Re: Lamar - pronunciation
There's an ex-pat American classical pianist/professor of music in South Africa called Lamar Crowson (I think ... it's been a long time!). He's a good performer, tall-dark-and-handsome, and a wonderful lecturer and teacher; I went to a brilliant masterclass he gave, long ago.
He pronounces his name le MAR - the e should be a schwa. Is that the usual version in the US, or are there other variants?