Haley Laurence | hlaurence@al.com

The most famous person from each of Alabama's 67 counties

By Haley Laurence

It's easy to name famous Alabamians: The state has produced lots of talent over the years. But we decided to take things one step further and break down famous Heart of Dixie natives, county by county. (It's actually a lot harder than you think. Trust us.)

Our one rule: Each person had to be born in Alabama OR live here at some point in their childhood/teens. (AKA: No Bear Bryant, since he was born in Arkansas and raised there. But if a person was born in one Alabama county and raised in another, that person could be a contender in either county.)

So here's our final list. It was definitely not easy to make, and we had to make some tough decisions. Let us know what we got wrong (and right!) in the comments, or shoot an email at hlaurence@al.com.

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Autauga County

Megastar Wilson Pickett was born in Prattville and recorded many hit albums in Muscle Shoals' Fame Studios. Among his Shoals-recorded hits was "Mustang Sally," which Rolling Stone listed in the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Pickett was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. (Read about 50 years of Muscle Shoals music in 15 songs here.)

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Baldwin County

Foley native Ken "Snake" Stabler was a standout quarterback at Alabama and in the NFL, and was named the NFL's MVP by The Associated Press in 1974. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. (Read about Stabler's induction into the Hall of Fame here.)

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Barbour County

George C. Wallace -- the longtime Alabama governor known for his Stand in the Schoolhouse Door -- was born in Clio in 1919. He also made a bid for the presidency four times. (Read about Wallace's inaugural address here.)

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Bibb County

You probably recognize Debra Marshall from the WWE's (then the WWF's) heyday, when she served as a professional wrestler and manager. According to bhamwiki.com, she was raised in West Blocton.

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Blount County

Gerald Swindle -- aka "GMan" -- was the Bassmaster Angler of the Year in 2004 and 2016. Swindle attended Locust Fork High School, where he played three sports.

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Bullock County

Eddie Kendricks (who was born in Union Springs and moved to Birmingham soonafter) was a co-founder of R&B group The Temptations. Later on, during his solo career, he released the megahits 'Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down." The Temptations were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. (There's a pretty cool statue dedicated to Kendricks in Birmingham. Find out more here.)

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Butler County

Country superstar Hank Williams was born in Mt. Olive in Butler County, and his family scuttled across several small towns in the region throughout his childhood. Although he later moved to Montgomery, it was Butler County where Hank got an itch for playing music. (Read 15 things you might not know about Hank Williams here.)

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Calhoun County

Rick Burgess is one-half of the nationally syndicated, mega-popular "Rick & Bubba Show." Burgess was born in the Magic City but raised in Oxford.

(Sorry, Bubba.)

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Chambers County

Joe Louis -- known as the "Brown Bomber" -- was one of the most-regarded boxers of all time. Louis was inducted in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and had a career record of 68 wins and 3 losses, according to Encyclopedia of Alabama. He was honored with an eight-foot statue of his likeness in his hometown of Lafayette in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Everett Collection)

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Cherokee County

Via the Encyclopedia of Alabama: "John Ross was the most important Cherokee political leader of the nineteenth century. He helped establish the Cherokee national government ... He led the Cherokees' resistance against removal and their struggle to rebuild in the Indian Territory." Johnny Cash portrayed Ross in an episode of NET Playhouse. Ross was born in Turkeytown.

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Chilton County

You probably recognize Grayson Russell as Texas Ranger from "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." He also portrayed Fregley in the megapopular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series and starred in "Mother's Day" earlier this year. He was born and raised in Clanton. Read more about Alabama child stars here. (Birmingham News file photo)

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Choctaw County

Country music singer Ty Herndon has had 17 songs on Billboard's the Hot Country charts, including "It Must Be Love" and "What Mattered Most." Herndon was born in Mississippi but raised in Butler (then later Decatur).

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Clarke County

Kathryn Tucker Windham was a trailblazer in Alabama journalism as one of the first female newspaper reporters during a time when there were few female reporters. She's also well known for her "13 Ghosts and Jeffrey" series. She was inducted in the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 2015 (read about that here). Windham grew up in Thomasville. (Birmingham News file photo)

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Clay County

Hugo Black was born in the small town of Harlan in 1886. He served in the Senate and the Supreme Court, and was involved in lots of famous decisions including Brown vs. Board of Education. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Black "is remembered as one of the nation's foremost champions of the First Amendment and, in his words, the rights of the 'weak, helpless and outnumbered.'"

