The Stars Were Out In Georgia To Celebrate The 100th Birthday Of President Jimmy Carter

A fitting musical tribute to honor the “Rock & Roll President.”

Underneath the blanket of stars that adorn the ceiling of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, an eclectic assortment of musicians and famous faces joined together to mark a historic milestone in America: the first time a living president has celebrated a century of life.

Just weeks ahead of President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, a who’s who of musicians descended upon Georgia’s capital city to join together in song to honor America’s “Rock & Roll President.”

Hosted by The Carter Center with Jason Carter at the helm, Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song showcased many of the former president’s favorite musicians, from a wide variety of genres, just as he has always preferred it. From country to R&B, gospel to rock, all were represented and each act honored a different element of Jimmy Carter’s grand legacy.

Just ahead of the show, many of the night’s performers and presenters walked the blue carpet and shared their excitement about the show. Jason shared with Southern Living that his grandfather is “doing okay… he’s really physically diminished. He really can’t do much on his own but he’s emotionally engaged. He is mentally engaged.”

Jason said that when they began to plan how they would mark this centennial birthday, there was an obvious choice. “He has always loved music… [He] has lived his life celebrating with music and so we figured it was a perfect, unique way to do this 100th birthday.”

He also shared with us that the choice of where to host this party was equally as important. “I think for us, he’s grounded in Georgia in such a fundamental way. So for us, we’re going to have five generations of family here tonight which is a truly remarkable opportunity.”

Jason continued, “Obviously the Fox Theatre is one of the most spectacular venues. It’s a historic venue. It’s been around for a lot of Atlanta’s history and that history is so bound up in my grandfather’s story, right? My grandfather, when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, talked about standing on the shoulders of the Georgians that came before him, like Martin Luther King. And that experience for us, in being so grounded in this city. The Carter Center being just down the road. Almost sharing a street with the Fox. It’s an important place for us. And of course it’s just cool, I mean it’s one of the coolest venues.”

He did share that this will be the public party, but that the family plans to privately celebrate with their patriarch as well. “We've always shared him a little bit with the rest of the world and certainly with this country and so we’re happy to keep doing that. So this is the public way that we do that and we’re gonna all go down to Plains on his actual birthday and have some family time. So we’re thrilled to be able to do both things.”

Carlene Carter understands a thing or two about lasting legacies as the daughter of June Carter Cash and a member of the First Family of Country Music. She told Southern Living that being asked to participate in the night’s festivities was “a huge honor.”

“He inspired me as a younger person getting ready to learn about voting and caring a little bit about politics," she said. "Part of it is that he used music to help bring so many people together and cross genres and you know, politics with heartfelt music can tear down any barriers of communication and understanding. You can say a lot in a song that you might not be able to say in a meeting.”

Husband and wife duo, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, otherwise known as The War and Treaty, were personally selected by Jason Cater as he feels that while his grandfather might not have heard them yet, once he sees the show when it airs on Georgia Public Broadcasting on October 1, “ he’s going to be excited about them.”

Michael Trotter Jr. told us that their genre bending mix of soul, country, R&B, rock, and gospel all into one is what Jason knew would appeal to his grandfather.  “Apparently Tanya and I fit the blank spaces when asked, what genres do you love? And so that’s why we’re here tonight, and I’m so grateful.”

Tanya echoed her husband’s gratitude and said, “It’s historic. It’s very humbling. It’s very hard to put into words because we’ll be able to tell our grandchildren about this that we were here.”

Tanya also feels a special connection to the Carter legacy. “My mom being from Panama, I remember when the Panama Treaties were done by our president at that time. I was a kid, but I remember. And so to be able to experience all that and then be here and be a part of his legacy… To be one of the artists that his grandson and people that are around him listen to because of the influence that he had on them, it’s amazing. To be able to just go along with everyone and go ok let’s be that musical gumbo that he loves.”

As the performers finished walking the carpet, the audience took to their seats and the show began with an angelic choral performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. After ASO performed a rousing rendition of “America the Beautiful,” Jason took to the stage to welcome the crowd.

The show was a mixture of live performances, speeches, and video clips and photographs of President Carter, his beloved late wife, Rosalynn, and their family as well as important moments throughout his presidency.

In a video clip played near the top of the show from the documentary Jimmy Carter, Rock & Roll President, the Georgia native says “Music is proof people have something in common no matter what language they are speaking.”

This truly set the tone for the wide array of acts that followed including Angelique Kidjo, who spoke about President Carter’s strong connection to Africa, BeBe Winans who performed with the Spelman College Glee Club as a nod to Carter’s deep faith, and D-Nice who got the crowd to their feet to dance and sing along in this grand celebration of an extraordinary life. Other performers included Drive-By Truckers, GROUPLOVE, India.Arie, Lala Hathaway, Rickey Minor Band, The B-52s, and fellow Georgia native, Chuck Leavell.

Leavell, as a member of the Allman Brothers Band, played an instrumental role in Jimmy Carter’s election campaign and the two have remained friends throughout the decades. Leavell took to the stage alongside Duane Betts, the son of his bandmate, Dickey Betts who died earlier this year. Leavell also returned to the stage to play with several other acts. Betts too made a repeat performance when he played alongside Carlene Carter in a rendition of a Carter Family classic, “Can the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Breaking up the musical performances, several presenters highlighted the various accomplishments and attributes that make up the complete picture of Jimmy Carter’s legacy. Renee Zellweger shared the origin story of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s everlasting love story, Bernice King spoke of the connection between the mission of her father and Jimmy Carter, Atlanta news icon Monica Pearson spoke of “Citizen Carter,” noting all of the important work he did after his presidency was over, and Braves legends Dale Murphy and Terry Pendleton spoke about Jimmy’s devotion to his Atlanta Braves.

The last performer of the night, Eric Church, walked on stage in his signature shades and said how honored he was to play a few songs selected by the Carter family because they are some of Jimmy’s favorites.

"This is an incredible honor for me," Church told the audience. "When I got the call to participate in President Carter's 100th birthday, I jumped at it. There may have never been an American president that was more tied to music with what was going on in his generation than President Carter."

To end the show, Church welcomed back The War And Treaty as well as Chuck Leavell who led all of the other acts of the night in a powerful rendition of“Georgia on my Mind.”

With a pop of golden confetti showering the crowd, all of the musicians waved farewell and the curtain fell.

Happy birthday, Jimmy Carter!

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.