BRIGHT, Bum: Born Harvey Roberts Bright in Muskogee in 1920. His family moved to Dallas, where he graduated from high school and worked in the Texas oilfields. He became a millionaire by 1950 and invested in real estate, trucking and more, eventually owning more than 120 companies. In 1984 Bright purchased the Dallas Cowboys and sold the team to Jerry Jones in 1989. When a Dallas TV station reported the deal, all Jones and Bright had was an agreement in principle on a single legal-sized sheet of paper. It is said that in the days leading up to the sale, another potential buyer added $10 million to Jones' offer, but Bright told him he had already given Jones his word..




CALHOUN, Coyote: Born Greg Embody (son of the late Dick Embody, former owner of KBIX), now with WAMZ radio in Louisville, Ky. Calhoun was named Air Personality of the Year in 1986 by the Country Music Association and Music Director of the Year. He was also named to the Country Music Association board of directors in 1987 and inducted into the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 2005.




JONES, James R., born May 5, 1939, in Muskogee, James R. Jones graduated from Central High School, the University of Oklahoma and Georgetown University Law Center. He served as a special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson and later as U.S. congressman representing Oklahoma's first Congressional district. Jones was re-elected six times, serving until January, 1987. He served as chairman and CEO of the American Stock Exchange in New York from 1989 to 1993. He was a U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1993 to 1997. Today, he is co-chairman of Manatt-Jones Global Strategies.




KESSEL, Barney: Born in Muskogee Oct. 17, 1923, Kessel left school at age 14 to begin his professional career in music. Known for his unique guitar style, he played with Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Artie Shaw and Oscar Peterson. He died May 6, 2004.




KOTTKE, Leo: An acoustic guitarist, Kottke lived in Muskogee as a youth and played trombone and violin before developing his own picking style on the guitar. He is widely known for his idiosyncratic fingerpicking style, which draws on blues, jazz, and folk music influences, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies. His discography begins with a release in 1968, 12-String Blues, and his most recent was Sixty-Six Steps from 2005.




REED, Robert: Born Robert Rietz Jr., Robert Reed was reared in Muskogee, the son of John and Helen Rietz, who raised cattle and turkeys. He is a graduate of Central High School and worked at KBIX radio. He had roles on Broadway and in regional theater but is best known for his role as the dad on the television series the “Brady Bunch.” He starred in “The Defenders” with E.G. Marshall and played John Travolta’s father in “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” He also played the role of one of private eye Mike Connors’ contacts on the police force in “Mannix.”




VOWELL, Sarah: Born Dec. 27, 1969, in Muskogee, Vowell was reared in Braggs and Montana. She is a best-selling author and appears regularly on late-night talk shows. Her interviews and essays have appeared in Time magazine, Esquire, GQ and other publications. She is the voice of teen superhero Violet Parr in Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles.”