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Cleburne County

Former Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro is known for The Catch -- a miraculous behind-the-back catch against Southern Miss in 2005. He was born in Heflin. Read AL.com's 2015 interview with Prothro here. (Birmingham News file photo)

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Coffee County

Born in Enterprise (and raised in Montgomery), country singer Jamey Johnson is well-respected in the country world. (Don Henley called him, "the nearest thing we've got" to George Jones.) Johnson hit the top 10 chart with his single, "In Color." Read our 2015 interview with Johnson here.

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Colbert County

One of the most famous Alabamians is Helen Keller, the deaf and blind child who learned sign language from teacher Anne Sullivan in her early years. She was the first deaf and blind person to attend and graduate from college, and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Freedom. You can visit her childhood home, Ivy Green, in Tuscumbia. Read about seven things you (probably) didn't know about Helen Keller here.

Runner up: Percy Sledge, born in Leighton, who sweetly crooned "When a Man Loves a Woman."

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Conecuh County

Dr. Warren Elliot Henry was a renowned scientist who earned the 1st Annual Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Engineering and was nominated for the National Medal of Science. He was born in Evergreen and attended Tuskegee University.

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Coosa County

Justin Tuck won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He was born in Kellyton. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Covington County

Former Alabama and NBA star Robert Horry was born in Maryland but raised in Andalusia. He won seven championships in his 16 years in the NBA. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Crenshaw County

Chuck Person was an Auburn basketball great and NBA star, earning Rookie of the Year honor in 1987. He's currently the associate head coach for Auburn. (Photo by Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

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Cullman County

Channing Tatum is a bonafide A-list celebrity, with roles in "Magic Mike,' "Foxcatcher" and "21 Jump Street." And he has Bama roots -- he was born in Cullman and cheers for the Tide. (Photo courtesy of Paramount)

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Dale County

Singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton wasn't exactly the most famous person in Alabama, but I'll let my co-worker Jared Boyd explain: "What she lacks in notoriety, she makes up for with an abundance of spunk, commanding audiences by belting out lyrics from the pit of her gut." (Read more here.) Thornton was born in Ariton.

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Dallas County

Mia Hamm -- born in Selma -- helped make soccer popular in the U.S. in the 1990s. She won two Olympic gold medals and was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Read more about Alabamians at the Olympic games here. (Photo courtesy of johnmaxmena via Wikimedia Commons)

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DeKalb County

Randy Owen, lead singer of country supergroup Alabama, was born in Fort Payne and still has deep roots in the city. The band had had decades of success: They've had 42 songs, including "Dixieland Delight" and "My Home's in Alabama," reach the No. 1 spot on the country charts and were inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame. (See scenes from Owen's hometown here.)

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Elmore County

The Auburn standout was drafted 27th overall in the 2007 NFL draft and was a two-time Pro Bowler. He was born in Columbus, Ga., but was raised in the small town of Eclectic.

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Escambia County

Former boxer Evander Holyfield is a five-time heavyweight champion -- and he's also well-known for Mike Tyson biting his ear. Holyfield was born in Atmore. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Shelka04 at English Wikipedia)

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Etowah County

Roy Moore captured national attention in late 2017, when he was the Republican nominee for the 2017 Senate special election.

Runner up: Phillip Alford, who played Jem in 1962 movie "To Kill a Mockingbird'

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Fayette County

Artist and blues musician Jimmy Lee Sudduth's outsider art gained an international following after he participated in the 1976 Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. This led to appearances on "60 Minutes" and "The Today Show." Sudduth was born in Fayette in 1910 and died there in 2007. (Birmingham News file photo)

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Franklin County

Country superstar Tammy Wynette was born in Itawamba County, Mississippi, near the Alabama state line, but she called Red Bay her home. She's known for hits such as "Stand By Your Man" and "D.I.V.O.R.C.E."

