Rev. Julius "June" Cheeks, born into poverty in Spartanburg in 1929 at the beginning of the Great Depression, began singing in the second grade and in 1946 formed The Sensational Nightingales, a group known for popular gospel songs such as "Somewhere to Lay My Head" and "The Last Mile of the Way." Gianna Rolandi, who grew up in Spartanburg and trained at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, began her career as an American soprano with the New York City Opera in 1974 and went on to a successful 19-year career performing with the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many others.