Having a Blast in Carbondale

Carbondale has the vibrant arts, entertainment, and music scenes
of a city more than ten times its size!

It's a psychobilly freakout!
The Bottletones, one of Carbondale's
biggest musical exports.

Fabled parties like Halloween and Springfest are now the stuff of legend, and the late pool legend Minnesota Fats (from nearby Johnston City) no longer hustles college students in the billiard halls of Carbondale's legendary Strip. But getting down and having fun are traditions that run deep in Carbondale-- as recognized by Playboy magazine, which has ranked Southern Illinois University one of the top party schools in the nation.

The secret is Carbondale's location, two hours from the nearest major city and six hours from Chicago: SIU is no commuter college. If you want to party, you've got to do it here. Sometimes, you have to make it happen. This do-it-yourself ethic is one of the reasons Carbondale has produced so many great actors, filmmakers-- and bands, such as the skacore Blue Meanies and the psychobilly Bottletones.


Attending SIU means
having a great time!

Look at the entertainers who cut their teeth
on Carbondale's stages and screens:

 Former SIU track star Dick Gregory.
As a student, Gregory set several
track records and, more importantly,
led the fight to desegregate
Carbondale's movie theaters.
He left SIU and became a
celebrated comedian and, later,
a civil-rights leader, a close
friend of Malcolm X and the
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Carbondale music scene alum
Shawn Colvin, who has won
Grammy Awards
for Steady On and
A Few Small Repairs.
While in Carbondale she led a
band called the Dixie Diesels.


Dick Gregory,
comedian, civil-rights leader, dietician
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCLUSIVE
NIGHTLIFE INTERVIEW WITH DICK GREGORY!

Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows,
Alligator Records soul and jump-blues recording artists.

Shawn Colvin,
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter.

Jason Ringenberg
of Jason and the Scorchers, the creators of cowpunk.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCLUSIVE
NIGHTLIFE INTERVIEW WITH JASON RINGENBERG!

Onetime Carbondale resident, the late blues sax legend A.C. Reed, who recorded for Chicago's
Alligator Records.

SIU music scene alum Darryl Jones backing
up the Rolling Stones. In 1994, Jones
unofficially replaced Bill Wyman
in the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band
and has played on the last several Stones
albums and tours.


Jim Belushi,
former Second City and Saturday Night Live star.

Dennis Franz
former star of NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues.

Steve R. James and Fred Marx,
producers and directors of the 1994 award-winning documentary film Hoop Dreams.

Barb Trent,
Activist and Academy Award-winning director of
The Panama Deception and Coverup: Inside the Iran-Contra Affair.

Darryl Jones,
session bassist for the Rolling Stones, Sting, and Miles Davis
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCLUSIVE
NIGHTLIFE INTERVIEW WITH DARRYL JONES!

Former SIU student
Jenny McCarthy, about to
get offed in Scream 3.

Three-hundred pounds of heavenly joy:
The late, great Big Twist, one of Carbondale music's
most beloved figures.

Walt Willey,
star of ABC's soap All My Children.

Bob Odenkirk
director, star of HBO's Mister Show.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCLUSIVE
NIGHTLIFE INTERVIEW WITH BOB ODENKIRK!

Jenny McCarthy,
actress (Scream 3, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead)
and 1994 Playboy Playmate of the Year.

A.C. Reed,
Late Alligator Records recording artist and blues saxophone legend.

Peter Michael Goetz,
star of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Father of the Bride.

Bill Dwyer,
host of the former Comedy Central television program Battlebots.

 The legendary Jason Ringenberg returns
to fire up his alma mater with the Scorchers.
While an SIU student he played in a band called
Shakespeare's Riot.
SIU Alum Bill Dwyer and Battlebots
host with some new friends. Dwyer
returned to his alma mater to profile
SIU's battlebot, Nibbler.
SIU:
Where Genius Takes Root.

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If our distinguished alumni list is missing anybody, check the education and sports pages. Still think we're missing someone important? Email us! Please include URLs or links to any online bios to these people. If you have better links than the ones we found (when possible, we prefer official websites), or if you find any dead links on this site, tell us about them, too! Also, see the SIU Alumni Association list of Distinguished Alumni.
© 2000 Carbondale Nightlife. All rights reserved. No reproduction is allowed without expressed, written consent. This site has been created independently of Southern Illinois University and the City of Carbondale. It is in NO WAY affiliated, officially or otherwise, with SIU or the City of Carbondale.