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Geneva County

Dixie Howell, born in Hartford, was an All-American for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. After one season in the NFL, he began a coaching career. He was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Greene County

Emma Didlake -- who was born in Boligee in 1905 -- was believed to be the nation's oldest veteran until her death in 2015. Didlake met President Obama before she passed away. Read more about her here. (Photo courtesy of Mlive.com)

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Hale County

Amelia Gayle Gorgas was the first female librarian at the University of Alabama. The library was eventually named after her, making it the first building on campus named after a woman. Gorgas was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame, and was born in Greensboro. Read more about Gorgas here. (Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of History and Archives via Wikimedia)

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Henry County

From the National Baseball Hall of Fame: "Monte Irvin was not the first African-American player in the modern major leagues, but of all the talented players who made the perilous trip from the Negro leagues to the big leagues in the late 1940s, Irvin may have been the best." He was born in Haleburg. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Houston County

Johnny Mack Brown was a standout star for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. After his football career was over, he became a successful actor, appearing in many Western films. (See where Brown fell in the list of Alabama's greatest football players of all time here.) (Photo courtesy of IMDB.)

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Jackson County

Curly Putman didn't just write some of your favorite songs -- "D.I.V.O.R.C.E.," "Green, Green Grass of Home" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" -- he also inspired them: While staying at Putman's farm, Paul McCartney wrote "Junior's Farm." Putman was born in the small community of Princeton. (Photo courtesy of Curly Putman's Facebook)

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Jefferson County

America first fell in love with Birmingham native Courteney Cox during Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" music video, and then the whole world fell in love with her even more as Monica Geller on NBC's ultra-smash hit "Friends."

Runner up: Condoleezza Rice, the 66th Secretary of State, who was born in Birmingham.

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Lamar County

OK, so you may not recognize Dan Penn's name, but you know some of the songs he's co-written: Aretha's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and James Carr's "The Dark End of the Street." Penn was born in Vernon. (Read more about him here.)

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Lauderdale County

Lauderdale County is full of musical talent, but the edge has to go to W.C. Handy, who was known as the "Father of the Blues." Each summer, the town celebrates the Handy with a music festival. Read more about Handy here.

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Lawrence County

Jesse Owens won the Olympic gold medal four times and the New York Times called him "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history." He was born in Oakville. (Read inspiring quotes from Owen here.)

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Lee County

Robert Gibbs, of Auburn, is a former White House Press Secretary. He's now Executive Vice President and Global Chief Communications officer of McDonald's.

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Limestone County

Brittany Howard, lead singer of megagroup Alabama Shakes, has been compared to Janis Joplin so much that there are a quarter of a million results when you Google "Brittany Howard Janis Joplin." The Athens natives have won three Grammys. (Read about their Heart of Dixie landmarks here.) (Huntsville Times file photo)

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Lowndes County

Ben Wallace, of White Hall, earned the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times. Earlier this year the Detroit Pistons retired his number. (Read about that here.) (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/user Jauerback)

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Macon County

Macon County is full of notable people, but the top spot has to go to civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who is known for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery public bus. She was born in Tuskegee and raised in Montgomery.

Runner up: Lionel Richie, who was born in Tuskegee.

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Madison County

Tallulah Bankhead was one of the 20th century's greatest theater actresses, and was equally known for her off-stage antics. Bankhead was born in Huntsville and is also associated with Jasper, another place she she grew up. (Read about 10 other Alabama girls who achieved success in their teens here.) (Photo courtesy of Everett Collection)

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Marengo County

Ralph Abernathy, born in the Hopewell community, was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and helped organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress)

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Marion County

Forget Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley: The first host of the Country Music Awards was Hackleburg's Sonny James. Nicknamed "the Southern gentleman," James had more than 20 No. 1 country singles, including "Need You" and "Endlessly." Read more about him here.

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Marshall County

Artist NALL -- aka Fred Nall Hollis -- is so well known in the art world that he's caught the attention of Ringo Starr, who he's been friends with for decades. (Read more about that here.) Hollis was born in Troy but his family moved to Arab in his teens, and he graduated from Arab High School.

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Mobile County

Mobile County has a history of talented people, but perhaps one of the most famous is Jimmy Buffett. Born in Mississippi but raised in Alabama, the Margaritaville star doesn't just represent "a state of mind," according to a New York Times profile earlier this year, but also "a (business) empire." (And here's a Parrothead travel guide for you.)

Runner up: Legendary MLB player Hank Aaron. (I told you, Mobile County is talented.)

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Monroe County

Harper Lee is one of the most iconic writers of our time -- and the Monroeville native's "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been on pretty much every high school and college students' reading list for a while now. Lee passed away earlier this year.

