Rockers with US Presidents over the decades

Photos of rockers with presidents used to be quite rare, but as the gallery below shows, that’s changing. And not only because of political alignments.

Many of these couples exist along straight factional lines – it is not surprising that Gene Simmons hung out with George Bush, huh? But other times, rockers turn out to be equal-opportunity bugs. U2frontman Bonofor example, was photographed with standard bearers of both parties. Politics had nothing to do with appearing on Donald TrumpTV show, either.

The oldest photo may be the most famous as Richard Nixon was surrounded by Elvis Presley December 21, 1970. Among the things the king discussed that day were The Beatleswhom he called “the real force of the anti-American spirit.” Ironically, George Harrison was later photographed with Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford.

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However, at that time, these visits only contributed to bridging the gap between generations. Harrison was reportedly asked whether Ford liked his work after they exchanged buttons on December 13, 1974 at the White House. “No,” Harrison replied, “he’s not that familiar with my music.”

The establishment of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007 has had an enormous impact. Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, he hosted the recognition ceremony, which honored composers and performers. lifetime contributions to the music, which significantly increases the number of photo ops for the rockers.

Along the way, some artists (remember Beach Boys and Ronald Reagan or Fleetwood Mac and Bill Clinton) became inextricably linked with certain administrations. But they all took with them a treasured piece of America – a photograph with the leader of the free world.