Rock and Roll Heaven-The Righteous Brothers
Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” mentions Kiss
Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” mentions Yoko Ono and Bob Dylan, and refers to John Lennon
“Looking Out My Front Door” by Creedence Clearwater Revival mentions Buck Owens.
David Essex’s Rock On: “See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean (James Dean).” I’m of an age that that song made me look up James Dean and watch his movies.
Little Willie John’s “I’m Shakin” (currently climbing the charts in a Jack White cover) mentions Bo Diddley.
“TiK ToK” by Ke$ha (wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy…)
“Over” by Drake and “Bed Rock” by Lil Wayne both mention Michael Jackson. “Over” even mentions that cool red jacket with all the zippers.
“You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals mentions Beck, Hanson, Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson. “You’re all fakes, run to your mansions/come around, we’ll kick your ass in”
“Swingin’” by Tom Petty mentions several people who went down swinging: Sonny Liston, Glenn Miller, and others
Van Morrison - Cleaning Windows:
Listened to Jimmy Rogers on his lunch break.
Heard **Leadbelly **and Blind Lemon on the street where he was born.
Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, Muddy Waters singing “I’m a Rolling Stone”
Read his Christmas Humphreys’ book on Zen, Kerouac’s Dharma Bums and On the Road.
And Robbie Robertson mentions Little Willie John in Somewhere Down the Crazy River.
I love that song!
Brian Wilson, by Barenaked Ladies, in which the famous person is a simile.
Bloodhound Gang’s “Bad Touch” -
and
(That’s right - I only listen to classy music. 
) There are a couple more Prince references out there, but I can’t think of them right now.
Tom Petty’s “Running Down a Dream” -
(Assuming that is Del Shannon.)
k-os - “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman” - no mention in the song, just in the title.
Al Stewart again : Roads to Moscow
“General Guderian stands at the crest of the hill”
Or in his Post World War II Blues, he mentions :
Aneurin Bevan
Churchill
Louis Mountbatten
Eisenhower
Buddy Holly
Harold Macmillan
Christine Keeler
Allen Ginsberg
Robert Kennedy
Jimi Hendrix
for the full lyrics
Rage Against the Machine - Fistfull of Steel
“Steppin into the jam and I’m slammin like Shaquille…”
Cowboy Junkies “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning” mentions John Coltrane
REM’s “End of the World As We Know It” mentions Lenny Bruce
Eleventh Dream Day, on their album Beet, does this on three tracks; Faye Dunaway, Bobby Vinton, and Ezra Pound each get a shout
“You Wear It Well”, Rod Stewart–Jackie Onassis
“Ballad of Danny Bailey”, Elton John–John Dillinger
“Outlaw Blues”, Bob Dylan–Robert Ford and Jesse James
Similarly, Nova Mob’s “Werner von Braun” isn’t actually about him (“Her favorite color’s Werner von Braun…”).
Also Leonid Brezhnev and Lester Bangs. Their song “Electrolite” also mentions James Dean.
The Beatles’ “Yer Blues” mentions Dylan.
James Dean seems to be coming out a clear winner in cultural iconness. Or is it iconity?
Sympathy for the Devil mentions Jesus, Pilate, Anastasia, and the Kennedys.
The South is Gonna Do It Again by Charlie Daniels mentions the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dickey Betts, Elvin Bishop, and ZZ Top.
Roll Over Beethoven isn’t really about Beethoven or Tchaikovsky.
In Dave Soldier’s The Most Unwanted Music, George Stephanopolis’s name is screamed out.
Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London mentions Lon Chaneys Sr and Jr.
“Feels a little better when I’m out on the edge like a Taratino movie running through my head.”-“Ain’t Gonna Stop” from my most favorite singer James Otto 
God bless you and James always!!!
Holly