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Grand Ole Opry to honor Jimmy Carter with Saturday performance

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Published  January 1, 2025 8:19am EST
Jimmy Carter
FOX 5 Atlanta
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Former US President Jimmy Carter (L) smiling broadly and standing next to Country and Western singer Willie Nelson (R) at concert during Plains, Georgia's 100th anniversary. (Photo by Thomas S. England/Getty Images)

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The Brief

    • Nashville's Grand Ole Opry will honor former President Jimmy Carter by dedicating Saturday's performance to him.
    • Carter was a big fan of country music and appeared at the Opry before being elected president. He and Rosalynn would listen to the show on the radio in their Georgia home.
    • The former president was known for his love of music, and his tastes ranged from jazz, to blues, rock, and classical.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry is dedicating Saturday's performance to the memory of one of its listeners, former President Jimmy Carter.

Carter was a big fan of country music and visited the Opry before, during, and after his time in the White House.

The Opry says Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's last visit was back in 2019 to promote Habitat for Humanity with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

The couple would also listen to the program on Saturdays from their Georgia home.

SEE MORE: Jimmy Carter funeral plans, schedule of events announced

"Thank you, President Carter, for embracing the Opry and for your service to our country and your impact on humanitarian endeavors. You will be missed," the Opry wrote on Facebook.

MORE: Former President Jimmy Carter receives 10th Grammy nomination

Jimmy Carter's love of music

What it was like as Jimmy Carter's neighbor

Photojournalist John Gnann grew up next door to former President Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia, and he took a look back at the profound impact their families had on each other.

Carter was known for his love of music and his tastes ranged from jazz, to blues, rock, and classical.

"One of the things that has held America together has been the music that we share and love," Carter said in a 2020 documentary on his life's connection with music.

Music was always a major part of the man from Plains, Georgia's political legacy. His grandson, Jason Carter, said the former president truly believed that the Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson helped him get elected.

"When he was coming out of the South, running for president of the United States, the Allman Brothers and some of these other folks were really announcing this New South that was turning the page on the days of segregation – their lyrics, their whole vibe," Jason Carter said. "He used that to connect across generations."

The Carter Center celebrated the former president's 100th birthday with musicians from a range of genres, including Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, Maren Morris and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus.

The Source: Information for this story was taken from a post by the Grand Ole Opry, former FOX 5 reporting, and the Associated Press.

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