Jimmy Carter grew up listening to gospel music while growing up in Plains, Georgia, but the future 39th president’s connection with rock and country artists while running for the Oval Office led to the moniker of “Rock ‘n’ Roll President.”
Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, counted Bob Dylan as a friend, The New York Times reported. The Allman Brothers endorsed Carter, who was the governor of Georgia but not well known outside the Peach State, in late 1975. Their endorsement, which came three months before the Iowa caucuses, connected with young voters, who were considered a crucial voting bloc for the upcoming 1976 Democratic primaries.
Country music stars such as Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee and Tom T. Hall all endorsed Carter in 1976 and 1980, The Tennessean reported.
Carter’s campaign decided to put on concerts while the candidate made himself known to the country, Variety reported.
It began at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Oct. 31, 1975, with the Marshall Tucker Band headlining the concert. A month later, on Nov. 25, the Allman Brothers Band played a concert in Providence, Rhode Island, the entertainment news website reported.
The Fox Theatre took the spotlight again on Jan. 14, 1976, when the Atlanta venue hosted Charlie Daniels. Jimmy Buffett put on a benefit concert for Carter in Portland, Oregon, according to Variety.
Not only did the concerts bring publicity to the Carter campaign; but they also brought in plenty of cash that could be matched by the federal government.
“Musicians don’t always feel safe with somebody except other musicians,” Chris Farrell, the lead producer of the 2020 documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President,” told Variety. “His authenticity definitely played a great role in his ability to connect with musicians.”
As a Southerner who grew up during the era of segregation, Carter understood how music could draw together people and open lines of communication, the Times reported. Music helped Carter connect his politics across class, race and culture, according to the newspaper.
Interviewed in “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President,” Dylan said that Carter quoted his lyrics to him when they met, the Times reported.
Jimmy Carter loved music enough that he was the subject of a documentary titled 'Rock & Roll President,' but his tastes covered a gamut of America. https://t.co/IiruGoe290
— Variety (@Variety) December 30, 2024
“It was the first time that I realized my songs had reached into, basically, into the establishment world,” Mr. Dylan said. “I had no experience in that realm -- never seen that side -- so it made me a little uneasy. He put my mind at ease by not talking down to me and showing me that he had a sincere appreciation of the songs that I had written.”
While accepting the nomination at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, Carter, quoting Dylan, said that America was “busy being born,” the Times reported.
Aretha Franklin made her first appearance at a presidential inaugural when she sang “God Bless America” for Carter on Jan. 20, 1977, according to the newspaper.
Nelson smoked marijuana with Carter’s son, Chip, when he stayed overnight at the White House, the Times reported.
In a more traditional setting, Carter held a “Country Music Celebration” in the White House’s East Room in April 1978, featuring Hall, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, The Tennessean reported.
“Country music is part of the soul and conscience of our democracy. It unfolds the inherent goodness of our people and our way of life,” Carter said at the time. “It captures our indomitable spirit and pulsates with the sorrows, joys, and unfailing perseverance of ordinary men and women who sustain our national vitality and strength.”
Other performers at the White House represented an eclectic mix of musicians, according to the Times.
They included the Staple Singers and pianists Arthur Rubenstein and Vladimir Horowitz. An all-star jazz concert on the South Lawn of the White House in 1978 featured Eubie Blake and Ornette Coleman, according to the newspaper. As an encore, the president, who was a peanut farmer before entering politics --joined Dizzy Gillespie to utter the two-word chorus of a bebop standard: “Salt Peanuts.”
© 2024 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
