Former president Jimmy Carter passed away on 29 December. He was an influential leader and a towering figure in politics, but he had a special relationship with music. The 39th US president was known for his love for music and how he insisted on the importance of music for social change and evolution. Much of this is also highlighted in the 2020 documentary named Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President. The Georgia native grew up in a time of segregation and was quite vocal about his position against the practice. He grew up around gospel music and emphasised that the genre was not limited to a certain race or class; rather, it was a medium to express one's "pain and faith." In the documentary, Carter emphasised that music was a binding agent for America: "One of the things that has held America together has been the music that we share and love." He used music and its biggest faces to provide his electorate a chance to relate to their leader. Jimmy Carter was close friends with artistes like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and the Allman Brothers. "When I first met Jimmy, the first thing he did was quote my songs back to me," said Dylan in the 2020 documentary. READ MORE: HBO and Cablevision founder Charles Dolan passes away at age 98 Jimmy Carter was one of the leading names of the New South Movement. This post-Civil War movement was a call to bring about economic change in the South, to move from an agrarian economy to an industry-heavy one. During this same time, Carter's home state of Georgia was pushing out one big name after the other, such as James Brown, Otis Redding, and Ray Charles. The Allman Brothers were aligned with Carter's thoughts as being one of the first racially rock bands of the time. "He was cool; he enjoyed our music, and he became a friend," said Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers in the documentary. Carter was known to attend many of their shows and even introduced them on the stage a few times. His connection to the music of the time and the message it carried spoke to people. It added to his already prevalent 'down to earth' image, as many related with him due to his humble beginnings as a part of a small agrarian family. Under Carter's administration, many concerts and music festivals were held, featuring artistes like Dolly Parton, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie and many more. The Nobel Peace Prize winner emphasised that music is "proof that people have one thing in common, no matter where they live and what language they speak." Carter passed away at the age of 100, making him the longest-living US president. -The writer is an intern with indianexpress.com
