Former President Jimmy Carter has been awarded a posthumous Grammy. Carter, who passed away in December at the age of 100, was nominated for the 2025 Grammy Awards in the category of Best Audiobook, Narration, and Storytelling Recording. This nomination was for Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration, a collection of recordings from his final Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church in Georgia. The album features contributions from artists like Darius Rucker, Lee Ann Rimes, and Jon Batiste.
This Grammy marks Carter’s fourth win, with his previous three awards all in the spoken word category. Had he won before his death, he would have made history as the oldest Grammy winner.
Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, now the chair of The Carter Center’s governing board, accepted the award on his behalf. In his speech, Jason expressed how meaningful it was to have his grandfather’s words preserved in this way for both his family and the world, thanking the Academy for the honor.
In the same category, Jimmy Carter triumphed over notable figures such as Barbra Streisand, George Clinton, Dolly Parton, and producer Mike Oldfield to win the Grammy.
If Barbra Streisand had won instead of Jimmy Carter, it would have marked her first Grammy win in 38 years. Currently, the oldest Grammy winner is Pinetop Perkins, who won at the age of 97 in 2011.
Jason Carter, speaking backstage about his grandfather, shared that Jimmy Carter was a huge music fan who deeply appreciated the creative side of music. He noted that music had always been a significant part of Carter’s political and personal life, and that Carter was an artist in many ways.
In comparison, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton each have two Grammys, while former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton have also won. Former Presidents Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon were all nominated for Grammys but did not win.