Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President

For this year’s “President’s Day Movie Review,” I will be looking at the 2020 documentary, “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.”

This is an energetic celebration of a good man, who became one of USA’s most effective former presidents.

Whether or not history will look nicely at his presidency, the Georgia peanut farmer who came up to the country’s highest elected office was undeniably a lovable man. Back in the 1970s, his relationships with some of the biggest names in music helped expand his charm.

In the documentary, Grammy award-winning producer turned director Mary Wharton looks at the middle of music and politics. The film takes us behind the scenes with some of rock & roll’s most famous singers and (at that time) 95-year-old President Carter in a series of intimate interviews.

Among the musical stars shown in the documentary, we hear from Jimmy Buffet, Garth Brooks, Rosanne Cash, Larry Gatlin, Willie Nelson, Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Trisha Yearwood, Bono, and even Bob Dylan. Jonathan W. Hickman said in his review, “But most touching, I think, are the interviews with the late Gregg Allman (who died in 2017).”

“The Allman Brothers helped put me in the White House by raising money when I didn’t have any money!” Carters says in the film.

It was the 39^th president’s relationship with Gregg Allman that helps demonstrate the character of Jimmy Carter. Hickman noted, “Following Allman’s famous mid-1970s drug bust, and his subsequent testimony against his personal road manager, it would have been easy, even understandable, for Carter, a good Christian, to abandon the troubled southern rocker. But true to form, and by relying on his lifelong Christian sense of forgiveness, Carter’s big heart and loyalty to his friend endured.”

Risking political backlash, Carter maintained relations with Allman, even continuing to have the struggling musician and his then-wife, Cher, to the White House. Hickman said, “If Carter only valued the benefit of celebrity connections, he would have stopped taking Allman’s calls. The humility and grace on display are palpable.”

The interviews with Carter, whose son, Chip, describes as only being able to “play the stereo,” are rich and insightful. Regardless of where you stand politically, it’s hard not to appreciate Carter’s calming approach to life.

Aside from a flashback through political history, “Jimmy Carter; Rock & Roll President” works as a musical time capsule. Including rarely seen performances by some of the industry’s famous people, it’s an enjoyable and rocking movie. Hickman said, “And Wharton, daughter of famous blues guitarist Bill Wharton aka “The Sauce Boss,” smartly populates her film with a seamless tapestry of overlapping tunes.”

At one part, the documentary has a soulful rendition of God Bless America by Aretha Franklin at the presidential inauguration. It’s impossible not to fell something by the performance, which was followed by a surprise appearance on stage by Western actor John Wayne, the antagonism’s loyal voice. Later, it’s mentioned that Wayne helped with the iconic Panama Canal Treaty.

Despite Wharton presenting a solidly positive view of the former one-term president, whose legacy was forever damaged by the Iran hostage crisis, this documentary is not afraid of his political failures. However, as history looks back on him, bad thoughts don’t come easily. Also, his contagious smile and kind manner are highly shown here.

A must for music fans, and an interesting, unique look of interest to politicos, “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” puts a tough time in our nation’s history in a musical contest. It also pleads with us not to turn our back on a friend even if that relationship is not good.

As I was looking for what to watch for today, I came across this documentary, which currently can be purchased on Apple TV. I think this is a good documentary to learn about our longest-lived former president, who we sadly lost at the end of last year. With all the life blessings, he lived to be a centenarian and his presidency was good, even though there were mistakes that were made. In the end, he was as human as the next man, but this shows us how he was against segregation, his friendship with other ethnicities, and just how his background really shaped him into being the great man he was. Check this out and see for yourself.

Thank you for joining in on today’s review. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation on the “Black Trilogy” for “Black History Movie Month.”