67 Notable alumni of Musicians Institute
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Musicians Institute is ranked #5,241 in the world and #1,380 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 67 notable alumni from Musicians Institute sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Musicians Institute won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Phillip Michael Pacetti
record producer
songwriter
musician
Phillip Pacetti known as "Philonious" is an American musician active in the 1990s to present.
2. Anel Paz
1963-. (aged 63)
composer
guitarist
singer
record producer
Jose Manuel "Anel" Paz is an Argentinian guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and recording and mix engineer. He has been a member of Los Violadores, and Los Politicos.
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3. Gilles Renne
1954-. (aged 72)
jazz guitarist
Gilles Renne is a French jazz-fusion guitarist and composer.
4. Charles Olivier
journalist
screenwriter
Charles Olivier is an American film and television writer, producer, playwright, journalist and editor. His work has won several Emmys, a Peabody award, a Thurgood Marshall Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Journalism, as well as many other accolades. He and his films have taken top awards or been nominated at the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Tribeca...
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5. Jean-Marc Belkadi
jazz guitarist
jazz musician
Jean Marc Belkadi is a French-born, American jazz fusion guitarist known for his improvisational soloing technique.
6. Big Chris Flores
1970-. (aged 56)
musician
Chris Trinidad Flores, known professionally as Big Chris Flores, is an American-Mexican record producer and sound engineer. He first began his music production career in 1999, and in 2002, he founded Moodswing Records. Over the years, Big Chris has been producing music for people such as; Slash, Fergie, K-Ci & JoJo, Layzie Bone, KRS-One, C-Bo, Bun B, Trill OG, Lil...
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7. Mike Campese
composer
Mike Campese is an American guitarist and composer best known for being a member of the multi-platinum group Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Campese was picked over several guitarists in 2005 during the band's fourth CD, The Lost Christmas Eve, and received a gold record for his work. In 2008 Mike released his own rock Christmas CD, The Meaning of Christmas, which was...
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8. Terje Gewelt
1960-. (aged 66)
composer
recording artist
jazz musician
Terje Gewelt is a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass).
9. Mohammad Ridwan Hafiedz
1973-. (aged 53)
musician
Mohammad Ridwan Hafiedz or Ridho is an Indonesian guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as Slank's rhythm guitarist (sometimes the lead guitarist) and back vocalist along with another lead guitarist, Abdee Negara. With Slank, Ridho has created nine studio albums and three live albums, also one compilation album which was released in May 2006.
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10. Douglas R. Docker
1967-. (aged 59)
record producer
songwriter
musician
Douglas R. Docker is an American-French musician, singer, songwriter and producer known for his work with Docker's Guild, a progressive-metal space opera, and as a member of Cheap Prick, an Italian Cheap Trick tribute act. He has also worked with artists including Shining Line and Tony Mills. Docker is also the founder and owner of the Black Swan Rock School...
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11. Michael Denning
1954-. (aged 72)
historian
Michael Denning is an American cultural historian and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American Studies at Yale University. His work has been influential in shaping the field of American Studies by importing and interpreting the work of British Cultural Studies theorists. Although he received his Ph.D. from Yale University and studied with Fredric Jameson, perhaps the greatest influence on...
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12. Jeff Zwart
1955-. (aged 71)
photographer
film director
Jeffrey Robert Zwart is an American commercial film director, racer, photographer, with clients that include Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, General Motors, Hyundai, Ford and more.
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13. Sharon Aguilar
1986-. (aged 40)
singer
songwriter
Sharon Isabel Aguilar is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. She toured with 2NE1 in 2012, and has both founded and performed with several other groups.
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14. Magos Herrera
1970-. (aged 56)
singer
jazz musician
Magos Herrera is a Mexican jazz singer, songwriter, producer, and educator. She sings in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and has collaborated with Javier Limón, saxophonist Tim Ries, Aaron Goldberg, Pedro Aznar, Ed Simon Trio, John Patitucci, Luis Perdomo, Adam Rogers, Tim Hagans, Alex Kautz, composer Paola Prestini, former Kronos Quartet cellist Jeff Zeigler, and many others.
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15. Rafael Moreira
1974-. (aged 52)
singer
guitarist
Rafael Moreira is a Brazilian-American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist / vocalist on the hit CBS television shows Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova, MTV's Rock The Cradle and most recently on NBC's The Voice. He has also appeared as lead guitarist / supporting vocalist live on world tours and television, as...
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16. Allen Hinds
1956-. (aged 70)
musician
guitarist
Allen Hinds is an American guitarist, who has recorded or performed with Natalie Cole, BeBe & CeCe Winans, The Crusaders, Hiroshima, Roberta Flack, Randy Crawford, Bobby Caldwell, James Ingram, Marilyn Scott, Eric Marienthal, Marc Antoine, Gino Vannelli and Boney James, among many others. His songs have appeared on the TV shows Lucky, JAG, Pawn Stars, Sons of Guns and Sliced,...
