Presidents and politicians aren't the first people usually associated with GRAMMY season, but surprisingly, several of them — and first ladies, too — have added golden gramophones to their collections of awards.

In fact, at the 2024 GRAMMYs, former First Lady Michelle Obama claimed her second GRAMMY, for her bestselling memoir, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. Four years earlier, her first bestselling book, Becoming, which documented her rise from Chicago's South Side to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, also won a GRAMMY (more on her and husband Barack later).

Obama's latest victory is one of several political GRAMMY wins and nominations that date back to 1965. At the 7th GRAMMY Awards, the late former President John F. Kennedy and former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson — who ran for president twice — each earned nominations for their contributions to The Kennedy Wit, a compilation of Kennedy's most famous and humorous anecdotes. The audio version was nominated for Best Documentary, Spoken Word Or Drama Recording (Other Than Comedy).

And though those nominations didn't turn into wins, there have been a few political figures who have won the coveted trophies. This Presidents' Day, we salute the former presidents, their spouses and even some would-be presidents who sit among the ranks of GRAMMY winners.

Jimmy Carter

Leading the pack is the 39th U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, who has three wins out of nine nominations to his credit, making him the most honored politician in GRAMMY history. All of his wins and nominations are in the Best Spoken Word Album Category.

The prolific Carter won his first GRAMMY at the 48th ceremony in 2006 for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis and his most recent for Faith: A Journey for All at the 61st telecast in 2018. He also won in 2015 for A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety.

Carter earned his first GRAMMY nomination in 1997, 17 years after leaving office, for the audio adaptation of his 13th book, Living Faith. His other nods came in 1998, 2001, 2007, 2009 and 2014.

Bill & Hillary Rodham Clinton

Former president Bill Clinton earned two terms in 1992 and 1996, but Hillary Rodham Clinton, his first lady, beat him to GRAMMYs glory. Not long after he won re-election in 1996, Hillary won her first GRAMMY for It Takes a Village, which won Best Spoken Word Album at the 39th ceremony in 1997. Her album Living History landed a second nomination in the Category in 2004; though she didn't take home the GRAMMY, Bill was a winner that year. He won Best Spoken Word Album For Children for his role in Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks

The following year, at the 47th GRAMMYs, Bill won in the Best Spoken Word Album Category for his memoir, My Life. Additional nominations followed in 2007 for Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, and in 2012 for Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy, both in the same Category.

The Clinton administration also (sort of) had a claim on Best Spoken Word Album at the 51st GRAMMYs in 2009, thanks to Cynthia Nixon's audiobook reading of the bestseller An Inconvenient Truth, written by Al Gore, who served as vice president under Clinton during both terms.

Barack & Michelle Obama

The Obama family may not have penned as many books as Carter (at least not yet), but collectively, former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle outpace him with four GRAMMYs, two apiece. 

Barack's two wins are both in the Best Spoken Word Album Category for audio adaptations of two books published before his presidency: the memoir Dreams from My Father in 2005 and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream in 2007. His third nomination in the Category came at the 64th GRAMMY awards in 2022 for "A Promised Land."

As previously mentioned, Michelle Obama is two for two with her GRAMMY nominations. She first won for her 2018 memoir, Becoming, which took home Best Spoken Word Album at the 62nd GRAMMYs in 2020, and four years later, she won Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording for The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. (And before any of her nominations, in 2019, Michelle was part of a girl-powered surprise intro segment alongside Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith and then-host Alicia Keys.)

Notable Nominations

Thirteen years after John F. Kennedy earned the first presidential GRAMMY nomination, former President Harry S. Truman was nominated for "The Truman Tapes," in the Best Spoken Word Recording Category (which is the same as Kennedy's Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (Other Than Comedy) Category, and is now known as the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording as of press time) in 1978.

Former President Richard Nixon earned a nomination in the same Category the next year, for his televised interviews with journalist David Frost, packaged as The Nixon Interviews With David Frost.

In 2015 — five years before her 2020 presidential run — Sen. Elizabeth Warren earned her first GRAMMY nomination for the adaptation of her bestselling book, A Fighting Chance, in the Best Spoken Word Album Category at the 57th GRAMMYs.

U.S. Senator and two-time presidential candidate Bernie Sanders earned a nomination in the same Category in 2017, for the reading of Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In. Like Michelle Obama, he earned his second GRAMMY nomination at the 2024 GRAMMYs, in the same category as the victorious former first lady (Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording) for his book It's Ok To Be Angry About Capitalism. 

With two GRAMMY nominations (and one win) in 2024, it's clear that, even nearly 60 years on, political figures will continue to be prominent in the GRAMMY sphere. 

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It's officially a time-honored tradition in the musical community: When Barack Obama puts you on his annual playlist, you have permission to go publicly ballistic.

