Jimmy Carter was known for many things throughout his 100 years of life: He was a peanut farmer with a passion for poetry, a Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian who volunteered building houses and, of course, the 39th president of the United States.
But long before Barack Obama made his summer playlists or Bill Clinton serenaded people with his saxophone, Carter's personal and political life was accompanied by a wide range of melodies.
When he was governor of Georgia, Carter backed anti-piracy legislation that introduced him to local musicians like the Allman Brothers Band and other performers on Macon's Capricorn Records.
His presidential inaugural gala featured performances from composer Leonard Bernstein and singers like Aretha Franklin and family friend Loretta Lynn.
In 1978, he brought jazz to the White House lawn and performed the vocals to Dizzy Gillespie's fittingly-titled tune "Salt Peanuts."
Earlier this year, his Carter Center hosted a musical gala at Atlanta's Fox Theatre to celebrate his 100th birthday, featuring performances across genres and generations, from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus to the B-52s to DJ D-Nice, India.Arie and two members of the Allman Brothers Band, Chuck Leavell and Duane Betts.
Even as health issues and the COVID pandemic led Carter to largely retire from public life, a 2020 documentary called Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President about his love of music was released, serving as a fitting reminder of nearly a century of passion for something deeper than politics.
In the documentary, Carter said that "music is proof that people can have things in common, no matter where they live, no matter what language they speak."
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