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Montgomery County

Zelda Fitzgerald -- who will soon be the topic of a biopic featuring Jennifer Lawrence -- was a Montgomery socialite and writer and patron of the arts. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame. Read about her love affair with F. Scott Fitzgerald here.

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Morgan County

Dr. Mae Jemison was the first African-American astronaut and is the namesake of a new school in Huntsville. She was born in Decatur. (Photo by Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com)

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Perry County

Coretta Scott King was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. She was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize by India's government and honorary degrees from universities such as Princeton and Duke. She was born in Heiberger.

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Pickens County

The Aliceville native and former Florida State standout is a nine-time Pro Bowler and NFL Hall of Famer. (Look at photos of his house that was up for auction earlier this year.)

Runner up: Simmie Knox, the first African-American to create an official U.S. presidential portrait.

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Pike County

Douglas Edwards joined the CBS radio staff in 1942 and then, later on, became TV's first anchorman. He interviewed John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill, according to the New York Times, and was succeeded in the job by Walter Cronkite. Edwards was born in Oklahoma, but his family moved to Troy when he was a teen (and later attended the University of Alabama). (Photo courtesy of CBS via Wikimedia Commons)

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Randolph County

Country singer Vern Gosdin, who was raised in Woodland, had lots of hit songs on radio including "If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)," "Set 'Em Up Joe," and "Chiseled In Stone." (His family also hosted "The Gosdin Family Gospel Show" on Birmingham radio in his early years.) Read more about Gosdin here.

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Russell County

Nolan Gould stars as Luke Dunphy on TV's megapopular "Modern Family." Although he wasn't born in Alabama, his family moved to Phenix City soon after he was born. Read more about Gould's Alabama connections here.

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Shelby County

Pelham native Dabo Swinney played football for the Crimson Tide and is now head coach for the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers lost to Alabama in the 2015 National Championship. (Birmingham News file photo)

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St. Clair County

You probably recognize Hank Patterson (who was born Elmer Calvin Patterson in Springville) from his portrayal of Hank Miller on "Gunsmoke" and Mr. Ziffel from "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres." He also had parts in a couple of "Twilight Zone" episodes. (Read about his -- and other Alabamians -- "Twilight" roles here.)

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Sumter County

According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Adele Hall Ward (also known as Vera Hall) is "considered by many music fans to be the foremost singer of the blues and African American spirituals to come out of depression-era Alabama." Moby sampled her song "Trouble So Hard" in his megahit "Natural Blues.' She was born in Payneville. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Talladega County

You probably know Jim Nabors from his iconic role as Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show" and its spinoff, "Gomer Pyle, USMC." He also was a regular guest on "The Carol Burnett Show" and had his own variety show, "The Jim Nabors Hour." He was born in Sylacauga. (Read Kelly Kazek's story, "Do you know what these Southern phrases in 'The Andy Griffith Show' mean?" here.)

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Tallapoosa County

Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens was a six-time Pro Bowler and ran for 153 touchdowns during his career. Last week he was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was born in Alexander City. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

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Tuscaloosa County

John Stallworth played college football for Alabama A&M. He's considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Read why he makes us Alabama Proud here. (Huntsville Times file photo)

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Walker County

We've all heard "Kiss my grits," the catchphrase made popular by Florence Jean Castleberry on the TV show "Alice" and spin-off "Flo." The waitress was portrayed by Polly Holiday, who was born in Jasper.

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Washington County

Shawna Thompson, of Chatom, is one-half of the country duo Thompson Square. They've opened for country megastars such as Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean and have released hits such as "If I Didn't Have You" and "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not." Read a 2013 interview with Thompson here. (Press-Register file photo)

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Wilcox County

Jeff Sessions was born in Selma but went to school in Camden. He became a U.S. senator in 1997 and last week President-elect Donald Trump offered Sessions the U.S. Attorney General job. (Huntsville Times file photo)

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Winston County

Pat Buttram, born in Addison, is well known for his role as Mr. Haney in "Green Acres." He also was a voice actor for many popular Disney movies, including "The Rescuers" and "The Aristocats." Each year, Addison honors his memory with the Pat Buttram Festival, which has live music and carnival rides. (Read about more Alabama voice actors here.) (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)