When the former U.S. president put Lizzo's "Juice" on there: "I'm not OK!" the flutist and rapper hollered on Twitter, in all caps, with several exclamation marks. When he slotted in Jazmine Sullivan's "Pick Up Your Feelings," the singer posted an overcome-with-emotion emoji and a momentous, "Y'all."

Whether you love Obama's tastes — which lean toward R&B, soul, indie, and rap, often with a topical bent — or find them "cheugy," it's all part of the fun. Because no matter where your politics lie, it's not every day a president checks out your artistic creation and enjoys it enough to tell the world about it.

The music and audio industries have made Obama's support of the musical community a mutual interchange. The 44th president of the United States has won two GRAMMYs, both for Best Spoken Word Album — one for his reading of his first book, Dreams From My Father (1995), at the 48th GRAMMY Awards, and another for his second, The Audacity of Hope (2006), at the 50th GRAMMY Awards. At the 64th GRAMMY Awards, taking place Sunday, April 3, in Las Vegas, Obama is currently nominated in the Best Spoken Word Album category, his third nomination in the category, for the audiobook version of his 2020 memoir, A Promised Land.

Granted, the former president is not a professional musician — although he can sing a mean "Amazing Grace." But his GRAMMY wins put him in good company with GRAMMY-winning acts he's publicly supported, from Jay-Z to Stevie Wonder and Esperanza Spalding. 

Plus, his GRAMMY wins serve as a reminder of his wildly diverse musical legacy — from his series of playlists to breaking into song during public addresses to his support of musicians while in the Oval Office.

Throughout his presidency and into his post-presidency, Obama has shared what he's been listening to — revealing some seriously eclectic tastes for a public servant. In 2015, when the White House joined Spotify, Obama displayed his love for the classics, including Howlin' Wolf ("Wang Dang Doodle"), Bob Dylan ("Tombstone Blues"), and Sly and the Family Stone ("Hot Fun in the Summertime").

But the playlist featured more than just well-worn selections from the mid-20th century: It contained the indie rock band Okkervil River ("Down Down the Deep River"), a glossy Coldplay hit ("Paradise"), and Philly rockers Low Cut Connie ("Boozophilia"). For a smaller or mid-tier band, one could hardly ask for a more high-profile endorsement; for a stadium act like Coldplay, it certainly didn't hurt.

During his time in the White House, Obama had a penchant for breaking out snippets of songs for effect. In 2012, he sang the opening line from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

And three years later — during the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckneu, who was killed in a shooting at a Charleston church that took the lives of nine members of a Bible study group —  Obama took a risk. 

"This whole week, I've been reflecting on this idea of grace," he said, before gliding into the timeless "Amazing Grace." The risk paid off, and added poignancy and power to the sorrowful occasion. It also made headlines and went viral. 

"According to the Christian tradition, grace is not earned. Grace is not merited. It's not something we deserve," Obama, a devout Christian himself, said during his speech. "Rather, grace is the free and benevolent favor of God."

If you need more proof that Obama was among the most musical presidents, just look at his guests. From Beyoncé performing the National Anthem during his 2013 inauguration and Janelle Monae at his Fourth of July party to presenting Diana Ross with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, he not only kept the lines of communication open with the musical community, he honored its leading lights whenever possible.

Most recently, Obama and his old pal Bruce Springsteen embarked on a multimedia project, Renegades. Encompassing a podcast and a book, it details their conversations about a more unified America. Now, with Obama's current GRAMMY nomination in the bag, it's anyone's guess how he will continue on this post-presidential path — but it'll most likely be with a story to tell and a song to sing.

Common Opens Up About A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2, Social Justice In The Mainstream & The Unceasing Spirit Of J Dilla

Tomorrow, Tues., Oct. 20, Complex is throwing a "Pull Up & Vote Party" livestream hosted by activist and Women's March co-founder Tamika Mallory. The 90-minute virtual voter engagement event will feature appearances from Barack Obama and artists A$AP Ferg, Jack Harlow, Chloe x Halle and SAINt JHN. Questlove will keep things groovy with a DJ set.

As Complex explains, "the event serves as a celebration of the importance of participating in the upcoming election while firmly understanding the variety of issues that could shape American life for years to come." It is part of their 2020 Pull Up & Vote voting campaign—the website has resources to check registration, vote by mail, find a polling place and more.

"They said they wanted a revolutionary to have a seat at the table so I'm pulling up," Mallory wrote in her Instagram post about the event.

Read: Soul Clap Wants You To Rave The Vote This 2020 Election

Former President Obama also spoke about Pull Up & Vote, as well as the vital importance of civic engagement, via Complex:

"One of the most inspiring things about this year has been to see so many young Americans fired up, organizing, marching and fighting for change. In times as polarized as these, your vote doesn't just matter, it matters more than ever before… Participate and vote; it's not always pretty—trust me, I know—but it's how bit by bit, we've made progress over the generations."

