by Margaret Merrill

Created on: July 29, 2008

Indiana has quite a few famous people that hail from the land of the Hoosiers. And by famous, I don't mean the shoot em up, rough and tough cowboy types, either, although there are those, too. The Hoosier state has a large number of entertainers, politicians, authors, and much more. Oh, and don't forget the race car drivers. With the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Cars, the race car drivers can't be forgotten. This list is what I came up with just off the top of my head.

The Jackson Five

These five young men, hailing from Gary, sang a number of different styles of songs, and were active for almost twenty five years. The group was responsible for launching the solo careers of Michael, Jermaine and Janet. After a six-year stint at Motown Records, the group went to CBS under the new name The Jacksons for the remainder of its career. Upon leaving Motown, brother Randy officially took Jermaine's place in the group. When Jermaine left Motown years later, the group became a sextet.

Michael Jackson

The star member of the Jackson Five/The Jacksons, Michael broke away from the group in the mid-80s after the Victory Tour, with the return of Jermaine. Thriller, his sixth album, became the best-selling album of all time. Billie Jean, considered by some his signature song, introduced Michael's famous dance step, the moonwalk.

Amanda Overmeyer

This past season on American Idol, Indiana was well represented with no less than three contestants. Amanda, from Camden, reminded the judges of Janis Joplin. Her voice had the strong, beat to it that Janis' used to. A nurse in "real life," she is still considering a music career after leaving the American Idol contest during the March 19th, 2008 episode.

Crystal Gayle

The younger sister of Loretta Lynn, the popular country singer, Crystal moved to Indiana when she was only four. Once she graduated high school, and made some changes, including her name, Crystal went on the road, and became quite a popular country singer herself. The Grammy-Award winning "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" was released in 1977. She is well-known as the female artist with the longest hair in the world; her hair is only three inches from the floor.

John Mellencamp

Originally from Seymour, Indiana, John Mellencamp has also been known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp, and John Cougar. Primarily a singer/songwriter, he occasionally acts, and was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2008. His original breakthrough album, American Fool, had

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