Republican, Democrat or Independent, country music speaks to all of us. The genre captures the universal feelings of love and heartache that those from all walks of life can identify with. Perhaps that's why a number of U.S. presidents have championed country music over the years. Whether you're in a red state or blue state, a small town or a big city, country music has a song for you.
Here are five U.S. presidents who brought a little twang to the White House. They're not alone in appreciating country music, as saxophone player Bill Clinton's 20 favorite songs include a Willie Nelson tune, Barack Obama once listed Ashley McBryde on his year-end playlist and Garth Brooks performed at President Joe Biden's Inauguration.
5. Richard Nixon
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) President Richard Nixon demonstrates his yo-yo skills to Roy Acuff March 16, 1974 at the dedication of the new Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
He's certainly not the most popular president in history, but Richard Nixon is the only president to ever perform onstage at the Grand Ole Opry.
When the Opry moved from the Ryman Auditorium to its "new" home at Opry House in 1974, Mr. Nixon came to Nashville. Roy Acuff invited the president onstage to perform a piano rendition of "God Bless America." Later, Acuff famously gave the president an onstage yo-yo lesson.
Two years earlier, Nixon invited Johnny Cash to the White House. While Nixon expected a lighthearted visit and a free concert, Cash had another plan in mind. Nixon requested Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" and Guy Drake's "Welfare Cadillac," but Cash opted for a few more somber songs.
Cash performed "Man in Black" and "What is Truth," a protest song that criticized the Vietnam War.
Cash used his moment to speak his mind and stand up for what he believed in. What's more American than that?
Singer Johnny Cash, who has given shows in prisons across the nation, appears before a Senate subcommittee on national penitentiaries which is conducting hearings on a federal prison reorganization act. Following his appearance Cash paid a visit to President Nixon at the White House to discuss the testimony. Getty Images
4. Ronald Reagan
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Ronald Reagan pardoned Merle Haggard for crimes he committed when he was a young man. Haggard did time in San Quentin Prison for burglary in the late 1950s. But in 1972, then-California governor Ronald Reagan granted Haggard a full pardon, which Haggard said gave him "a second chance at life."
Turns out Reagan was a pretty big fan of Haggard, too. Ten years after he was pardoned, Haggard performed at the White House for the president of the United States.
3. Jimmy Carter
Country singers Willie Nelson and Charley Pride present a gold record to President Jimmy Carter at the Oval Office. (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Being from Georgia, President Jimmy Carter knows a thing or two about country radio and jukeboxes filled with classic tunes. During a fundraising event for Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., Carter spoke of how he grew up listening to country music.
Former US Pres. James E. Carter Jr. (L) smiling broadly and standing next to Country and Western singer Willie Nelson (R) at concert during the town's 100th anniversary. (Photo by Thomas S. England/Getty Images)
"When I grew up in Plains, Georgia, when we asked for music, we got country music," Carter explained.
Carter also discussed how country music has told the story of America from generation to generation.
"The good songs were passed down from generation to generation, because they told stories of how ordinary people lived and felt and loved. As people moved to the cities, they wrote different songs about their own new feelings and new experiences, but even in our day country music has remained people music," Carter said. "Now it's sometimes composed on kitchen tables or in a hotel room or even riding along in a pickup truck or on Greyhound buses or in an 18-wheeler."
Carter also named October as "Country Music Month."
2. George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush caused quite a stir when he attended the 25th annual Country Music Association awards in 1991. President Bush is the first and only president to attend the event. He even appeared at the end of the broadcast to deliver a touching speech praising country music.
"Country music gives us a window on the real world," Bush said. "It's easy to see why America loves country music. Country music loves America."
Performers at Bush's funeral in 2018 included The Oak Ridge Boys and Reba McEntire.
1. George W. Bush
STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP via Getty Images
President George W. Bush may be an even bigger country music fan than his father. In 2005, Bush shared what was on his presidential iPod and it was chock full of country music.
President George W. Bush and Reba McEntire (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage)
The Texan president seems to prefer traditional country. Alan Jackson and George Jones appeared several times in his playlist. However, he's not afraid to get left-of-center when it comes to country music. Canadian alternative country-folk band Blackie and the Rodeo Kings also made an appearance on his list, as did the song "El Paso," by Austin, Texas alternative country band The Gourds.
In 2017, President Bush even got a personal serenade from George Strait on his 70th birthday.
This article was originally published in 2017. It was updated on Feb. 18, 2022.
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READ MORE: How a 1972 Pardon From Ronald Reagan Changed Merle Haggard's Life
