Birthday concert planned in Jimmy Carter’s hometown as he nears age 100. Who’s performing?

Caption

In this file photo, former President Jimmy Carter speaks to elementary schoolchildren.

Credit: AP

Plains’ most famous resident has a birthday coming up, and the town is gearing up for the celebration of the century.

Former President Jimmy Carter turns 100 on Oct. 1, and Plains has prepared a day of live music in celebration of Carter’s life and legacy. The birthday celebration features performances from six artists and will be held at Plains High School, which Carter graduated from in 1941.

While there is a celebration taking place in Atlanta on Sept. 17, this celebration will be the only one in Georgia on the day of the president’s birthday, and the only one in Carter’s hometown.

Andrew Greer, a board member of The Friends of Jimmy Carter National Historic Park and one of the acts set to play the celebration, said it was important to host the celebration in Plains to honor the role the town has played in Carter’s life and presidency.

“If you look at his work, his legacy, how he lived his life, that all comes back to Plains,” Greer said.

Carter’s late wife, Rosalynn Carter, was also a Plains native. The couple returned to the rural Georgia town following Carter’s presidency. He still lives there, but is mostly confined to his home due to his health.

Greer said organizers chose to focus the celebration on music due to Carter’s love and support for music and performers. Each artist has ties to Plains or the Carter family.

David Osborne is a pianist who has performed for numerous presidents, and is one of Jimmy Carter’s favorite musicians.

Brent Cobb, a country singer-songwriter who has written for a laundry list of Nashville stars, is from Plains.

Sandi Patty, a Grammy winning vocalist, connected with the Carter family due to her own experience with having family in hospice care. Jimmy Carter entered hospice in February 2023, and Rosalynn Carter entered and died in hospice in November 2023.

The full lineup can be found online.

Greer himself wrote a song for Rosalynn Carter’s 95th birthday, and plans to debut a new song titled “Starry Crown (Jimmy’s Song)” for Jimmy Carter at the upcoming celebration. Cindy Morgan, a Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who will also be performing, co-wrote both songs with Greer.

“The pressure (came) from the amount of admiration less than him being a celebrity figure,” Greer said. “More so how much I admire and want to capture, express, embody elements of his life.”

While it isn’t likely that the former president will be in attendance due to his health, Greer said organizers hope to livestream the celebration so he can be included. They are also planning on taking a video of attendees singing “Happy Birthday” for Carter.

“We thought Plains needs to recognize this,” Greer said. “We thought the 100th would be wonderful to celebrate.”

The celebration will begin at 7 p.m. in the Plains High School auditorium at Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. Tickets are available for purchase online.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph.