A Tired Old Song

WHAT do Jimmy Carter and the Dixie Chicks have in common? They’re southerners who’ve traded “up” on their southernness. They hit their best moments long ago, but have ridden positive press far beyond their natural shelf life. They think a lot of themselves. Good teeth. What else, what else . . .? Oh, right-they’re all 2007 Grammy winners!

Jimmy Carter won the Grammy for the Best Spoken Word Album of 2006, sharing the honor with actress Ruby Dee. Carter and Dee beat out nominees Al Franken and Bill Maher for this year’s Grammy. Yet Carter isn’t the first ex-president to win this cutthroat competition. Bill Clinton actually won two Grammys back to back in 2004 and 2005, the first for his memoirs, My Life, sharing the second with Mikhail Gorbachev in the coveted Best Spoken Word Album for Children category.

About the Author

Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is a National Review contributing editor.

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WHAT do Jimmy Carter and the Dixie Chicks have in common? They’re southerners who’ve traded “up” on their southernness. They hit their best moments long ago, but have ridden positive press far beyond their natural shelf life. They think a lot of themselves. Good teeth. What else, what else . . .? Oh, right-they’re all 2007 Grammy winners!

Jimmy Carter won the Grammy for the Best Spoken Word Album of 2006, sharing the honor with actress Ruby Dee. Carter and Dee beat out nominees Al Franken and Bill Maher for this year’s Grammy. Yet Carter isn’t the first ex-president to win this cutthroat competition. Bill Clinton actually won two Grammys back to back in 2004 and 2005, the first for his memoirs, My Life, sharing the second with Mikhail Gorbachev in the coveted Best Spoken Word Album for Children category.