AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, celebrates his 100th birthday today in Plains, Ga. His family says he'll be watching the tribute concert organized in his honor on TV tonight. Carter, who is sometimes referred to as the rock 'n' roll president, couldn't be in Atlanta for the recording of that show, which featured The B-52's, Carlene Carter and songs written by his favorite Georgia band, The Allman Brothers. But Kristi York Wooten with Georgia Public Broadcasting was there and brought us this preview.
KRISTI YORK WOOTEN, BYLINE: The three-hour concert, titled "Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song," spans a century of music and genres. There was gospel, rock, country and one song written in 1893, "America The Beautiful," with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus.
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ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHAMBER CHORUS: (Singing) America, America, God shed his grace on thee.
YORK WOOTEN: Carter's time in the White House saw many concerts, including a jazz festival and a gathering of country stars in 1978. Musicians who visited over the course of his presidency include June Carter Cash, whose daughter, Carlene Carter, a distant cousin of the former president, also performed one of the family's most iconic songs.
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CARLENE CARTER: (Singing) Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by?
YORK WOOTEN: Carter grew up in the Baptist Church, where hymns were part of church life. That made him a fan of gospel music, so it was no surprise that this concert also featured singer BeBe Winans performing with the Spelman College Glee Club.
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BEBE WINANS AND THE SPELMAN COLLEGE GLEE CLUB: (Singing) All to thee, all to thee, (inaudible) desire for me.
YORK WOOTEN: Each tune in the program is connected to a moment in American life experienced by the now-centenarian Jimmy Carter. His love for music remains intertwined with his post-presidency, which saw him travel the world to monitor elections and fight neglected diseases in Africa.
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ANGELIQUE KIDJO: (Singing in non-English language).
YORK WOOTEN: Angelique Kidjo, who sang at Carter's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2002, says she felt the need to celebrate Carter, who was elected when she was a teenager, because he was the first president to help her understand the importance of democracy.
KIDJO: While I was young, I was in Benin, and it was the '70s, the era of the communist dictatorship in my country. And when Jimmy Carter was elected, it was a yearning for me at that age to look up and to look forward to live in a country where democracy and freedom of speech and to decide who you want to be, whatever you want to do.
YORK WOOTEN: The audience at the sold-out Fox Theatre in Atlanta cheered at birthday video messages from presidents Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton and showed home state love for former Allman Brothers band member Chuck Leavell, who played alongside Duane Betts, son of Dickey Betts, and country singer Eric Church.
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ERIC CHURCH: (Singing) Don't fly, mister blue bird. I'm just walking down the road.
YORK WOOTEN: Leavell says it was incredible to feel the mutual love for Jimmy Carter inside the theater.
CHUCK LEAVELL: I think the music itself is a unifying force across aisles, across ideologies and so forth. This is so important, especially in this particular time, where there is so much division. So whatever happens in November, I think music will continue to help bring us together and not divide us.
YORK WOOTEN: Last but not least, there was a birthday dance party by Athens, Ga.'s new wave icons The B-52's.
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THE B-52'S: (Singing) If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 15 miles to the love shack, love shack, yeah, yeah.
YORK WOOTEN: The full concert will be available tonight at 7 p.m. through the Carter Center's website. For NPR News, I'm Kristi York Wooten in Atlanta.
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THE B-52'S: (Singing) Looking for the love getaway, headed for the love getaway. I got me a car. It's as big as a whale, and we're heading on down to the love shack. I got me a Chrysler. It seats about 20. So hurry up, and bring your jukebox money. The love shack is a little old place where we can get together - love shack, baby, love shack, baby, love shack, baby, love shack, love shack, baby, love shack. Sign says, stay away, fools, 'cause love rules at... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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