WEBVTT - Have Inaugurations Always Involved Celebrities?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bog Obam here. The inauguration of Joe Biden and

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<v Speaker 1>Kamala Harris as President and Vice President of the United

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<v Speaker 1>States looked a little different this year due to COVID

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen and the January six insurrection, but their ceremonies still

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<v Speaker 1>managed to pack in performances by Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez,

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<v Speaker 1>and Garth Brooks. And that's to say nothing of the

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<v Speaker 1>events that happened before and after the actual swearing in.

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<v Speaker 1>But when exactly did the presidential inauguration constitutionally mandated ceremony

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<v Speaker 1>to swear in the new leader of the free world

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<v Speaker 1>become Washington's biggest four year fiesta and Hollywood celebrities and

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<v Speaker 1>pop stars always been on the guest list. According to

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<v Speaker 1>Jim Benditt, author of Democracy's Big Day, the Inauguration of

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<v Speaker 1>Our President, presidential inaugurations have always been a good excuse

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<v Speaker 1>to party until recently. The ceremony itself was rather stayed

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<v Speaker 1>and serious military parade, Oath of office inaugural address done,

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<v Speaker 1>but the before and after festivities have always been a

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<v Speaker 1>hot ticket, including the balls that occur after the inauguration,

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<v Speaker 1>Bendett said, Inaugural balls were there from the very beginning,

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<v Speaker 1>and the first official inaugural ball was in eighteen o nine,

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<v Speaker 1>but even George Washington had one a week after his

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<v Speaker 1>first ceremony in seventeen nine. In those days, the entertainment

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<v Speaker 1>would just be orchestras playing like music, but as time

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<v Speaker 1>went on, you started having big bands and other popular

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<v Speaker 1>music acts showing up. In ninety one, Franklin D. Roosevelt

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<v Speaker 1>was the first to throw a pre inauguration gala the

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<v Speaker 1>night before his third inauguration, a tradition that continues today.

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<v Speaker 1>Roosevelt's gala drew some of the era's biggest names, Bendett said,

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<v Speaker 1>Irving Berlin saying God Bless America, which was a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>new song at the time. Mickey Rooney performed, Charlie Chaplin

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<v Speaker 1>did a monologue from the film The Great Dictator. In

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty one, the stars came out in a major

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<v Speaker 1>way for the Hollywood ready John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra,

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<v Speaker 1>and Peter Lawford, also Kennedy's brother in law, personally organized

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<v Speaker 1>the night before gala, which included Milton Burl, Harry Belafonte,

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<v Speaker 1>Ella Fitzgerald, Jing Kelly, Janet Lee, Tony Curtis, Nat King, Cole,

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<v Speaker 1>and many others. But are Democratic candidates the only ones

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<v Speaker 1>that can book the big celebrities? Today Hollywood runs fairly blue.

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<v Speaker 1>But that wasn't always the case, Bendett said. For Nixon

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen sixty nine, there was Tony Bennett, James Brown,

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<v Speaker 1>Connie Francis, Dinah Shore. For Eisenhower, there was Teresa Brewer,

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<v Speaker 1>Janette McDonald, Katherine Grayson, all well known singers. But that's

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<v Speaker 1>ninety seven, early rock and roll, and you didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>rock and roll acts at inaugurations, not under Eisenhower. That

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't happening. More recently, George W. Bush's Texas supporters through

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<v Speaker 1>the Republican President elect a black tie in boots ball

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand one, featuring lone star state celebrities like

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<v Speaker 1>Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, and Chuck Norris, who was at

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<v Speaker 1>the time portraying Walker Texas Ranger on the eponymous TV show.

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<v Speaker 1>Barack Obama's actual swearing in ceremonies featured big name performers.

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<v Speaker 1>At his second inauguration, Beyonce sang or maybe lip sync

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<v Speaker 1>to the national anthem Kelly Clarkson performed My Country Tis

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<v Speaker 1>of the and James Taylor soft rocked America the Beautiful.

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<v Speaker 1>Prior to Obama, inauguration day performances were usually limited to

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<v Speaker 1>the United States Marine Band choirs and the occasional National

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<v Speaker 1>treasure like soprano Marian Anderson, who performed two separate inaugurations

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<v Speaker 1>for Dwight D. Eisenhower in and JFK in one. Trump

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<v Speaker 1>returned to a more traditional lineup for the ceremony itself,

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<v Speaker 1>but snacked performers like Lee Greenwood, Toby Keith, and Three

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<v Speaker 1>Doors Down for the pre party on the nineteen. Poetry readings, however,

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<v Speaker 1>are more rare. Biden is only the fourth president to

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<v Speaker 1>have a poet read during his swearing in ceremony. The

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<v Speaker 1>others were Bill Clinton, Obama and JFK. Poet Robert Frost

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<v Speaker 1>actually wrote a special poem for JFK's inocuration, but couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>read it due to the bright glare from the snow

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<v Speaker 1>blanketing the capital that day, so he recited one that

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<v Speaker 1>he knew by heart, the Gift Outright. Today's episode was

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<v Speaker 1>written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. For

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<v Speaker 1>more in this and lots of other topics, visit how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio.

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