s “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” (1982), “Parenthood” (1989), “Back to the Future III” (1990), “The Butcher’s Wife” (1991) and many other movies. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “Melvin and Howard” in 1981. She produced and starred in “The End of the Line” (1987), a movie filmed in Arkansas. Steenburgen also starred, along with her husband, actor Ted Danson, in the television miniseries “Gulliver’s Travels” (1996) and the television series “Ink” (1997). She last appeared in the television show “Joan of Arcadia.” www.tvguide.com/celebrities/marysteenburgen

(1906-1978) – This Cove native created, along with Chester Lauck, the enormously popular 1940s radio show “Lum ‘n Abner” and subsequent movies. The setting for the program was mythical Pine Ridge, Arkansas, and its Jot-em-Down general store. Working in his father’s store while growing up made his role as grocer “Abner Peabody” a natural. www.norrisgoff.com

 (1914-1996) – This Hot Springs native who grew up in Hope was known as the “Queen of Country Western Music.” She was one of the first country singers to successfully cultivate a cowgirl image. Her 1935 recording “I Want To Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” which included a virtuoso yodeling piece, was the first big hit by a female country singer, making her the first female country singer to have a single sell more than one million copies. She wrote over 200 songs during her career. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996, shortly following her death. www.patsymontana.net

 (b. 1947) – Born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, this Grammy award winner is considered to be one of the best adult contemporary music songwriters and producers. Goodrum has penned hits in all areas of music-pop, rock, a/c, r&b and country. Some of his best-known hits include “You Needed Me” recorded by Anne Murray, “Foolish Heart,” “Oh Sherrie,” and “Bluer Than Blue.” He has had songs recorded by such stars as Ray Charles, Phoebe Snow, Judy Collins, Helen Reddy, The Commodores, Kenny Rogers and Dottie West, Jefferson Starship, England Dan and John Ford Coley who made a hit of Goodrum’s “It’s Sad to Belong (to Someone Else) When the Right One Comes Along,” and Tricia Yearwood among others. He has produced for the likes of Michael Bolton, Chet Atkins, and Olivia Newton-John. www.randygoodrum.com

 (b. 1968) – Born in Atlanta, Texas, this country music artist spent his early years in Foreman. His hits include “Alibis,” “Sticks and Stones,” “If the Good Die Young,” and “Outlaws, Rebels and Rogues” from the movie “Maverick.” In 2007 he released his first studio collection in three years featuring the hit singles “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” and “Til I Was A Daddy Too.” He was named Billboard’s Top New Male Vocalist in 1992, the Academy of County Music’s Top New Male Vocalist in 1993, and has received many other awards over the last several years. www.tracylawrence.com

 (b. 1942) – Holyfield is from Little Rock and has written 15 number one country songs for many Nashville recording artists, such as Ronnie Millsap, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, the Judds, Julio Iglesias, Don Williams and Waylon Jennings. “I am proudest of the song “Could I Have This Dance” because it is used in so many weddings (listed as one of the top 5 wedding songs). Touching people’s lives is what songwriting is really about. I am proud to be able to say that I am a professional songwriter and that my music has had an impact in some small way on those who have heard it. What a wonderful legacy.” Holyfield received the NSAI Presidential Award in 1979, has received 14 BMI performance awards, and also received 16 ASCAP performance awards. He wrote and recorded the song “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” for the Arkansas Sesquicentennial in 1986. He is quoted as saying “I live in Tennessee,” I work in Nashville, but Arkansas is always home and I wrote this song from my heart.” www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/fame/holyfld