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Garth who?
For many Europeans, the man in jeans and a cowboy hat who sang “Amazing Grace” at Joe Biden's inauguration was not a household name.
Garth Brooks has sold more albums than the Beatles.
He is the most successful country musician of all time.
After his a cappella appearance in front of the Capitol, Brooks not only hugged Barack Obama, at whose inauguration concert he sang twelve years ago, but also George W. Bush.
Because Brooks is an avowed Republican.
Choosing a country singer who often celebrates the rural “rednecks” despised by urban progressives in his songs to sing “Amazing Grace” of all things: That was a stroke of genius.
The song itself, although it is often associated with black communities and sung by President Obama personally at the memorial service for the victims of the racist massacre in Charleston six years ago, is the work of a British slave trader who became a pioneer in 1748 after a religious awakening experience the anti-slavery movement walked.
Brooks is also proof that the all-too-simple division of white America into urban and progressive here, rural and retrograde there, was never and is not true now.
Obama sings for the Charleston victims
At the memorial service for the victims of the Charleston attack, US President Obama gave a moving speech in which he condemned racism.
In the end he sang the song Amazing Grace.
Source: N24
Already in 1993 the devout Christian and representative of a conservative family image had published the song "We Shall Be Free".
It says, among other things, that only when everyone is free to love everyone can everyone be free.
The musical plea against racism, homophobia, hunger, homelessness and religious bigotry, recorded in the style of a gospel song, was boycotted by reactionary broadcasters.
This is one of the reasons why “We Shall Be Free” did not make it into the top ten of the country charts as the superstar's first song - but at least it made it to number twelve;
and reached number 22 among the “Christian Songs” (yes, there are also such charts in the USA).
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As if they wanted to confirm the caricature of the reactionary country eggs, angry Garth Brooks fans abused him for his appearance for Biden online as a "traitor" and called for a boycott of his works and concerts.
So he is taking a considerable personal risk.
Brooks stated, “It's not about Republicans or Democrats.
As long as you have people like the Bidens who are determined to do things well, I feel good.
I'm so tired of dividing up. "
Amen, one might say.