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17. Howard Alden
1958-. (aged 68)
banjoist
jazz guitarist
jazz musician
Howard Vincent Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps.
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18. David Becker
1961-. (aged 65)
guitarist
jazz guitarist
jazz musician
David Becker is an American jazz guitarist and leader of the David Becker Tribune. He is also a graduate of the Musicians Institute.
19. Norman Brown
1970-. (aged 56)
composer
jazz guitarist
guitarist
jazz musician
Norman Brown is an American smooth jazz guitarist and singer.
20. Shane Theriot
composer
record producer
Shane Theriot is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is the musical director, guitarist, and band leader for Hall & Oates and musical director/guitarist for the television show Live from Daryl's House. As a composer for TV his music has been used by ESPN, HBO, and Showtime Networks. He is the author of several books on guitar styles, including...
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21. LaToya London
1978-. (aged 48)
singer
actor
LaToya Renee London is an American R&B and soul singer and stage actress who was fourth-place finalist on the third season of American Idol. Her debut album, Love & Life, was released in September 2005 and spawned a number of moderate R&B chart hits. She has concentrated on stage work, including originating and performing the role of Nettie in the...
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22. Kevin Fowler
1966-. (aged 60)
singer-songwriter
guitarist
Kevin Fowler is an American singer-songwriter. He has released five studio albums, and has charted four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the top 40 hit "Pound Sign (#?*!)". In addition, he wrote Sammy Kershaw's 2003 single "Beer, Bait & Ammo", Mark Chesnutt's 2004 single "The Lord Loves the Drinkin' Man" and Montgomery Gentry's 2009 single "Long...
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23. Brooke White
1983-. (aged 43)
musician
composer
guitarist
pianist
actor
Brooke Elizabeth White is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter and actress who was the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, White released her first studio album, called Songs from the Attic.
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24. Jeff Berlin
1953-. (aged 73)
jazz musician
recording artist
bassist
Jeffrey Arthur Berlin is an American jazz rock bassist and composer. He first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the band Bruford, led by drummer Bill Bruford.
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25. Ehsaan Noorani
1963-. (aged 63)
composer
Ehsaan Noorani is an Indian composer and guitarist.
26. Joacim Cans
1970-. (aged 56)
singer
songwriter
Joacim Cans is a Swedish singer, best known as the lead vocalist of power metal band HammerFall. He is the only member aside from founder and guitarist Oscar Dronjak to appear on all of the band's albums.
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27. Nicole Row
1991-. (aged 35)
bass guitarist
Nicole Sue Row is an American musician, who is the current bassist of rock band Incubus. She first gained visibility by touring with Miley Cyrus in 2017 and Panic! at the Disco during 2018–2023. She joined Incubus on tour in March 2023 and was made a full band member in February 2024.
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28. Russ Parrish
1970-. (aged 56)
musician
guitarist
Russell John Parrish, better known as Satchel, is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist for the comedic glam metal band Steel Panther.
29. Scott Henderson
1954-. (aged 72)
musician
guitarist
jazz guitarist
recording artist
jazz musician
Scott Henderson is an American jazz fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech. He was born in West Palm Beach and raised in Lake Worth Beach.
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30. Elli Kokkinou
1970-. (aged 56)
singer
Elli Kokkinou is a Greek singer. She is among the most popular singers in Greece today and has performed together with many notable Greek names of the music industry such as Anna Vissi, Glykeria, Paschalis Terzis, Sakis Rouvas, Tolis Voskopoulos, Thanos Petrelis, Natassa Theodoridou, Despina Vandi, Giorgos Tsalikis and Kalomoira. Kokkinou has been certified for the sales of 135 thousand...
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31. Jeff Young
1962-. (aged 64)
guitarist
Jeffrey "Jeff" Young is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What! (Capitol Records). In 1998, Young co-wrote, produced and played on the world-fusion album Chameleon by Badi Assad. In addition to his subsequent...
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32. Matt McJunkins
1983-. (aged 43)
musician
Matt McJunkins is an American musician and photographer best known for touring and recording with the American rock band A Perfect Circle. He is a former touring bassist for Eagles of Death Metal. He is one of the founding members of The Beta Machine, a rock band formed with Jeff Friedl. McJunkins has also worked with Thirty Seconds to Mars,...
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33. Patiparn Patavekarn
1973-. (aged 53)
singer
actor
television actor
Patiparn Patavekarn, is a Thai film and television actor and pop singer from GMM Grammy. He released his debut album in 1992 and is known for his melodic ballads.
