When Jimmy Carter was governor of Georgia, his three sons were “immersed in Bob Dylan,” who was one of their heroes. Son Chip even traveled to Woodstock in 1968, just to shake Dylan’s hand. Dylan’s music often filled the walls of the governor’s mansion and was something Carter said helped bring him closer to his sons.
“My sons and I were brought closer together through Bob Dylan’s songs,” said Carter in the 2020 2020 documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock ’n’ Roll President. “Chip knew every lyric of every Bob Dylan song that had ever been written.”
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Director Mary Wharton (Jimmy Carter: Rock ’n’ Roll President) remembered how Carter cited Dylan’s 1965 song “Maggie’s Farm” as one that had the most profound effect on him. “Carter talked about when he heard the song ‘Maggie’s Farm’ and how, as someone who grew up the son of a farmer, the son of a landowner, it was the first time he really truly understood the perspective and the plight of the working man,” said Wharton, “the guy who works on the farm as opposed to the guy who owns your farm.”
Dylan Meets Carter with The Band
In 1974, Carter, who was just three years shy of becoming President of the United States, invited Dylan and The Band for an after-party at his home after their Atlanta show. The party was Chip’s idea and for two hours some of the Carters, their sons—and some of their closest friends—partied with Dylan, The Band, promoter Bill Graham, Allman Brothers manager Phil Walden, and Frank Fenner of Capricorn Records, and Alex Hodges of the Paragon Agency at the mansion.
Rosalynn Carter even prepared an evening southern breakfast of scrambled eggs, grits, and ham, for their guests, though Dylan only opted for some veggies and orange juice. “I asked him if he wanted a drink,” shared Carter the next day with Rolling Stone, “but he only wanted orange juice and would only eat the vegetables.”
Dylan remembered his first meeting with Carter and was taken aback by how knowledgeable the future president was of his music. “When I first met Jimmy, the first thing he did was quote my songs back to me,” remembered Dylan in the documentary. “And that was the first time that I realized my songs had reached into basically the establishment. I had no experience in that world.” He added, “He put my mind at ease by not talking down to me and showing me he had a sincere appreciation of the songs I had written.”
During their visit, Carter was Dylan’s personal guide, giving him a private tour around the mansion and even sharing an intimate conversation with him in the garden. “At that time, he was going through a personal challenge of deciding between whether he should be a Christian or not,” recalled Carter. “He and I went out in the garden and spent a good amount of time talking about his religious phase. I was honored because Bob Dylan asked me to go out in the garden, as a matter of fact, and have a private conversation with him. The only questions he asked me were questions about my Christian faith and what it meant to me.”
Around 1:30 a.m. the next morning, the party came to an end. Gregg Allman and his wife arrived at the mansion and Carter welcomed them, barefoot and in jeans, to let them know that they had missed the party.
[RELATED: 3 Music Moments That Turned Jimmy Carter Into the “Rock and Roll President”]
Throughout the decades, Carter and Dylan always held a high respect for one another. “He was a kindred spirit to me of a rare kind,” said Dylan in his rare interview for the 2020 Carter film. “The kind of man you don’t meet every day, and that you’re lucky to meet if you ever do.”
In February 2015, Carter presented the MusiCares Person of the Year Award to Dylan.
“It’s impossible to define Jimmy,” said Dylan. “I think of him as a simple kind of man, like in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song [‘Simple Man’]. He takes his time, [and] doesn’t live too fast. Troubles come, but they will pass. Find the woman and find love, and don’t forget there’s always someone above.”
Dylan added, “There’s many sides to him. He’s a nuclear engineer and woodworking carpenter. He’s also a poet. He’s a dirt farmer. If you told me he’s a race car driver I wouldn’t even be surprised.”
Photo: Photo of Bob DYLAN; performing live onstage at “Guitar Legends” concert (Fin Costello/Redferns)
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