49 Notable alumni of
Belmont University
Updated:
Belmont University is 1011th in the world, 370th in North America, and 348th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 49 notable alumni from Belmont University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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DJ Qualls
- Occupations
- television actormodelfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Donald Joseph Qualls is an American actor. He is best known for his work in films including Road Trip (2000), The New Guy (2002) and The Core (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as Breaking Bad, Supernatural, Scrubs, Lost, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He co-starred in the FX comedy series Legit, the Syfy horror series Z Nation and the Amazon Studios show The Man in the High Castle.
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Brad Paisley
- Occupations
- singer-songwritercomposersingerguitarist
- Biography
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Bradley Douglas Paisley is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Starting with his 1999 debut album Who Needs Pictures, he has released twelve studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified Gold or higher by the RIAA. He has scored 35 Top 10 singles on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, 20 of which have reached number one. He set a new record in 2009 for the most consecutive singles (10) reaching the top spot on that chart.
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Trisha Yearwood
- Occupations
- writertelevision actorsingeractormusician
- Biography
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Patricia Lynn Yearwood is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the Billboard country singles chart. Its corresponding self-titled debut album would sell over two million copies. Yearwood continued with a series of major country hits during the early to mid-1990s, including "Walkaway Joe" (1992), "The Song Remembers When" (1993), "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" (1994), and "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)" (1996).
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Jena Sims
- Occupations
- film actormodelbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Jena Sims Koepka is an American actress and model who has appeared in made-for-TV films and B movies such as Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012), 3-Headed Shark Attack (2015), Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017), and American Beach House (2015). She was Miss Georgia Teen USA in 2007. She is married to professional golfer Brooks Koepka.
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Josh Turner
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwritermusician
- Biography
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Joshua Otis Turner is an American country and gospel singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his debut album's title track, "Long Black Train", was his breakthrough single release. His second album, Your Man (2006) accounted for his first two No. 1 hits, "Your Man" and "Would You Go with Me", while 2007's Everything Is Fine included a No. 2 hit, "Firecracker". Haywire, released in 2010, produced his biggest hit, the four-week No. 1 hit "Why Don't We Just Dance" and another No. 1 song, "All Over Me". It was followed by Punching Bag (2012), whose lead-off single, "Time Is Love", was the biggest country hit of 2012 according to Billboard Year-End.
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Lee Ann Womack
- Occupations
- singerguitaristsongwriter
- Biography
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Lee Ann Womack Liddell is an American country music singer. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her signature song.
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Ian Clark
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Ian Patrick Clark is an American professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball at Belmont University. As a senior, he was the 2012–13 Ohio Valley Conference Co-Player of the Year with Murray State's Isaiah Canaan. Clark was third in the nation in three-point field goal shooting percentage and led the Bruins to the conference championship in the school's first year as an OVC member. In July 2013, Clark signed a two-year contract with the Jazz after his performance at the Las Vegas Summer League impressed numerous teams. Clark won an NBA Championship with the Warriors in 2017.
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Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George
- Occupations
- singerreality television participant
- Biography
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Tamara Antrice Johnson-George, best known by her stage/nickname Taj, is an American singer and rapper. She is best known as one-third of the R&B singing group Sisters with Voices (SWV). She also competed on the eighteenth season of Survivor, Survivor: Tocantins.
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Rachel Smith
- Occupations
- modeltelevision personalitybeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Rachel Renee Smith is an American actress, TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss USA 2007 pageant and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. She represented the United States at Miss Universe 2007 and placed 4th Runner-Up.
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Diane Black
- Enrolled in Belmont University
- In 1992 graduated with Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Occupations
- politicianfundraisernurse
- Biography
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Diane Lynn Black is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2019. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. A Republican, she was previously elected to the Tennessee Senate, serving as floor leader of the Republican Caucus. She unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination in the 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election.
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Steve Grand
- Occupations
- pianistsinger-songwritermodelguitarist
- Biography
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Steve Grand is an American singer, songwriter and model from Lemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He became an overnight internet celebrity and the music video of his first hit "All-American Boy" went viral on YouTube in less than a week in July 2013. This attention landed Grand on Good Morning America, CNN and other national media. In addition to being a musician, Grand has become an active figure in the LGBT equality movement. He released his debut album titled All American Boy financed by a successful Kickstarter public funding campaign. The follow-up album Not the End of Me was released in 2018.
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Kimberley Locke
- Occupations
- singermodelmusician
- Biography
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Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk show, Dr. and the Diva.
