Jimmy Carter Wins Posthumous Grammy for Audiobook Narration, Setting Record for Category

by

At the 2025 Grammy Awards held on a Sunday, President Jimmy Carter was honored posthumously with his fourth Grammy in the category of Best Audiobook Narration.

In August of 2024, just shy of his hundredth birthday, Carter was awarded a trophy for his narration of “Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration,” an album consisting of folk songs and Sunday school lessons that were characteristic of the former president. This album was released less than two months before his passing on December 29th. At the ceremony, Carter’s grandson, Jason, graciously accepted the trophy onstage.

Jason expressed, “My grandfather meant a great deal to me. Lately, we’ve been touched by an immense amount of affection from far and wide, from many here in this room, and I simply want to acknowledge that preserving his thoughts like this for my family and the global community is nothing short of amazing.

Jason subsequently brought up Kabir Sehgal, another performer present, who skillfully crafted the instrumental designs for the album. “Kabir has been an integral part of our circle and is very close to us,” Jason mentioned, acknowledging Sehgal as the brainchild behind the audiobook concept.

Towards the conclusion of his address, Jason extended gratitude to numerous notable figures who contributed to Carter’s audiobook, among them Jon Batiste, LeAnn Rimes, and Darius Rucker. He also acknowledged Maranatha Baptist Church, where his grandfather served as a Sunday school teacher for five decades. “This makes it all feel so authentic,” Jason remarked. “A big thank you to the team at the Carter Center, we truly value each one of you greatly.

Carter surpassed Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, George Clinton, and Guy Oldfield (as a producer) in their respective audiobooks: “My Name Is Barbra“, “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones“, “…And Your Ass Will Follow“, and “All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words“.

Winning this latest award not only equals Carter’s record with Maya Angelou for the most audiobook category victories, but it also surpasses it. Prior to this win, he had already claimed a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 2018 for “Faith – A Journey For All,” 2015’s “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety,” and 2005’s “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis.” Throughout his lifetime, the former president garnered a total of nine Grammy nominations in addition to these wins.

On Sunday, the 67th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, will be broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) or 5 p.m. Pacific Time (PT), live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The initial Grammy ceremony will stream live on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel starting at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) or 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Read More

2025-02-03 02:25