South Carolina vs Georgia: Famous People

May 13, 2009 scruffd0g 4 comments

Ever wonder if more famous people are from South Carolina or Georgia? No? Too bad, because it’s coming at you anyway!

We already had a small SC vs Georgia debate w/ regard to State Songs and which state has better famous musicians. I’d say Georgia won that debate, and honestly, this really isn’t much of a debate. As a proud Sandlapper, I must say that SC seriously needs to beef up its efforts on pumping out famous people. Perhaps Sanford should accept the extra stimulus money and use it for a famous people stimulus package for the state.

Anyway, completely unresearched past 50States.com, here is a list of famous people from South Carolina:

Whispering Bill Anderson songwriter, Columbia
Bernard Baruch statesman, Camden
Mary McLeod Bethune educator, Mayesville
*James Godfather Brownsinger, Barnwell
Joseph H. Burckhalter inventor, Columbia
James F. Byrnes senator, jurist, Charleston
John C. Calhoun statesman, Calhoun Mills
*Joe Frazier prize fighter, Beaufort
Althea Gibson tennis champion, Silver
*Dizzy Gillespiejazz trumpeter, Cheraw
DuBose Heyward poet, playwright, author, Charleston
Charlayne Hunter-Gault journalist, Due West
*Andrew JacksonU.S. president, Waxhaw
*Jesse Louis Jacksoncivil rights leader, Greenville
Eartha Kitt singer, North
*Francis Swamp Fox Marion general, Berkeley County
Robert Evander McNair governor, Cades
Ronald McNair astronaut, Lake City
John Rutledge jurist, Charleston
*Strom Thurmondpolitician, Edgefield
Charles Hard Townes physicist, Greenville
William Westmoreland army chief of staff, Spartanburg
*Vanna White TV personality, North Myrtle Beach

And here is the list of famous people from Georgia:

Conrad Aiken poet, Savannah
James Bowie soldier, Burke County
*Jim Brownactor, athlete, St. Simons Island
Erskine Caldwell writer, Moreland
*James E. Carter U.S. president, Plains
*Ray Charles singer, Albany
Lucius D. Clay banker, general, Marietta
*Ty Cobb baseball player, Narrows
Charles Coburn movie and TV actor, Macon
Ossie Davis actor, writer, Cogdell
James Dickey poet, Atlanta
Mattiwilda Dobbs soprano, Atlanta
Melvyn Douglas actor, Macon
Pete Drake musician/record producer, Augusta
Rebecca Latimer Felton first appointed woman U.S. senator, Decatur
Lawrence Fishburne III actor, Augusta
Henry W. Grady journalist, Athens
Amy Grant singer, Augusta
Oliver Hardy comedian, Harlem
Joel Chandler Harris journalist, author, Eatonton
Roland Hayes singer, Curyville
Fletcher Henderson musician/songwriter, Cuthbert
*Hulk Hogan professional wrestler, Augusta
John Henry Doc Holliday western hero, Griffin
*Larry Holmesboxer, Cuthert
Miriam Hopkins actress, Bainbridge
Harry James trumpeter, Albany
Jasper Johns painter, sculptor, Augusta
*Bobby Jones golfer, Atlanta
Stacy Keach actor, Savannah
DeForest Kelley actor, Atlanta
*Martin Luther King, Jr. civil rights leader, Atlanta
*Gladys Knight singer, Atlanta
Joseph R. Lamar jurist, Elbert
Brenda Lee singer, Lithonia
Juliette Gordon Low U.S. Girl Scouts founder, Savannah
Carson McCullers author, Columbus
Blind Willie McTell blues pioneer, Thomson
Johnny Mercer songwriter, Savannah
Margaret Mitchell author, Atlanta
John Robert Johnny Mize baseball player, Demorest
Jessye Norman singer, Augusta
*Otis Redding singer, Dawson
Jerry Reed singer/songwriter/actor, Atlanta
*Burt Reynoldsactor, Waycross
*Little Richard singer, Macon
*Jackie Robinson baseball player, Cairo
Tommy Roe singer/songwriter, Alpharetta
Billy Joe Royal singer, Valdosta
Dean Rusk secretary of state, Cherokee Cty
Nipsey Russell comedian, Atlanta
Ray Stevens singer/songwriter, Clarksdale
Janelle Taylor romance novelist, Athens
*Clarence Thomas supreme court associate justice, Savannah
*Travis Tritt singer/songwriter, Marietta
Alice Walker author, Eatonton
Joanne Woodward actress, Thomasville
Trisha Yearwood singer, Monticello

How do they stack up? (SC vs GA)

Presidents: Andrew Jackson vs Jimmy Carter
Advantage SC. Jackson was the man. Carter scared the nation so bad of democrats that he personally guaranteed republican reign by Reagan.

Civil Rights Activists: Jesse Jackson vs Martin Luther King Jr
GA. Is there really anything that needs to be said here?

Boxers: Joe Frazier vs Larry Holmes
OK, so I don’t know anything about boxing. My gut is that Frazier was better than Holmes. So I checked in on ESPN’s 50 Greatest Boxers of all time, when I realized that SUGAR RAY ROBINSON is from (Ailey) GA. Need I really look any further. OF COURSE GA WINS! (by the way, if you’re wondering…ESPN ranked Frazier #26 & Holmes #38 — Robinson was #1 ).

Celebrity Sex Symbol: Vanna White vs Burt Reynolds
Personally, I like White a whole lot better, but who am I to deny the ’stache. Another category going to GA.

If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll notice it’s 3-1 Georgia right now. And, folks, it’s not getting any better for South Carolina. Who do I have to call on next? Strom Thurmond? Sure, the Swamp Fox was a bad ass, but Georgia’s got Hulk Hogan sitting there on the sidelines. And last but not least might be James Brown. But even in Brown’s case, Georgia still claims him because he grew up in Georgia!!!

Face it, Georgia’s going to sweep this by a mile. And one of the main reasons is the amazing athletes that are still up there on the board for Georgia. Amazing, all-world athletes that have defined their sports. We’ve already covered the guy ESPN anointed the best boxer of all time, but what about Jim Brown? I think he might have been pretty good at football. Bobby Jones might know a thing or two about how to swing a golf club. Has anyone heard of these baseball players called Ty Cobb or Jackie Robinson? I’ve heard they could swing a bat and catch a ball from time to time.

So now I’m back off to find another topic in which to pit my beloved South Carolina against Georgia. Maybe I’ll rig this one to something that I know we can win like …. um …. ok, I’ll get back to you on that one.