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Alysha Clark
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Alysha Angelica Clark is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Israeli team Elitzur Ramla. In college, she led the NCAA in scoring three years in a row. She was drafted in the second round of the 2010 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars. In 2018, Clark won a championship with the Seattle Storm as they swept the Mystics in the 2018 WNBA Finals, and in 2020 won her second championship as the Storm swept the Las Vegas Aces. She won her third WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. She was also the Most Valuable Player in the league in 2018 when her team CCC Polkowice of Poland in the Basket Liga Kobiet Basketball won that league's championship. In 2019, she won a Ligue Féminine de Basketball championship with her French team, Lyon Asvel. Clark is known for her swarming defense and clutch shooting.
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Julie Roberts
- Occupations
- songwritersinger
- Biography
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Julie Roberts is an American country music singer. Signed to Mercury Nashville in 2003, Roberts made her debut with the single "Break Down Here" in February 2004, a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts and the first track from her self-titled debut album. A second album for Mercury, Men & Mascara, followed in 2006. This album produced two non-charting singles in its title track and a cover of Saving Jane's "Girl Next Door".
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Hanson
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
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Todd James Smith is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ivar. He is in a tag team with Erik called The Viking Raiders.
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Jace Everett
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwritercomposer
- Biography
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Jace Everett Beasley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Signed to Epic Records in 2005, he released his debut single "That's the Kind of Love I'm In" in 2005, which peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and was the first single from his self-titled debut album. He also co-wrote Josh Turner's Number One single "Your Man". His song "Bad Things" is the theme for the HBO series True Blood and peaked No. 2 in Norway in 2009. In the same year, he released his third album, Red Revelations, under the Weston Boys label that peaked No. 12 in Norway.
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Dylan Windler
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Dylan Windler is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Belmont Bruins.
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Alex Renfroe
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Gregory Alexander Renfroe is an American-born naturalized Bosnian professional basketball player for Covirán Granada of the Spanish Liga ACB.
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Melinda Doolittle
- Occupations
- jazz musiciansinger
- Biography
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Melinda Marie Doolittle is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. Prior to her appearance on American Idol, Doolittle worked as a professional back-up singer for, among others, Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Alabama, Jonny Lang, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Carman, and Anointed.
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Matt Beaty
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Matthew Thomas Beaty is an American professional baseball first baseman and left fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. He played college baseball for the Belmont Bruins. The Dodgers selected Beaty in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut for them in 2019.
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Shaleah Craighead
- Enrolled in Belmont University
- 1996-1999 studied business activity and marketing
- Occupations
- photojournalistphotographer
- Biography
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Shealah Craighead is an American government photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Donald Trump. She was the second female chief photographer in White House history, after Sharon Farmer in 1998. Craighead was official photographer to former First Lady Laura Bush in the administration of George W. Bush.
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Jimmy Bowen
- Occupations
- musiciansongwriterrecord producer
- Biography
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James Albert Bowen is an American record producer and former rockabilly singer. Bowen brought Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood together, and introduced Sinatra to Mel Tillis for their album, Mel & Nancy.
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Jake Wesley Rogers
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwriterrecording artist
- Biography
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Jake Wesley Rogers is an American pop musician and songwriter.
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Katie Pruitt
- Occupations
- record producersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Katherine Nicole Pruitt is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut album, Expectations, was released in 2020 by Rounder Records. Her sophomore album, Mantras, is to be released 2024.
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Gordon Kennedy
- Occupations
- record producersongwriter
- Biography
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Gordon Scott Kennedy is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee whose most successful composition is the international hit song "Change the World", recorded by Eric Clapton, for which Kennedy and his co-writers received a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Kennedy also received a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album (2007), co-producing, composing, and performing on Peter Frampton's Fingerprints album. He was a member of the Christian rock band White Heart for six years in the 1980s. Kennedy has written 15 songs recorded by Garth Brooks, and has done projects with Frampton and Ricky Skaggs. Kennedy's songs have been recorded by artists including Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Stevie Nicks, Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood. His compositions have been heard in the film soundtracks of Tin Cup, For Love of the Game, Where the Heart Is, Almost Famous, Summer Catch, Someone Like You, The Banger Sisters, Phenomenon and Disney's The Fox and the Hound 2.
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Didi Benami
- Occupations
- composersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Vered "Didi" Benami is an American singer-songwriter and television host. After placing tenth on the ninth season of American Idol, she released her debut single, "Gasoline", in 2012 and the album Reverie in 2014. In 2023, she began co-hosting the AXS series Banded.
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Nico Olsak
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Nicolás "Nico" Olsak is an Argentine footballer who plays as a midfielder for Maccabi Herzliya.
