re: How many famous people can you connect yourself to?

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I am descended from the pirate Jean Lafitte, he is my great x5 uncle…. Apparently he left behind $30 million in treasure buried somewhere in South Louisiana , though we cant find it.. back in the 80s, my family hired a psychic to try and find it, but to no avail lol

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You watched Outter Banks too huh?

My grandfather was a well known piano player that played with and for the likes of Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Lizza Minnelli, and a few jazz bands. My grandmother told me she went to a party in Hollywood he was playing and every celebrity walked in. John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, etc.

I went to grade and high school with Tripp Gibson. He was the home plate umpire for Game 4 of the World Series last year when the Astros threw the combined No-hitter.

I worked with Marcus Dupree.

I have a few.

My dad was in the marching and jazz band at Auburn. The jazz band female singer his senior year was a freshman named Toni Tennille. As a senior in HS, I was in John Cougar Mellencamp's video for Paper in Fire and an extra in the movie 1969. Tutored Garrison Hearst and Andre Hastings while a UGA undergrad. As a club pro in the north Atlanta suburbs, I played golf with the entire Braves rotation at one time or another, plus most of the players on the roster. Also played in the US Open at that time, so know a lot of PGA Tour players as well.

ETA: When I attended UGA, my roommate's sister was REM's secretary at their business office. So I got to know the guys in the band pretty well and saw them rehearse several times. Also saw them debut the Automatic for the People album at the 40 Watt before it was released for public sale. Used to go drink with them at World Bar downtown.

Eskimo bros with Trump

In the 70’s I lived next door to Rip Torn’s brother.
I rode in an elevator in Vegas with Charo, the cuchi cuchi girl.
Lorne Green in a golf cart almost ran me down in LAX.
Wolfman Jack’s brother once worked for me.
I rode on a bus to a barbecue next to Mr. Wizard.
An American Idol finalist lived in my neighborhood.
That’s all I can remember (or care to share).

My mom's cousin is cousins with Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas.

I used to live up the street from the Hansbrough brothers of college hoops fame. Wife (no pics) good friend (also no pics) was married to their dad. My son went as his guest to a Pacers game when Tyler played there.

I used to get confused as christian singer Michael W. Smith. As in I've had strangers stalk me.

People that I actually KNOW?

A few, but not a huge list, and not necessarily "A-list" folks but:

I graduated high school with Ashley Judd in 1986.

My wife graduated high school with Tish Finley who would become Billy Ray's Cyrus' wife and Miley Cyrus' mother.

Dad was friends with Neil Armstrong through their dealings in the natural gas industry in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Chuck Woolery would visit his mother who lived about a block away from us and was on my sister's portion of our paper route. My sister would make sure to stop by and have lemonade and cookies on the patio with him and his mother on those occasions. (This was before the Epstein days. Of course, I'm pretty certain that Chuck Woolery has always been above board in all his dealings.)

My mother's uncle, Brooks C. Bowles, was awarded the Silver Star at the Battle of Cantigny in 1918 when he pulled his company commander out of the line of enemy fire and back to friendly lines. He stayed good friends with his CO for many years after the war. The company commander was Major Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. President Roosevelt's eldest son.

A first cousin from extreme western Kentucky used to tour with John Prine.

Mark Twain used to visit my great-grandfather to get a little piloting time on a sternwheeler between Memphis, TN and Hickman, KY when my great-grandfather piloted the steamers, "John L. Summers" and "Mengel Box Co." Mostly though, it was to play cards in the middle of the river since gambling was illegal in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas at the time. Kind of a precursor to the way the casino boats do things now.

Way, way back, an uncle of mine who was a member of the Virginia Berkley Rifles during the American Revolution served as one of Gen George Washington's personal body guards during the war. Pretty neat to tell about, but he stayed a private in rank throughout the whole war, so I guess it could have been better.

I reckon the only ones I personally know would be Ashley Judd and Ricky Skaggs though. The one thing that I've learned from them though is that they're people just like anyone else. They just happen to be recognized by more people when they're out and about in public.

My mom went to school with Brittney Spear’s parents…….