Eight Musicians You Didn't Know Are From Arizona

Phoenix might not be New York or Hollywood, but it's still a pretty good city for talent of all sorts. Although many artists move five hours west on the I-10 once they make it big, there are plenty of your favorite bands have Arizona ties.

Since we all know about Chester Bennington, Stevie Nicks, Waylon Jennings, Nate Ruess, Alice Cooper, Roger Clyne, etc. here are eight musicians you didn't know were from Arizona.


8. Zella Day
If you don't know who Zella Day is, it might be time to find out. The Pinetop-born singer-songwriter will be 21 next month, and she's already looking (and sounding) like one of the next big things in music. She originally gained attention for her cover of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," but after releasing her record Kicker last summer, it's clear she's on to bigger and better things with her own original songs.

7. Zola Jesus
Phoenix may not have a super huge or famous lo-fi scene, but it did deliver one of the big young names in the scene. With five albums already under her belt by her mid-20s, it's not hard to see Zola Jesus not becoming a bigger star over the next handful of years. For those who don't know what she sounds like, imagine a female Morissey with a powerful voice for the next generation.

6. Dave Ellefson
He might not have been the most famous Dave in Megadeth, but you can't have a legendary metal band with only one person. He's also not technically from Arizona, but he currently lives in Scottsdale, so that's close enough. Like many other industries, it seems aging rockers enjoy the Valley's climate.

5. The Tubes
In 1969, two Phoenix-area bands moved to San Francisco to take a shot at making it big. Neither worked out, but the members from each got together and formed the Tubes in 1972. From then on, they'd be known as an iconic punk and alternative band that played with everyone from David Bowie to Led Zeppelin to Iggy Pop. To this day, they're still among the most influential bands from that era.

4. Mandy Jiroux
You may remember Mandy Jiroux as the YouTube partner and friend of Miley Cyrus, but she's up to much more than that now. As the lifelong performer and professional dancer begins to make her transition into a pop star, let's not forget where the Los Angeles-based singer was born and raised. When she's not singing and dancing, she also DJs, so Jiroux is set on making it big in one way or another.

3. Michelle Branch
Remember the good ol' days when Michelle Branch was the queen of singers with acoustic guitars? Before that, she was just a kid growing up in Sedona. Yeah, the early '00s wouldn't have been the same without her, and you know she was a big deal at the time because she even showed up on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That's some Arizona fame right there.

2. Linda Ronstadt
As far as historically relevant Arizona musicians, Linda Ronstadt is probably the most overlooked of all time. How many other Tucson natives have over a dozen major awards in anything? Probably not too many, but Ronstadt cleaned up on everything from Grammys to American Music Awards and even an Emmy. Honestly though, anyone in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame deserves to be on this list, particularly if they're rarely mentioned in the state's history.

1. Joe Jonas
Yep. That's right. The second-oldest Jonas Brother was born in Casa Grande. He even sent the hospital that gave him life cupcakes on his birthday. Weird.