Mississippi Stars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elvis Presley

The house where he was born and where he lived until age 13 when his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, is still in Tupelo, Mississippi and is available for viewing. Of course, the main tourist attraction is his home Graceland, in Memphis. Elvis went 21 years, from 1956 to 1977 (the year of his untimely death), with a record-breaking 114 top 40 hits.

The Beatles had only 52. Elvis also had 18 number one hits, second only to The Beatles' record of 20. Furthermore, Elvis achieved fame as a movie star, performing in such films as "King Creole" with Walter Matthau in 1958 and "Blue Hawaii" with Angela Lansbury in 1961.

Answer: James Earl Jones

Jones lived in Mississippi until the age of five, when he was adopted by his maternal grandparents and moved to Jackson, Michigan. The whole experience was very upsetting, and he began stuttering because of it. Eventually, he quit talking--for eight years.

When he reached high school, he encountered a teacher who admired his writing talent and helped him overcome his situation. Jones has established himself as a stage actor in such titles as "Othello" and "King Lear", even winning Tonys for his roles in "The Great White Hope" and "Fences".

He has also achieved fame in film with roles in "Coming to America", "Field of Dreams", "Cry, the Beloved Country" and "The Hunt for Red October". He supplied the voice for Darth Vader in the early "Star Wars" films and the voice for Mufasa in the animated Disney film "The Lion King".

Answer: LeAnn Rimes

Margaret LeAnn Rimes was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived for a while in Pearl, Mississippi, until her family moved to Garland, Texas. She was already singing when she was two, was enrolled in voice and dance classes, and was performing in talent shows by the age of five.

She began her career in country music with a voice many said was like Patsy Cline's; however, she has made the crossover to pop and has even acted in a few films, such as "Coyote Ugly" and the made-for-TV movies "Holiday in Your Heart" and "Northern Lights".

She's also won a couple of Grammys and an American Music Award.

Answer: Gerald McRaney

Gerald Lee McRaney holds the distinction of playing the last character on "Gunsmoke" to participate in a gunfight with Marshall Matt Dillon. He also guest starred in episodes of "The Dukes of Hazard", "Hawaii Five-0", "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Rockford Files".

While he had a recurring role on "Deisigning Women", which at one point starred Delta Burke, he actually met her when she guest starred on his show "Simon and Simon". McRaney played General Morrison, the villain, in the 2010 movie version of the television show "The A-Team".

Answer: Bo Diddley

Performers and bands as diverse as The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix have claimed that Bo Diddley, who was born Ellas Otha Bates, was a tremendous influence on their own music and playing styles. Guitar players and song writers were drawn to his harder guitar sound and the "Bo Diddley Beat" he derived from street musicians that relied on hand slapping of legs and other body parts. "The Originator", as Diddley is called because of his transitional role between blues and rock and roll, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was given Lifetime Achievement Awards from both The Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Grammys.

Answer: Jimmy Buffett

James William Buffet was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, but spent much of his childhood "next door" in Mobile, Alabama. As a writer, he holds the distinction of being one of only a few authors to have achieved a number one best seller on both the "New York Times" Best Seller fiction and non-fiction lists.

As a musician, he is mostly known for his Caribbean escapism themes and sounds, like in his biggest hit "Margaritaville", and for his very popular concerts. Interestingly, his song "Jamaica Mistaica" was written after an event in January 1996, after the "Hemisphere Dancer", his Grumman HU-16 airplane, was damaged by Jamaican police who shot at it because they thought it was carrying marijuana.

Answer: Sela Ward

Sela Ann Ward eventually attended the University of Alabama, where she was a Crimson Tide cheerleader and was also chosen homecoming queen one year. She has received Emmys for Lead Actress in her roles in "Sister" and "Once and Again". She has also acted in several episodes of "House" with Hugh Laurie.

Answer: Faith Hill

Faith Hill was born Audrey Faith Perry, but was adopted as an infant by a devout Christian couple who lived in Star, Mississippi. As an eight year old, she witnessed Elvis Presley perform in Jackson in 1976, and the rest is history. She has won countless music awards, and her 2006 Soul2Soul II Tour was, in 2011, the highest grossing country tour to date. Billboard listed her as the number one adult contemporary artist of the decade 2000-2009, and in 2001 the "Ladies Home Journal" listed her among the top "30 Most Powerful Women in America".

Answer: Morgan Freeman

Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr., was born in Memphis, Tennessee, which is located on Mississippi's northwest border with Tennessee along the Mississippi River. While an infant, he was sent to live with his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi and lived there and in Greenwood, Mississippi, for parts of his childhood.

He has a home in Charleston and owns a fine dining restaurant and a blues club, both located in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Freeman had been nominated for Academy Awards for his performances in "Street Smart", "Driving Miss Daisy", and "The Shawshank Redemption" before winning for "Million Dollar Baby".

He was later nominated again for his performance in "Invictus". He had other significant roles in "Glory," "Unforgiven," and "Se7en".

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Orpah Gail Winfrey eventually changed her name to Oprah since many of her family and friends had consistently mispronounced "Orpah", a name from the Biblical book of Ruth. Oprah has overcome extreme poverty, rape, and sexual abuse to become so wealthy that in 2006, according to Ask.com and "Forbes", she was "the world's only black billionaire".

Her self-titled talk show--"Oprah"--has won countless awards and has had an enormous impact on television, self-help, spirituality, and book publishing in America.

As a philanthropist, she has created charitable institutions, such as Oprah's Angel Network and Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, which have raised multiple millions of dollars. According to the "New York Times" and Ask.com, her influence in America is so strong that her support for Barrack Obama during the 2008 Presidential election caused over one million people to vote for him.