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George Strait (1952):
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Country musician who, in 1981, signed with MCA Records and had his first top-ten country hit, "Unwound". Strait started his career on a high note and continues to release one successful album after another. With no desire to have a cross-over hit on the Billboard music charts, Strait’s songs are derived from his classic country roots and love for honky tonk. In 1992, the soundtrack to Strait’s movie, Pure Country, sold over 5 million copies, and his 1995 boxed set, "Strait Out of the Box," is the best selling country boxed set to date. Strait has known nothing but success in his country music career, with 26 platinum albums and 36 number one singles.
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Reggie Jackson (1946):
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Baseball legend who originally went to college on a football scholarship. Jackson set his sights on the majors in 1966 after having a record-breaking baseball season at Arizona State University. Taking part in 6 World Series games, Jackson was given the title "Mr. October" for his ability to perform late in the season and into the playoffs. Joining the Yankees in 1977, Jackson led the team to their first World Series title in almost 15 years. Throughout his career, Jackson won 2 World Series MVP titles and 5 World Series rings in a 7-year period. Today, Jackson is a businessman, producing a line of sports memorabilia, including The Mr. Octobear!
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Brooks Robinson (1937):
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Baseball player who was given the nickname "Hoover" for his ability to suck every play hit near third base into his glove. A talent scout discovered Robinson while he was playing ball in a church league. Robinson’s debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 1955 was the beginning of a long, successful career with the team. During his 23 seasons as an Oriole, Robinson was a Gold Glove award winner 16 times, the American League’s starting All-Star third baseman for 15 straight seasons and an MVP. Robinson retired in 1977 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
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Pernell Roberts (1928):
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Actor who is famous for playing Adam Cartwright on the popular TV series "Bonanza." Roberts joined the Marines as a young man, but soon realized that his fascination for acting could not be ignored. After moving to New York in 1957, Roberts starred in small television roles until he got his big break with "Bonanza" in 1959. Roberts has starred on stage as King Arthur in "Camelot" to rave reviews and also enjoyed the success of another TV series, "Trapper John, M.D." in 1979. Recently, Roberts narrated a program for the History Channel called "Mountain Men" and hosted the television series "FBI: The Untold Stories" from 1991-1993.
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Perry Como (1912):
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Popular crooner who started his career as a singing barber at the tender age of 14. Before starring in his own nightly 15-minute radio show in New York, Como toured with different bands. The success of Como’s radio show helped him to sign a contract with RCA in 1941. Since Como’s first album was recorded during a musician’s strike, his first 8 songs were released without any instrumental accompaniment. Perry’s musical success and popularity resulted in his radio show becoming a TV program called "The Chesterfield Supper Club" in 1948, which was later titled the "Perry Como Show." The "Perry Como Show" ran from 1950-1959. Como won the Best Male Vocal Grammy award in 1958 for "Catch a Falling Star," and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1987. Perry Como passed away on May 12 of 2001.
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