WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama turned the
White House into a country music hall on Monday, inviting an array of country
stars for a concert that gave voice "to the emotions of everyday
life."
Cowboy hats and bolo ties mixed with the majestic
chandeliers of the East Room for a toe-tapping series of performances by Dierks
Bentley, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Darius Rucker, James
Taylor, The Band Perry, Lauren Alaina and Micky.
"Tonight, we are turning the East Room into a
bona fide country music hall," Obama said. Only days after wrapping up a
nine-day trip through Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia, the president told
guests that Johnny Cash "was really singing our song when he sang, 'I've
been everywhere, man.'"
Obama said country music tied together many threads
of the nation's immigrant heritage, from the Irish fiddle, the German dulcimer,
the Italian mandolin, the Spanish guitar and the West African banjo. "At
its most pure, that's what country music is all about — life in America. It's
about storytelling — giving voice to the emotions of everyday life."
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, wearing a pink
silk pantsuit, watched from the front row to a set list of country music past
and present.
Bentley opened the concert by telling the audience
that his thoughts were with members of the military and their families and then
broke into a stirring rendition of "Home," his current hit.
Taylor, wearing a tan Stetson hat with his blue
suit, sang his 1970s hit "Riding on the Railroads," and performed a
version of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman." Krauss performed an
acoustic version of "When You Say Nothing At All," her 1995 hit song.
Lovett reprised his 1994 hit, "Funny How Time Slips Away."
Country star Willie Nelson's influence loomed large
over the show. Kristofferson and Rucker performed "Pancho and Lefty,"
a 1983 hit by Nelson and Merle Haggard, while Alaina did a rendition of Elvis
Presley's "You Were Always on My Mind," which Nelson turned into a
Grammy winner, also in 1983.
Some of the most recognizable country standards
were featured, with Alaina covering Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's
Daughter," and The Band Perry performing Dolly Parton's "I Will
Always Love You."
Rucker, the former front man for Hootie and the
Blowfish, got a shout-out from Obama — "Hootie's in the house," Obama
told the audience — and later performed his contemporary hit, "I Got
Nothin."
By the end of the night, the entire ensemble was on
stage as Kristofferson led them in an uplifting version of "Me and Bobby
McGee," the song Kristofferson co-wrote with Fred Foster and was later
sung memorably by Janis Joplin.
Obama said the concert was a fitting tribute to the
impact of country music on American life. Since first running for president,
Obama said, "I've hopped on planes to big cities. I've ridden buses
through small towns. And along the way, I've gained an appreciation for just
how much country music means to so many Americans."
In 2009, Mrs. Obama created a White House music
series that has celebrated jazz, country, classical, Motown and Latin music.
She has also arranged salutes to Broadway, the music of the civil rights
movement and Judith Jamison, an Alvin Ailey dancer and artistic director.
"Country Music: In Performance at the White
House" will be broadcast Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on PBS stations and shown
at a later date on the American Forces Network to military service personnel
around the world.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Evan Vucci)
