Jimmy Carter honored with musical celebration ahead of 100th birthday

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - Celebrations for former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday began Tuesday at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

The Fox Theatre hosted Delta Air Lines Presents: Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song.

Carter turns 100 years old on Oct. 1, marking another milestone in the life of America’s longest-living former president in history.

The celebration honored Carter with performances by The B-52s; Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts; Carlene Carter, daughter of June Carter Cash; Angélique Kidjo; BeBe Winans; India Arie; Lalah Hathaway; Chuck Leavell; D-Nice; Drive-By Truckers; Eric Church; GROUPLOVE; Maren Morris; The War And Treaty and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus.

Celebrity guests included Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger and former Atlanta Braves players Terry Pendleton and Dale Murphy.

Dr. Bernice King and journalist Monica Pearson spoke at the event and Ambassador Andrew Young was in attendance.

The celebration for Carter also included video birthday wishes from Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and musicians Dave Matthews and Nora Jones.

Mary Wharton, director of the documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President,” presented a short film exploring Carter’s relationship with popular musicians.

“I think he understood how important music is and so you find the songs and the material and artists that can pay tribute to him through music, and I think it’s going to be a big celebration. We looked and we tried to pick the right song and the right timbres and inclusion of artists in all genres,” Minor said before the event. “The artists that are performing have chosen material that they feel will uplift, not only the president, but will uplift this country and the world,” said Rickey Minor, an Emmy-award-winning director who was the show’s musical director.

President and CEO of The Fox Theatre Allan Vella said Carter feels that music brings people together.

“My understanding is that he had a very eclectic taste in music and loved all kinds of music and felt music brought people together, so that’s what The Fox does,” Vella said. “The Fox brings people together so we’re very honored to be hosting this very special event tonight.”

Vella said Carter is special to the state of Georgia.

“He’s definitely special to us as one of Georgia’s own. He’s done such good work as a humanitarian all around the world but even here in Atlanta, in Georgia,” he said. “If it’s in Habitat of Humanity or if it’s with the Carter Center, he’s just had a life of service and so you have to love and appreciate that.”

On Sept. 28, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum is hosting the JC100 Film Festival. It will show some of Carter’s favorite movies that were shown at the White House during his administration.

As Georgia’s governor, Carter started the state’s film office after the success of “Deliverance,” which was one of the first films ever made in the state. It became a huge commercial success.

Carter has been in hospice care for more than a year. He officially became America’s oldest living former president on March 21, 2019, surpassing George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018, at the age of 94 years and 171 days old. Prior to Bush, previous record holders were Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover and John Adams.

Carter, Clinton, Bush, Obama and Donald Trump are the nation’s only living former presidents.

Carter’s last public appearance was in November at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral. The former first lady passed away at the age of 96, only days after entering hospice care herself.

Carter was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, a small farming town located about 150 miles south of downtown Atlanta.

Carter attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology before heading to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1946. While serving in the Navy, he became a submariner and rose to the rank of lieutenant.

On July 7, 1946, Carter married Rosalynn Smith. Seven years later, he resigned from the Navy and returned to Georgia. Carter was an active member of the community and eventually entered the political world in 1962 when he was elected to the Georgia Senate.

Carter was sworn in as Georgia’s 76th governor on January 12, 1971.

Carter’s rise to the White House ranks as one of the most unlikely political victories in U.S. history. He was virtually unknown to the country and campaigned on a promise to never tell a lie.

Exactly three years to the date of his inauguration into the governor’s mansion, Carter announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He won the Democratic nomination in 1976 and was elected on November 2, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Gerald Ford.

The first and only president and First Lady from Georgia capped off the day by walking in the inauguration parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, something never seen from a just-inaugurated U.S. chief executive.

Carter was inaugurated on January 20, 1977, but would only serve one term in office. He was defeated in the 1980 election by Republican Ronald Reagan.

In 1982, Carter became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta and founded the Carter Center.

The Carters later become the public face of Habitat for Humanity. They both volunteered for the organization for 35 years, helping build homes alongside thousands of volunteers throughout the years

In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

Carter’s grandson Jason Carter said the former president is excited to vote in November.

“He was excited to turn 100, but he’s more excited to cast his ballot for Vice President Harris,” Jason Carter said.

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