What more could you possibly want as a state than to have the original Godfather of Soul as one of your very own? Music starts simply didn't come any larger than life than James Brown. Brown loved nothing more than a huge stage show, complete with outlandish outfits. That may have been an understandable consequence of his youth - he grew up so poor that he was once thrown out of school because he didn't have enough clothes to wear.
Brown may not have invented the rock-funk sound that became popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but he did more than anyone to popularize it, with songs like 'I Feel Good,' and 'Get Up.' He was also unafraid to tackle the social issues of his era head on, as he did with 'Say It Out Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.' According to Rolling Stone magazine, more of Brown's songs have been 'sampled' by other artists than any other musician. Brown passed away on Christmas Day 2006.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.