In January 1974, then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter hosted a post-concert reception for Bob Dylan at the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta. Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band was on the guest list, but he was rehearsing in Macon, an hour and a half away, and although he arrived after midnight, he barely made it to the door.
But that night, Carter and Allman became fast friends, bonding over Elmore James’ blues records (the two had differences in remembering how much scotch they drank). The Allmans were an interracial group of long-haired hippies, and although unloved by most in power, Carter was a deep fan and would quote the band’s lyrics back to Allman. The Allmans’ manager, Phil Walden, began their career in Macon, Georgia, and the band’s label, Capricorn Records, soon held its first fundraising concert for Carter’s run for President of the United States.
Carter later recalled: “The Allman Brothers raised money when I had no money and helped put me in the White House.”
The former president, who died Sunday at age 100, was a lifelong music fan, inspired and deeply moved by the rockers, gospel singers and country songwriters of his era, whose affection he often reciprocated on stage and in the White House. His taste for rock and pop music was a subtle but unmistakable gesture toward racial reconciliation and, as later evidenced by his support of the National Endowment for the Arts, a vision for a diverse and inclusive American culture.
Kamala Harris was the “Brat” and Barack Obama was Spotify’s trendsetter Carter. One documentary labeled him America’s first “Rock & Roll President.”
Carter grew up with gospel music in church and told The Washington Post, “It’s not racist music. It’s music of pain, longing, seeking, hope and faith.” But his reputation as a president well-versed in the rocker counterculture was noted by Hunter S. Thompson, a prominent lunatic journalist of the era.
Thompson was assigned by Rolling Stone to cover Ted Kennedy’s early presidential campaign in 1974, but caught Carter giving a “king of a speech” and “by the end of his speech, he was ringing every bell in the room,” Thompson said. said: wrote.
Although seemingly at odds with his devout peanut-growing reputation, Carter’s countercultural credibility helped him build the coalition that won him the White House. When he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 1976, the United States was emerging from an era of controversy and distrust that included Watergate and the Vietnam War. Carter found hope and optimism and quoted his beloved Dylan.
“My vision for this country and its future has deepened and matured over the 19 months I have campaigned with you for President. I have never had more faith in America than I do now,” Carter said. “In the words of Bob Dylan, there is an America that is ‘born busy,’ not ‘busy dying.’ ”
Carter loved to quote Dylan. He said this in a 1974 speech: “After listening to his recordings of ‘The Ballad of Hattie Carroll,’ ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ and ‘The Times, They Are a-Changing,’ I learned to appreciate that dynamism. “Changes in modern society.” Years later, Carter introduced the singer at MusiCares’ Person of the Year Awards in 2015.
Dylan was one of many musicians who came to trust Carter’s taste and moral standards.
The band covered “Georgia on My Mind” on “Saturday Night Live” in support of Carter just before the 1976 election, and later released a studio version. Aretha Franklin sang ‘God Bless America’ at Carter’s inauguration in 1977. At the first concert, Paul Simon said on stage, “Maybe there will be an age of justice and dignity,” and David Crosby told Rolling Stone that Carter was “so smart that he knows how to be human and approachable and real.” “There is,” he said. “He is truly a genius.” Even right-wing singer and musician Charlie Daniels called Carter “a good guy… he’s brought some credibility back to the presidency” in 2014.
In 1978, Carter hosted a star-studded jazz concert on the South Lawn of the White House, where he took the stage with Dizzy Gillespie and drummer Max Roach for the famous two-word chorus, “Salt Peanuts.”
Carter loved jazz and praised pioneering free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor in interviews. For the former governor of Georgia, just a few years removed from the heat of the civil rights era, it was an important gesture of solidarity and respect for a defining black art form.
Perhaps most famously, after performing for Carter in the Rose Garden in 1980, Willie Nelson claimed to have performed a joint performance while sitting on the White House rooftop. Nelson wrote in his autobiography: “Late at night, sitting on the roof of the White House in Washington, DC, with a beer in one hand and a fat Austin torpedo in the other, I was in a reflective mood. No one from the Secret Service was watching us. “If they were watching, their intention was to keep us out of trouble instead of getting us into trouble.”
(Nelson revealed that Carter was not present because Carter’s son Chip was up on the roof with Nelson that night.)
In the 2020 documentary “Rock & Roll President,” which also featured interviews with Nelson, Jimmy Buffett and Bono, Dylan said Carter was “the kind of guy that’s as simple as a Lynyrd Skynyrd song.” He takes his time and doesn’t live too fast. Difficulties will come, but they will pass. Find a woman, find love, and never forget that there is always someone above you. There are many sides to him. He is a nuclear engineer. Woodworking carpenter. That person is also a poet. He is a dirt farmer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I told you he was a race car driver.”
Following the news of his death, many musicians wrote tributes to Carter.
Singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel wrote, “President Jimmy Carter was a truly extraordinary man and rare politician who championed and advocated for idealism, compassion, and human rights, especially the rights of women and those suffering from real oppression.” . A longtime friend who respected Carter’s advocacy for peace, especially his 2007 book “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid.”
“Rest in peace, Mr. President. I am sad for us and happy for you. “The legacy of your and Lady Rosalyn’s love will live on forever.” wrote country singer Trisha Yearwood, who along with her husband Garth Brooks took part in the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project with housing charity Habitat for Humanity.
Heart singer and guitarist Nancy Wilson called Carter “an incredible bridge between politics and humanity,” while Georgia rapper Killer Mike wrote on social media, “A ‘good man’ who truly made a difference.” “It’s an honor to know you,” he wrote. In a wicked world.”
Carter may yet get his final piece in music history. On February 2, he is set to win his fourth Grammy Award for Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recordings for “Last Sundays In Plains: A Centennial Celebration.”
