10. Michelle Branch
Although Branch has been off our radar for quite some time, it's hard to forget the "Everywhere" singer, hailing from Sedona, Arizona. She attended Sedona Rock High School but ended up finishing her high school years being homeschooled. Her first major-label debut was The Spirit Room, released in August of 2001, of which included the aforementioned hit, "Everywhere." She went on to release the album Hotel Paper, as well as collaborating with her friend Jessica Harp in the band The Wreckers. Her latest album West Coast Time, has been delayed for two years, but is currently slated to be released in spring of this year. For those of us who grew up with her music, nostalgia's hoping she stays true to her musical roots. The world can only handle so many pop princesses.
Although Schilling wasn't born here, he did go to Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, and attend Yavapai College in Prescott. That's enough for us to consider him one of ours, even if he lives in Massachusetts now and named his video game company, Green Monster Games (it ended up being changed to 38 Studios, Schilling's jersey number), after the Red Sox's giant green wall, the team he retired with. Schilling was a dominant face in the Valley while he was with the Diamondbacks, and was instrumental in the Dbacks' only claim to fame in 2001. Even though Schilling pulled a Roger Clemons in 2007 when he took back his decision to retire, he did end up winning another World Series Championship with Boston, so we can forgive him. There's no denying that he was an extraordinary pitcher, and his presence on the Diamondbacks certainly helped shape 2001 into its legendary status among Phoenicians.
