Though born in Kentucky, Jefferson Davis is more closely associated with the state of Mississippi and even has a county named after him.  He served as president of the Confederate States of America when they seceded from the Union.  Though he was indicted for treason after the Civil War, he was never tried.  Birthplace: Todd County, Kentucky.
One of America's most brilliant novelists, William Faulkner's stories of life in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, are intense and concerned with difficult social issues.  He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1950.  Birthplace: New Albany.
The king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley was an icon for the music and the millions of young fans who believed in its power.  Presley's singing career spanned the years from 1953 until his death in 1977.  Birthplace: Tupelo.
Leontyne Price burst onto the opera scene in 1961 with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.  She has appeared around the world performing a variety of classic operas.  Birthplace: Laurel.  
Eudora Welty's short stories and novels are mostly set in her home state of Mississippi.  She won a Pulitzer in 1973 for her work "The Optimist's Daughter."  Birthplace: Jackson.
The plays of Tennessee Williams have received international recognition, and are some of the most famous American theatrical pieces.  They include such classics as "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire."  Birthplace: Columbus.