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34. Jimmy Herring
1962-. (aged 64)
recording artist
guitarist
Jimmy Herring is an American guitarist, known as the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic since 2006. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead.
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35. Juan Alderete
1963-. (aged 63)
bass guitarist
Juan Alderete de la Peña is an American musician. He is best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X and for his tenures in The Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson.
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36. Meja
1969-. (aged 57)
composer
singer
Meja Anna Pernilla Kullersten is a Swedish composer, artist and singer. Among her best known songs are "Happy" (with Legacy of Sound), "Private Emotion", a duet with Ricky Martin from his multi-Platinum album Ricky Martin (1999), and "All 'Bout the Money", which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998.
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37. Alessandro Cortini
1976-. (aged 50)
singer
guitarist
vocalist
keyboardist
record producer
Alessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for his work with the American industrial band Nine Inch Nails. He plays modular synthesizers, keyboards, guitar, and bass guitar.
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38. Lex Lang
1965-. (aged 61)
screenwriter
stage actor
singer-songwriter
voice actor
record producer
Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the Crash Bandicoot franchise, Suguru Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen, Ecliptor in Power Rangers in Space, and Goemon Ishikawa in Lupin the Third.
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39. Frank Gambale
1958-. (aged 68)
session musician
jazz guitarist
guitarist
jazz musician
Frank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released twenty albums over a period of three decades, and is known for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.
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40. Paul Masvidal
1971-. (aged 55)
singer
guitarist
composer
Paul Albert Masvidal is an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive metal band Cynic. He has remained a continual member in Cynic for nearly three decades and has developed numerous other projects including Æon Spoke, Onward with Love, and Masvidal (a solo project). Masvidal was ranked in Loudwire's 66 Best Hard...
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41. Dave Kushner
1966-. (aged 60)
musician
guitarist
Dave Kushner is an American musician best known as the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. Kushner has also been a member of Wasted Youth, Electric Love Hogs, Loaded, Danzig, Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro's solo band, Sugartooth, Zilch while he has also recorded with Infectious Grooves, Cyco Miko and more recently collaborated with Scars on Broadway...
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42. Takayoshi Ohmura
1983-. (aged 43)
singer-songwriter
guitarist
Takayoshi Ohmura is a Japanese musician and songwriter. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his first instrument was the piano, which he began playing when he was three years old. By the age of 11, he had started to play acoustic guitar, moving to electric guitar at the age of 14. By the age of 17, he had developed an interest in...
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43. John Shanks
1961-. (aged 65)
composer
songwriter
guitarist
record producer
John Matthew Shanks is an American songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. He has been the rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi since 2024, having served as a producer and session and touring musician for the band for several years prior.
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44. Jennifer Batten
1957-. (aged 69)
musician
guitarist
Jennifer Batten is an American electric guitar virtuoso who has worked as a session musician and solo artist, emerging mainly in the 1980s. From 1987 to 1997, she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours as his lead guitarist, and from 1999 to 2001, she toured and recorded with Jeff Beck.
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45. JinJoo Lee
1987-. (aged 39)
musician
guitarist
JinJoo Lee is a Korean-American musician, best known as the guitarist for the pop rock band DNCE.
46. Scott Shriner
1965-. (aged 61)
bassist
musician
Scott Gardner Shriner is an American musician best known as a member of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded twelve studio albums. Joining the band in 2001, Shriner is the band's longest serving bass guitarist.
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47. Stefan Olsdal
1974-. (aged 52)
songwriter
guitarist
bassist
Bo Stefan Alexander Olsdal is a Swedish-Luxembourgish musician, best known as the bassist/guitarist of the alternative rock band Placebo, he is also part of the electronic band Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal and launched the electronic/dance remix at Hotel Persona.
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48. Ray Luzier
1970-. (aged 56)
musician
Raymond Lee Luzier is an American musician. He is the drummer of nu metal band Korn, becoming a full-time member of the band in April 2009.
49. Tanya Chua
1975-. (aged 51)
singer
record producer
songwriter
Tanya Chua Chian Ya is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She launched her singing career by releasing her debut studio album Bored in 1997. She was part of the trio that sang "Moments of Magic" (1999), Singapore's official millennium song. Her albums, Amphibian (2005), Goodbye & Hello (2007), Sing It Out of Love (2011) and Depart (2021), each won her a Golden...
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50. Paul Gilbert
1966-. (aged 60)
composer
guitarist
Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other...
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51. Bishop Briggs
1992-. (aged 34)
singer
songwriter
Sarah Grace McLaughlin, known professionally as Bishop Briggs, is an English singer and songwriter. Her single "River" peaked at number 3 on the US Alternative Chart, and has been streamed more than 485 million times on Spotify. It was included on her debut album, Church of Scars, released in April 2018. Island Records released her second album, Champion, in July...