You can catch the Pull Up & Vote Party live on Oct. 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT on Complex's channels on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and the Pull Up & Vote site.

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On Friday, Sept. 18, Supreme Court Justice and feminist hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at 87 from pancreatic cancer. Since the news broke, tributes honoring the Notorious RBG—along with reminders to vote—flooded social media feeds, including many from Former President Barack Obama, "POSE" director/producer/writer Janet Mock and pop stars Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Madonna and Christina Aguilera.

Elton John, Dolly Parton, Janet Jackson, Joan Jett, Brandi Carlile, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Nicks, Demi Lovato and teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg also posted moving quotes and messages, all of which you can read below.

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"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a true champion of gender equality and was a strong woman for me and all the little girls of the world to look up to," Lopez tweeted, along with photos of her and fiancée/former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez with Ginsburg.

"I will always remember what she said to us the day we met her: 'Be the best you.' It was simple yet profound. Thank you RBG for fighting all these years. We will honor you by continuing to fight for equality, empathy and justice for all."

Read: Ska Greats The Selecter Talk 40th Anniversary & Why Greta Thunberg Is "The Most Together Person On The Planet"

Soul Clap Wants You To Rave The Vote This 2020 Election

Last night (Sept. 13), GRAMMY-winning music icons Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight brought a big serving of soul and sisterhood to the latest Verzuz faceoff. During the livestream's joyful three hours, the powerhouse pair sang 35 songs (including two renditions of "Midnight Train To Georgia") selected from their gem-filled catalogues dating back 60 years. In between the music, the two R&B/soul greats showered each other with praise and offered nuggets of wisdom, humor and shout-outs to the star-studded virtual audience, which included the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama.

"I love that tune," LaBelle praised after Knight's first rendition of "Midnight Train To Georgia" and just about halfway into the faceoff. "There's nothing I don't love that you might sing tonight. So, let's just get it clear, I'm ready for you honey."

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The evening's rich setlist included selections from their early acts—LaBelle's fabulous girl group Labelle and Knight's family affair Gladys Knight & the Pips—as well as their longtime solo acts. This included LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade," If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Love, Need and Want You" and Knight's "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," "Friendship Train" and "Love Overboard."

They both sang along to their songs—for the most part, joking about forgetting some of the lyrics to the older songs—with their warm voices and still-epic high notes offering comfort during these hectic times. They also sang along with each other, as this Verzuz was not a battle, but a moment for the musical powerhouses to show each other some love and appreciation. They also shared the love for their collaborators, children, viewers and the Verzuz and Apple Music team (who recently partnered with the Swizz Beatz- and Timbaland-created event). Swizzy got warm birthday wishes (he was born Sept. 13) and wow, what a great way to celebrate being alive.

After their seventh-round faceoff, where LaBelle sang "Love, Need and Want You" and Knight delivered "Someone to Watch Over Me," the pair began talking warmly about their children. Knight revealed she didn't know about Verzuz until her son Shanga called her up and encouraged her to try to get on in, which she did. "I hope you're proud of us, sons," she said. We also learned that LaBelle still has a flip phone. "I love my flip. I'm very low-key," she shared with a smile.

When they saw the Former First Lady pop up in the viewer list, or as LaBelle dubbed it "the virtual front row," they were both genuinely thrilled and sent love and praise her way. "I am so proud of her," Knight chimed in, adding, "She's a sweetheart and she's down to earth." "And she's married to the best man in the whole world," the both chimed in. "We miss you Michelle and Barack," LaBelle said.

In addition to the many notable virtual guests, there was a very special in-studio guest—Dionne Warwick, who helped close out the evening with an extra dose of sisterhood. The three musical heroes sang Warwick's "That's What Friends Are For" and their 1991 remake of Karyn White's female empowerment hit, "Superwoman."

If you missed the much-needed evening of wholesome, heartwarming and soul-stirring content, you can watch the last half or so in the YouTube video above.

From Brandy Vs. Monica To Timbaland Vs. Swizz Beatz, What's Your Favorite Verzuz Battle Matchup?

The LaBelle and Knight Verzuz follows Brandy and Monica's also-amazing showdown on Aug. 31. In addition to the huge number of viewers who tune into the streams via IGTV and Apple TV, the much-buzzed-about episodes always lead to a boost in interest in the featured artists and their music. In the case of the '90s R&B queens, their episode was watched by over 60 million viewers and they collectively logged 21.9 million U.S. streams in just the two days following. Stay tuned to Verzuz' Instagram for the data behind the Knight and LaBelle love fest, as well as for info on upcoming T.B.A. pairings. Here's to the love being showered back onto the soul queens.

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