Notable people
A Pulitzer-winning editor, a jazz legend, an American Idol finalist, a NASCAR empire builder and a first-round pick: people whose stories start in Stanly County.
Photo: Jon Platek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who is included
This list includes only people who have their own Wikipedia biography and whose biography ties them to Stanly County: born here, raised here, or schooled here. Each entry gives the place and a one-line, factual summary. Many other residents have shaped the county without a Wikipedia article; for them, see the history guides and the research guide. Know someone who belongs here? Use our corrections form and include a published source.
People listed by field
Count of entries on this page
Compiled from the entries below. The county’s namesake, John Stanly, is noted separately.
Music, television and entertainment
| Name | Years | Stanly tie | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Donaldson | 1926–2024 | Born in Badin | Jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader known for a soulful, blues-rooted style |
| June Tyson | 1936–1992 | Born in Albemarle | Vocalist, violinist and dancer; the only woman in Sun Ra’s Arkestra |
| Star Jones | b. 1962 | Born in Badin (raised in New Jersey) | Lawyer and former prosecutor; original co-host of ABC’s The View; host of Divorce Court |
| Unknown Hinson (Stuart Daniel Baker) | b. 1954 | From Albemarle; former music teacher and studio musician there | Country-rockabilly performer; voiced Early Cuyler on Adult Swim’s Squidbillies (2005–2019) |
| Louis Cato | b. 1985 | Grew up in Albemarle | Multi-instrumentalist and singer; bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s house band since 2022 |
| Kellie Pickler | b. 1986 | Born in Albemarle | Country singer; sixth place on American Idol season 5; won Dancing with the Stars in 2013 |
| Adeem the Artist | b. 1988 | Born in Locust | Country singer-songwriter; Cast Iron Pansexual (2021); 2023 Americana Honors nominee for Emerging Act |
Journalism and broadcasting
W. Horace Carter
1921–2009 · born in Albemarle
Publisher of the Tabor City Tribune, whose editorials against the Ku Klux Klan helped lead to more than 100 convictions. His paper shared the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service with the Whiteville News Reporter.
Woody Durham
1941–2018 · raised in Albemarle
Born in Mebane, he grew up in Albemarle, played guard at Albemarle High and called North Carolina Tar Heels football and basketball on radio from 1971 to 2011. Inducted into the Stanly County Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
Willie Drye
b. 1949 · born in Albemarle
North Stanly High athlete, journalist and author of Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and For Sale—American Paradise; contributing editor for National Geographic News.
Sports
| Name | Born | Stanly tie | Career highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monty Montgomery | 1946 | Born in Albemarle; Pfeiffer College | Kansas City Royals pitcher, 1971–1972; threw a four-hit shutout of the Angels on September 7, 1972 |
| Tommy Smith | 1948 (d. 2024) | Born in Albemarle | Outfielder for Cleveland (1973–1976) and the expansion Seattle Mariners (1977) |
| Dan Kepley | 1953 | Born in Albemarle | Edmonton Eskimos linebacker 1975–1984; eight Grey Cups, three CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player awards; Canadian Football Hall of Fame 1996 |
| T. A. McLendon | 1983 | Born in Albemarle; Albemarle High | 9,004 high school rushing yards and 178 touchdowns; ACC Rookie of the Year at NC State (2002); Stanly County Sports Hall of Fame 2023 |
| Denico Autry | 1990 | Born in Albemarle; Albemarle High | NFL defensive lineman for the Raiders, Colts, Titans and Texans; career-high 11.5 sacks in 2023 |
| B. J. Hill | 1995 | Born in Oakboro; West Stanly High | NC State defensive tackle; drafted by the Giants (2018); Cincinnati Bengals since 2021 |
| Antonio Williams | 1997 | Born in New London; North Stanly High | Running back at Ohio State and North Carolina; Buffalo Bills and New York Giants; now a college running backs coach |
| Rhett Lowder | 2002 | Born in Albemarle; North Stanly High | Two-time ACC Pitcher of the Year at Wake Forest; seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft; Cincinnati Reds debut August 30, 2024 |
Business and public life
Bruton Smith
1927–2022 · born near Oakboro
Raised on a farm a mile outside Oakboro and a 1944 graduate of Oakboro High School (now West Stanly). He built Speedway Motorsports, the racetrack company, and the auto retailer Sonic Automotive.
Keith Crisco
1943–2014 · born in Stanly County
Pfeiffer graduate with a Harvard MBA who led Stedman Elastics in Asheboro, served on the Asheboro City Council, and was North Carolina Secretary of Commerce from 2009 to 2013.
The county’s namesake
John Stanly (1774–1834) of New Bern was a Federalist state legislator and two-term U.S. Representative, remembered for mortally wounding former governor Richard Dobbs Spaight in an 1802 duel. Local research suggests he had no personal connection to the county that bears his name.