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52. Q'orianka Kilcher
1990-. (aged 36)
singer
television actor
actor
stunt performer
film actor
Q'orianka Waira Qoiana Kilcher is an American actress. Her best known film roles are Pocahontas in Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World, and Kaʻiulani in Princess Kaiulani (2009). In 2020, she starred in a recurring role on the Paramount Network show Yellowstone.
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53. Synyster Gates
1981-. (aged 45)
guitarist
songwriter
Brian Elwin Haner Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. He ranks No. 9 on Guitar World's best metal guitarists of all time. Gates was voted as Best Metal Guitarist in the World by Total Guitar in 2016 and...
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54. Shruti Haasan
1986-. (aged 40)
composer
model
singer
actor
Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan is an Indian actress and singer who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. One of the highest paid actresses in Indian cinema, Haasan is the recipient of various accolades, including two Filmfare Awards South and seven SIIMA Awards. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2015 and 2016.
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55. Chad Smith
1961-. (aged 65)
drummer
musician
Chad Smith is an American musician who is the drummer of the rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith has played with the Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on ten of the band's studio albums and becoming the band's longest-serving drummer in its history. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith...
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56. Kat Graham
1989-. (aged 37)
television actor
dancer
philanthropist
executive producer
voice actor
Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham is an American actress, singer, dancer, and activist. She played Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017). Her film credits include The Parent Trap (1998), 17 Again (2009), The Roommate (2011), Honey 2 (2011), Addicted (2014), and All Eyez on Me (2017). In music, Graham has released two extended plays and...
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57. Jeff Buckley
1966-1997 (aged 31)
composer
singer-songwriter
guitarist
singer
Jeffrey Scott Buckley was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a following in the early 1990s performing at venues in the East Village, Manhattan. He signed with Columbia and released his only studio album, Grace, in 1994. Buckley toured extensively to promote Grace, with concerts in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and...
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58. Bryan Mantia
1963-. (aged 63)
drummer
Bryan Kei Mantia, known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, and Buckethead. He has also done session work for numerous artists and bands.
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59. Rivers Cuomo
1970-. (aged 56)
singer
guitarist
composer
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities around the northeast US until the age of 5, when his family settled in Pomfret, Connecticut. He played in several bands in Connecticut and California before forming Weezer...
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60. Steve Vai
1960-. (aged 66)
composer
songwriter
guitarist
record producer
Steven Siro Vai is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and played in Zappa's band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released 11 solo albums to...
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61. Rick Hill
1946-. (aged 80)
bureaucrat
politician
Richard Allan Hill is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Montana. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Montana in 2012.
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62. Christopher Maloney
1969-. (aged 57)
singer-songwriter
Christopher Patrick Maloney is an American singer-songwriter, bass guitarist and music educator. He is widely known for his work with instrumental hard rock band Cosmosquad, his stints in Hardline and with Dweezil Zappa, as an independent solo artist, an instructor at the Musicians Institute, the co-owner of Absolute Music Studios and the co-creator of the online music education site Practice...
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63. Shane Alexander
singer-songwriter
singer
Shane Alexander is a contemporary American singer-songwriter and musician. Alexander was born in San Diego, California, raised in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and is currently residing in Southern California.
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64. Greg Edmonson
composer
film score composer
Greg Edmonson is an American music composer for television and movies. He is primarily known for composing the soundtrack to the television series Firefly. He is also the composer for the first three games in the Uncharted video game series, and for a number of episodes of the American animated sitcom King of the Hill.
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65. Demir Demirkan
1972-. (aged 54)
singer
songwriter
composer
actor
musician
Demir Demirkan is a Turkish musician, Eurovision Song Contest winning composer, guitarist for thrash metal band Mezarkabul and writer. Demir Demirkan started playing music when he was 13 and played guitar with various groups in college. Demir Demirkan also wrote television jingles and composed soundtracks for television and films.
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66. Kenan DoÄŸulu
1974-. (aged 52)
singer
songwriter
composer
Kenan Doğulu is a Turkish pop musician. He represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, where he was placed fourth, with 163 points. In the summer of 2006, Doğulu released the album Festival, containing the hit single "Çakkıdı", in collaboration with Sezen Aksu.
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67. Bibi Zhou
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
singer
songwriter
Zhou Bichang, also known as Bibi Zhou, is a Chinese singer, songwriter, and musician. She debuted her singing career by winning the second place at the Chinese singing contest Super Girl in 2005. The next year she released her debut album Who Touched My Violin String. She debuted her acting career by featuring in the 2006 Chinese films McDull, the...
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