Chris Rea

Chris looking happy to be home as ever

Although he has publicly spoken out against Teesside in the past, his background provided him with reference points for his breakthrough album 'Old light through new windows.'

Paul Rogers

Paul in Free's heyday

'All Right Now" is a song that everyone knows, whether it's from the Wrigley's advert or by listening to it as a child of the 70's.

The man behind that vocal is Paul Rodgers who moved from Middlesbrough to London to make it big and eventually got what he moved for with Free.

Vin Garbutt

Shiny happy Vin

Vin discovered folk music whilst at school in South Bank and became a regular visitor (and performer) at The Rifle Club in Cannon Street, Middlesbrough.

Nowadays, Vin is a familiar face on the folk circuit and has won Best Live Act" BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2001 and was recently honoured by Teesside University when he received the Honorary Degree of Master of Arts.

Jannick Gers

Jannick is not the guy second left

The exotically named Iron Maiden guitarist is originally from Hartlepool who joined the band in 1990 and is known for being a great showman and a thoroughly nice bloke.

David Coverdale

The years have treat him well

Everyone from Teesside claims to have known Mr Coverdale due to his rawk credentials with Deep Purple and Whitesnake.

Read an interview with him

Wendy Smith

Wendy's an elusive lady

Although she was born in Middlesbrough, Wendy Smith was a member of groupie gang the Whitley Bay Girlies when she met Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout.

Her most notable vocal is on the intro of 'King and Rock and Roll' and as she's a bit of an enigma who refuses one to one interviews, it's rumoured she teaches vocal technique whilst not being a member of Prefab Sprout.

Florence Easton

Florece made a living in places like this

Florence Easton was born in South Bank on 25 October 1882. When she was five the family emigrated to Toronto, where she had piano, organ and singing lessons.

Following the death of her mother, she and her father returned to England in 1900 and she entered the Royal Academy of Music in London.

After a year of training her voice she went to Paris to study with Elliott Haslam,and then moved to America in 1905, where Florence made her North American debut as Gilda in Boston.

Easton's last appearance on the operatic stage was in 1936 singing Brünnhilde in The Valkyrie at the Met. She then taught privately and at the Juilliard School of Music, and still gave occasional recitals in New York, before dying from heart trouble in 1955.

Zoe Birkett

Treat her like a lady

She made it to the last 12 of SClub7 but found that going solo on Pop Idol was her route to fame, fortune and regular features in 'Heat'.

Consett-born Zoë was only 16 when she earned a positive remark from Simon Cowell and was the last girl to survive in the first series of Pop Idol. She is now working on solo material.

Want to know what other Teesiders have gone on to achieve? Check out the Hall of Fame indexes for sport, comedy, the arts, or on stage and screen.