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Adrienne Young
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- singersinger-songwritercomposer
- Biography
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Adrienne Adeana Young is an American Charlottesville, Virginia-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She is founder and operator of AddieBelle Music which produces her recordings.
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Brooke Annibale
- Occupations
- composersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Brooke Annibale is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Jeremy Stover
- Occupations
- record producersongwriter
- Biography
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Jeremy Stover is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Stover is an alumnus of Belmont University. Stover has written singles for Tim McGraw, Jon Pardi, Wynonna, Martina McBride, and others.
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Michael Weist
- Years
- 1996-.. (age 28)
- Enrolled in Belmont University
- Studied in 2015-2019
- Occupations
- writertelevision produceractorentrepreneurInternet celebrity
- Biography
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Michael Gordon Weist III is an American talent manager, producer, and actor. He is known for his appearance in the Hulu movie Jawline, which played at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
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Amanze Egekeze
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Amanze Ikenna Egekeze is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who plays for Kataja of the Korisliiga. He also played for the Nigerian national team. He is the son of Gilbert and Lize Egekeze, who are natives of Nigeria.
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Katy Kirby
- Occupations
- musician
- Biography
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Kathryn Ellison Kirby is a Nashville, Tennessee based American musician and singer-songwriter from Spicewood, Texas.
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Evan Bradds
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Evan Christopher Bradds is an American basketball coach. He played college basketball at Belmont University.
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J. J. Mann
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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John Stuart "J. J." Mann is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for Belmont University.
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Dwight Bernard
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Dwight Vern Bernard is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who is and currently a coach in the San Francisco Giants organization.
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Melissa Peirce
- Occupations
- songwriter
- Biography
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Melissa Peirce is an American country and pop music songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Brian Mansfield
- Occupations
- music criticjournalist
- Biography
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Brian Mansfield is an American writer and journalist.
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Jim Lill
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
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Jim Lill is an American country musician. He is best known for his YouTube channel where he makes guitar videos. He has been part of the bands of country artists Josh Thompson, Josh Gracin, and Craig Wayne Boyd.
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Brian Kelley
- Years
- 1985-.. (age 39)
- Occupations
- songwritersinger
- Biography
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Brian Edward Kelley is an American musician, best known as a member of the Nashville-based duo Florida Georgia Line. Kelley is from Ormond Beach, Florida, and enjoyed playing sports and music growing up. He moved to Nashville to go to school and play baseball at Belmont University, where he met Tyler Hubbard, the other member of Florida Georgia Line.
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Kevin McClain
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Kevin Michael McClain is an American professional basketball player who last played for Fos Provence Basket of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Belmont Bruins.
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Brad Hill
- Occupations
- audio engineer
- Biography
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Brad Hill is an American record producer, audio engineer, and musician originally from Southern California.
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Nick Muszynski
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Nicholas Muszynski is an American professional basketball player for Astoria Bydgoszcz of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He played college basketball for the Belmont Bruins of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
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Lara Landon
- Occupations
- songwriter
- Biography
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Laura Landon started her music career in 2008, by signing with Whiplash Records while attending Belmont University in Nashville. She has released six studio albums, Beloved, "Love/Majestic", Overcome, "Christmas", There Is Grace and "The Never Again". The single "Closer" charted on the Billboard magazine Christian Songs chart. The fan funded and self produced album "Overcome" was named one of the top 12 Christian albums of the year by iTunes.
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Sean Hetherington
- Years
- 1978-.. (age 46)
- Occupations
- entertainercasting directortelevision producer
- Biography
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Sean Hetherington is an American casting director and reality TV producer. He is a former stand-up comedian who was a contestant in the second season of NBC's American Gladiators on their Weight Loss Survivors episode.
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Lyndsay Pruett
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- violinist
- Biography
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Lyndsay Pruett is an American violinist. She is currently a member of the Jon Stickley Trio.
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Jerry Bell
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Jerry Houston Bell is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Bell played for the Milwaukee Brewers for four seasons. He batted right and left and threw right-handed. In 1972 he led the pitching staff in ERA with 1.66.
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Grayson Murphy
- Years
- 1999-.. (age 25)
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Grayson Murphy is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Belmont Bruins of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
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Willie Mack
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- songwritersinger
- Biography
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Willie Mack is an American country music singer-songwriter born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Chico, Texas. He has had his songs recorded by Sara Evans, Collin Raye, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Mark Wills among others. His single "Don't Waste Your Pretty" charted on the Canadian Hot 100.
