Some very famous people have come from the West Midlands. Here are some names that you will be familiar with...
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Asbury, Francis
Methodist preacher from the Black Country of England who evangelised the frontier and transformed the United States of America. |
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Attwood, Thomas
Thomas Attwood, born in Halesowen, 6 October 1783, died in Malvern, Worcestershire |
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Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland always had a soft spot for Birmingham and visited it regularly for appearances on Pebble Mill and Birmingham radio stations.
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Baskerville, John
John Baskerville was actually born in Wolverley, Worcestershire in 1706. In 1725 he moved to Birmingham
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Bird, Alfred
Alfred Bird registered as a pharmacist in Birmingham in 1842, having served an apprenticeship to Phillip Harris of that city
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Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath started in Birmingham, England in the late 60s under the name Earth
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Claire Short
The Right Honourable Clare Short (born February 15, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician.
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Coley Burne Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (August 28, 1833 - June 17, 1898)was a British artist, closely associated with that of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
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Conan Doyle, Arthur
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the British author most famously known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes
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Cutler, Judith
Judith Cutler is a writer of crime fiction whose novels are mostly in three series
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Dexy's Midnight Runners
Dexy's Midnight Runners are a British New Wave-pop and soul band who achieved their major success in the early-mid 1980s.
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Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards (October 1, 1936 - February 21, 1958) was an English footballer
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Duran Duran
Duran Duran is a pop group usually identified as part of the New Wave music scene
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Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) was a successful rock music group from the 1970s and 1980s
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Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell was a controversial British politician, the controversy mainly stemming from a speech he made on immigration in 1968.
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F W Lanchester
Frederick William Lanchester was an English polymath and engineer who made important contributions to automotive engineering
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George Cadbury
Born in Edgbaston 1839 George Cadbury was the son of a tea and coffee dealer John Cadbury.
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Halifax Man
Didnt I read somewhere that cardboard cutouts of his were being stolen from Halifax branches.
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Herbert Austin
Sir Herbert Austin, 1st Baron Austin (1866-1941) was an English automobile designer and builder.
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Issigonis, Alec
Sir Alec Issigonis (1906-1988) was a designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the "Mini" in 1959.
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James Brindley
James Brindley was born near Buxton in Derbyshire in 1716. He is famous for his canal building and the construction of the first major English canal.
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James Watt
James Watt was actually born in Scotland in 1736 although he is associated with Birmingham
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Jasper Carrott
Born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, he started his own folk club at 16 called "The Boggery" in Solihull
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Jerome K Jerome
Jerome K Jerome is Walsall's most distinguished literary figure, born here on the 2nd May 1859.
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Joseph Chamberlain
In 1873 he became mayor of Birmingham, in which capacity he promoted many civic improvements
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Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley (March 13, 1733-February 6, 1804) was an English chemist, dissenting clergyman, and educator.
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Judas Priest
Judas Priest have released eighteen albums to date, the first being "Rocka Rolla" in 1974 and the latest being "Demolition" in 2001
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Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry (born Lenny Hinton on August 29, 1958 in Dudley, West Midlands) is a British entertainer.
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Lodge, David
David Lodge is a British author whose novels often satirize academia in general, and the humanities in particular.
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Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton was born in 1728, the son of a wealthy toy manufacturer in Snow Hill.
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Moody Blues
The Moody Blues were originally an R&B based band of the British Invasion; they later became best known for psychedelic music and early prog rock
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Myall, Rik
Rik Mayall (b March 7, 1958) is a British comedian and actor. He is well known for his comedy partnership with Adrian Edmondson
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Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain was born in 1869, the son of Joseph Chamberlain. He is best known for his Munich Pact treaty of peace with Adolph Hitler
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Ozzy Osborne
John Michael Osbourne (born December 3, 1948, in Aston, a suburb of Birmingham
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Parkes, Alexander
The first Celluloid's were invented in Birmingham England by Alexander Parkes
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Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza, born in 1975, is an exceptional comedian from Birmingham. A young Muslim women in stand-up comedy
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Tolkien John Ronald Reuel
Although Tolkien was born in South Africa in January 1892 his parents were both from Birmingham
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Tony Hancock
Middle son of Jack and Lily, Tony Hancock was born in Hall Green, Birmingham.
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The Charlatans
The Charlatans (known in the United States are a British band. They originally formed in Birmingham
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The Move
The Move is a 1960s rock music band from Birmingham, England, led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Roy Wood.
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Traffic
Traffic was a 1970s rock band led by Steve Winwood. With Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason
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UB40
UB40 are a popular reggae and ska band who formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England.
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Washington, Irving
Washington Irving was an American author of the early 19th century. He was born in New York City.
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William Murdoch
William Murdoch (1754-1839) was a pioneer of gas lighting. His home, a cottage in Boulton and Watt's Soho Foundry, was the first domestic residence in the world to be so lit.
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William Withering
William Withering (1741-1799) was a British physician and the discoverer of digitalis.
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William Edgar Oddie
William Edgar Oddie is a British comedian, singer, television presenter and ornithologist.
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Winwood, Steve
Steve Winwood (born May 12, 1948) was a part of the Birmingham Rhythm and blues scene from a young age, playing the Hammond organ and guitar
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