1. Megan Washington:
The inspiration of this article, Washington talked about her stutter on TedxSydney in a very touching way. She said singing is more than beautiful sound to her, being understood, or finding fame. Though she dreads talking in public, she explained she has no problem singing in public. Why? By some miracle she cannot sing and stutter at the same time (which is the case for most who stutter), and in her words, it is “sweet relief.” She also expressed struggles a singer who stutters faces. Some things affect her public image, like people often think she is drunk. People also think she forgets their name, because she hesitates right before saying it due to her stutter. She also tells a story of trying to introduce a band member named “Steve,” and perpetually “killing the vibe,” by stuttering. Luckily, her band member decided to go by “Seve” to help her out.More »
2. Marilyn Monroe:
Monroe is a fascinating character, and her life is full of surprises. We all know the surprise she gave President John F. Kennedy on his forty-fifth birthday celebration when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” But, did you know that Monroe struggled profoundly with stuttering? Monroe stated that the first time she stuttered was as an adolescent, and it came back again as a teenager. She says her stutter was terrible and painful. She reports there were momentary lapses in adulthood, as well, when she was nervous or excited. Some think the way she talked was due to her stutter, since it is similar to “smooth speech,” a kind of therapy voice for stutterers.More »
3. Mel Tillis:
Famous country star Tillis was presented a National Medal of Arts in 2011 by President Obama, arguably the highest honor a musician can achieve in the United States. Tillis is happy to make fun of his stutter and tells a story about three bunnies named “foot,” “foot, foot,” and “foot, foot, foot.” It is a nonsense story that highlights the names of the bunnies throughout, but speaks volumes about how little Tillis has allowed his stutter to affect him. He was made an honorary chairman of the Stuttering Foundation of America in 1998.More »
4. Elvis Presley:
Presley is also famous for his stutter and reportedly started singing as a form of therapy to overcome it. His stutter was so prevalent in interviews, that imitators will mimic it. He seemed unembarrassed by his stutter and like Washington his singing was unaffected. Some have said he was known as a “shy country boy,” though clearly he pushed the limits in musical style and dress. The assumption may be due to the fact that he hesitated before speaking and was deliberate in his speech due to his stammer.More »
5. Bill Withers:
Rhythm and blues artist, Withers, is most famous for his songs, such as the one that converted him from factory worker making toilet seats to a famous singer-songwriter and won Best R&B Song in 1972: “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Withers shares in an interview with The Telegraph that he first stuttered as a boy. He was not only told he was handicapped because of it, but the closest therapy he received was a slap in the face with a dishcloth to try and get rid of it. He shares his ideas on what causes a stutter and his technique on how to overcome it, “I came to the conclusion that it was a fear of the perception of the listener. Having too high an opinion of other people and too low an opinion of yourself… Once you come to that conclusion, you try to get your opinion of others in a more realistic plain. That is the technique. Most techniques are an awareness…The idea is to minimize [the stutter].”More »
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