— The White House Historical Association released a new episode of the 1600 Sessions podcast today, “ Presidential Vinyl: The White House Record Library,” which details the fascinating story of the little-known White House record collection built during the administrations of Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter.
In this episode, Association President Stewart McLaurin speaks with writer/filmmaker John Chuldenko, the grandson of President Jimmy Carter, about his discovery of the forgotten collection of more than 2,000 vinyl records donated by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Library, begun by First Lady Pat Nixon, was curated by a volunteer commission of noted music journalists, scholars, and other experts on a variety of different genres that included classical, jazz, country, folk, gospel and spoken-word recordings. As a time capsule of 1970s musical tastes and trends, it ranges from Pat Boone, Barry Manilow and John Denver to the Beatles, Isaac Hayes, The Clash and Elvis Costello.
“It was always intended as a communication device,” said Chuldenko. “It reflects the American people, what’s going on outside on Pennsylvania Avenue, what’s going on outside in the country.”
“My grandparents have always had a very special connection to music,” he added. “You can see it when they dance at weddings, you can see it at home. So it’s no wonder that they would take that love for music into the White House with them.”
The 1600 Sessions is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.
To hear the full episode, visit The1600sessions.org.
