Nearly to the end of 2023, we are fast approaching election season. To help assuage the seemingly endless stream of stomach-churning headlines we will be barraged with, we wanted to look at politics through the lens of music and showcase America’s iconic musical politicians.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: How Rock Icons Influenced Culture Outside of Their Music–Mop Tops, Psychedelics, and More]
1. Bill Clinton
Those who grew up or were around in the 1990s know the name Bill Clinton. He was seemingly written about in every publication from the moment he decided to run for President to everything that went down with his extra-marital affairs. But one bit of news that also made the rounds was his penchant for playing the saxophone. It was something even mentioned in kids’ cartoon theme songs. Check out the former POTUS playing sax on the Arsenio Hall Show below.
2. Condoleezza Rice
The former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also an excellent piano player. Rice’s original focus while a student at the University of Denver was piano before she decided to take a political route. The Republican figure and current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University is certainly multi-talented.
3. Sonny Bono
This one is cheating a bit, but the late Sonny Bono, after being part of the famed duo, Sonny & Cher, became the Mayor of Palm Springs and later, a U.S. Representative. But before his political efforts came to fruition, he was an iconic star of the 1970s.
4. and 5. Richard Nixon and Harry Truman
Former Presidents Richard Nixon and Harry Truman, while very different in their political strategies, were both fans of the piano. Nixon appeared on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar on March 8th, 1963, and performed his own composition. And it’s been said that Truman would have pursued piano if it hadn’t been for his political endeavors. See them playing piano below.
6. John Kerry
A former bass guitar player, John Kerry used to rock out before he rocked the vote. He played in a group called The Electras and they even pressed albums—check out one of the rudimentary rock songs from that record here below.
7. Sarah Palin
Wait, what? The oft-maligned former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin played flute while competing in the Miss Alaska pageant. No, this is not Tina Fey or a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
