Have Inaugurations Always Involved Celebrities?

But when exactly did the presidential inauguration constitutionally mandated ceremony to swear in the new leader of the free world become Washington's biggest four year fiesta and Hollywood celebrities and pop stars always been on the guest list. According to Jim Benditt, author of Democracy's Big Day, the Inauguration of Our President, presidential inaugurations have always been a good excuse

to party until recently. The ceremony itself was rather stayed and serious military parade, Oath of office inaugural address done, but the before and after festivities have always been a hot ticket, including the balls that occur after the inauguration, Bendett said, Inaugural balls were there from the very beginning, and the first official inaugural ball was in eighteen o nine, but even George Washington had one a week after his

first ceremony in seventeen nine. In those days, the entertainment would just be orchestras playing like music, but as time went on, you started having big bands and other popular music acts showing up. In ninety one, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to throw a pre inauguration gala the night before his third inauguration, a tradition that continues today. Roosevelt's gala drew some of the era's biggest names, Bendett said, Irving Berlin saying God Bless America, which was a pretty

new song at the time. Mickey Rooney performed, Charlie Chaplin did a monologue from the film The Great Dictator. In nineteen sixty one, the stars came out in a major way for the Hollywood ready John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, and Peter Lawford, also Kennedy's brother in law, personally organized the night before gala, which included Milton Burl, Harry Belafonte, Ella Fitzgerald, Jing Kelly, Janet Lee, Tony Curtis, Nat King, Cole, and many others. But are Democratic candidates the only ones

that can book the big celebrities? Today Hollywood runs fairly blue. But that wasn't always the case, Bendett said. For Nixon in nineteen sixty nine, there was Tony Bennett, James Brown, Connie Francis, Dinah Shore. For Eisenhower, there was Teresa Brewer, Janette McDonald, Katherine Grayson, all well known singers. But that's ninety seven, early rock and roll, and you didn't have rock and roll acts at inaugurations, not under Eisenhower. That

wasn't happening. More recently, George W. Bush's Texas supporters through the Republican President elect a black tie in boots ball in two thousand one, featuring lone star state celebrities like Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, and Chuck Norris, who was at the time portraying Walker Texas Ranger on the eponymous TV show. Barack Obama's actual swearing in ceremonies featured big name performers.

At his second inauguration, Beyonce sang or maybe lip sync to the national anthem Kelly Clarkson performed My Country Tis of the and James Taylor soft rocked America the Beautiful. Prior to Obama, inauguration day performances were usually limited to the United States Marine Band choirs and the occasional National treasure like soprano Marian Anderson, who performed two separate inaugurations

for Dwight D. Eisenhower in and JFK in one. Trump returned to a more traditional lineup for the ceremony itself, but snacked performers like Lee Greenwood, Toby Keith, and Three Doors Down for the pre party on the nineteen. Poetry readings, however, are more rare. Biden is only the fourth president to have a poet read during his swearing in ceremony. The

others were Bill Clinton, Obama and JFK. Poet Robert Frost actually wrote a special poem for JFK's inocuration, but couldn't read it due to the bright glare from the snow blanketing the capital that day, so he recited one that he knew by heart, the Gift Outright. Today's episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. For more in this and lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio.

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