These celebrities are putting Polk County on the map — or should we say, the globe?
This online tool shows the “most notable” person born in a city based on rankings of 2.29 million influential people, according to Wikipedia + Wikidata info. Let’s dig into Polk’s top stars.
Faith Evans
This singer was born in Lakeland in 1973 and went on to sell 20 million records with her signature R&B style. Evans sang on the 1997 chart-topper “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute to her late husband, The Notorious B.I.G., and it won the Grammy for “Best Rap Performance.”
Tracy McGrady
“T-Mac” got his start in Bartow in 1979 before becoming a first-round NBA draft pick in 1997. He was named an NBA All-Star seven times on basketball teams like the Houston Rockets + Toronto Raptors. He opened a short-lived restaurant, HomeCourt, in Lakeland in 2021.
Gram Parsons
Winter Haven earned a spot in country music history thanks to this singer, songwriter, and musician born there in 1946. Parsons helped hone the country rock sound, playing both solo and alongside acts like the Flying Burrito Brothers + Emmylou Harris. Today, you can hear live music at the Derry Down, the Winter Haven venue where Parsons played in his youth.
Amar’e Stoudemire
Bok Tower isn’t the only tall icon from Lake Wales. Born in 1982, Stoudemire stands 6-ft-10-in, which came in handy playing with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks for most of his NBA career. After retiring, he also guest-starred in a few movies + TV shows — does “Sesame Street” ring a bell?
