James Earl Jones: The Man, the Voice, the Legend

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Do a Google search for “most distinctive voices in Hollywood history,” and you’re likely to see one name pop up repeatedly: James Earl Jones, the renowned actor and voiceover artist known best for voicing Darth Vader and The Lion King’s Mufasa. While you surely know his voice, you might not know that Jones has ties to northern Michigan. Born in Mississippi, Jones moved to the Manistee area when he was five and found his love for the arts there, even performing on the stage of the Ramsdell Theatre before ultimately attending the University of Michigan. Now, the Arts & Culture Alliance of Manistee is honoring Jones with a new bronze statue made by local artist Bernadette Zachara-Marcos. The project won’t just depict Jones, but also his teacher and mentor Donald Crouch, who pushed Jones to work through a stutter and recite a poem he had written in front of the class. Jones later credited Crouch with helping him find his famous voice. The statues are in progress and likely won’t be complete for a year, but you can learn more about the project at gofundme.com/f/mentorship-bronze-statue-fund.

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