Africa & Asia

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow ~ Strongman ruler of Turkmenistan and frequent finalist in the "World's Craziest Dictator" Olympics. Also locally known by the far more pronounceable name of Arkadag. Besides winning elections by hilariously lopsided margins Arkadag's other hobbies include having gold statues made in his honour, being the nation's champion horse and car racer. Oh; And having the nation's favorite pop duo with his son Serdar, who by happy coincidence is also a colonel and governor.

JOHN OLIVER REPORTS ON ARKADAG;


King Bhumibol Adulyadej ~ King of Thailand from 1946 to his death in 2016, making him at the time the world longest serving monarch (Queen Elizabeth did not take the throne until 1952). The normally quiet and retiring King was a huge fan of Dixieland and Big Band Jazz and played the saxophone including sitting in with visiting players like Benny Goodman, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton, and Benny Carter. He also composed over 40 songs (not all of them Jazz) and did some recordings. Being a King probably helped but unlike some other royal musicians he was actually considered a good player and some of his compositions have been recorded by the likes of Claude Bolling, Les Brown and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His brother and predecessor King Ananada also played the clarinet and the two did much to encourage a Jazz scene in Thailand which would also lead to a rock and soul scene in the late 60's which was second in Asia only to Japan's.

KING BHUMBIBOL ~ "HOW HIGH THE MOON";


Sherali Joʻrayev - Uzbek singer/songwriter, considered one of the most important artists in Uzbekistan and an activist known for his political content he served in the country's National Assembly from 1990-95 but fell out of favour for criticizing the government and was banned for a decade until the country's strongman leader died. He died in 2023.

SHERALI JO'RAYEV ~ "ARTIRGULIM";


Mahesh Kumar Kanodia - Indian actor/singer from the 1950's to the 1980's and then an MP for the BJP Party from 1991–2009, he died in 2020

MAHESH KANODIA;


Fela Kuti ~ The most famous African musician of his time was also a well known political dissident in his native Nigeria famous for his stinging attacks on the government in music and in print. When the first free elections in a decade were called in 1979 Fela formed his own party and announced his candidacy for president, however his candidacy was disallowed by the government. Fela continued to agitate for democracy and was arrested on trumped up charges in 1984 but released twenty months later after much international pressure. In 1993 he was arrested again but Nigeria's dictator Abacha died the next year. By this time Fela was probably already battling the AIDs that would kill him in 1997.

FELA KUTI ~ "TEACHER DON'T TEACH ME NO NONSENSE";





Kim Ill Sung ~ North Korea's original Dear Leader and founder of the world's most repressive dictatorship was actually educated by Christian missionaries and played the organ in church.

Kim Jong Ill ~ North Korea's batshit insane dictator claimed to have written seven operas, which is pretty impressive. Mind you the official party line is that Kim is also the worlds most prolific author with more than 15,000 books to his credit as well as being the worlds greatest golfer with no less than 11 holes in one, which is better than Tiger Woods. So there. His wife was formerly a popular singer.

Rui Mingas ~ A popular singer and composer in Angola who came from a famous family of musicians, his music would combine Afro-Jazz with Portugese and local traditions and one of his compositions, "Angola Avante" would become the national amthem and he he would serve in the National Congress from 2017-2021, dying in 2023 aged 84. His brother Andre was also a musician and politician.

RUI MINGAS ~ "POEMA DE FARRA";


Balen Shah ~ A popuar Rapper in Nepal ran for the Mayor of Kathmandu in 2022

BALEN SHAH:


Prince Norodom Sihanouk ~ The on-and-off King of Cambodia during the turbulent years from 1941 to his death in 2012 was also a filmmaker and a classically trained musician playing piano, saxophone, clarinet and organ led an orchestra and wrote dozens of compositions combining traditional Cambodian and French music covering romantic and patriotic themes. His nephew and successor Norodom Suramarit was also a musician.

King Norodom Suramarit ~ King of Cambodia since 2012 was raised in exile in France were he received formal training in music and ballet developing a style combiing tradional Cambodian and Western dance and theatre and has written his own compositions.

Valentine Strasser ~ As a young 25 year old captain in the Sierra Leone army and champion disco dancer Strasser led a small protest in 1992 against the government over lack of pay and equipment. Fearing a full blown coup the unpopular president resigned and fled the country, upon which Strasser then declared himself president. A charismatic figure known for his flamboyant clothes and Ray Ban shades as well as his youth as the worlds youngest generalissimo he was initially popular, including in the west, but his regime became more brutal and led to more unrest. Strasser held power until he was in turn overthrown in another coup in 1996. Strasser then fled to England to study law. His brief rule is mentioned in the Super Furry Animals track "Placid Casual," from the album Radiator. He has since been threatened with trail for war crimes and deportation.

U Phoyo Zayer Thaw ~ 40 ~ Myanmar' most famous Rapper with his Hip Hop group ACID before becoming a Member of Parliament Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD Party where he served two terms before returning to music. He opposed the 2019 coup and was arrested by the Junta on trumped up charges and executed in 2022

ACID;


Bobi Wine ~ Popular Ugandan singer known for his political pro-democracy activism being frequently been arrested, was elected to parliament as an opposition member in 2017 and announced his intention to run for the Presidency in 2020 against the regime of President Musevani which has been in power for thirty years. In the subsequent election Museveni was declared the winner in a disputed election after demonstration were put down with much police violence and Bibi himself put under house arrest.

BOBI WINE ~ "KYRENGA";


General Wiranto ~ The Indonesian strongman (like many Indonesians he has only one name) until 2009 is also a lover of karaoke and even recorded an album of love songs called "For My Indonesia" when he wasn't busy racking up human rights abuses in East Timor.

Rasolofondraosolo Zafimahaleo; Better known by the far more pronounceable stage name "Dama", is the lead singer/guitarist for the folk-rock group Mahaleo, the best known band in Madagascar since the 1970's playing a fusion of tradition Malagasy folk music and folk rock. Various band members have long supported political causes with Dama successfully running for a seat in the nation's National Assembly and has hinted that he might run for President.

MAHALEO ~ "ISEKELY";


Pierre-Claver Zeng Ebome ~ Popular Gabonese singer in the 1970's and pro-democracy activist who entered politics as "The Crooner Politician". He got elected became a cabinet minister and advocated for canceling third world debts until his death in 2010.

PIERRE CLAVER ZENG;

Latin America And The Caribbean

Attila The Hun ~ No not that one. This Attila (real name Raymond Quevedo) was a highly popular Calypso singer from Trinidad in the 1940's known for his songs attacking the wealthy and establishment figures (and a tribute to FDR) who successfully ran for Port Of Spain city council in 1946 and later for the national parliament for a time.

ATTILA THE HUN ~ "FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT";


Susana Baca - A respected singer and folklorist of Peru's Afro-Latin music Baca became Minister of Culture in 2011, she left later that year but became President of the Commission of Culture for the Organization of American States from 2011 to 2013.

SUSANA BACRA;


Ruben Blades ~ The Grammy Award winning Panamanian salsa star and actor ("Once Upon A Time In Mexico", "The Cradle Will Rock", "Predator 2") wrote the unofficial national anthem ("Patria") and is highly popular throughout Latin America. He is also a lawyer with two legal degrees and a degree in political science and a well known activist who ran for President of Panama in 1994 on a nationalist/reformist platform and finished a respectable third place to the American backed candidate who was later implicated in numerous corruption charges. In 2004 Blades was appointed as minister of tourism by President Martin Torrijos, however he still finds time to perform and act.

RUBEN BLADES ~ "DECISIONES";



Amando Boudou ~ Argentina Finance Minister and successful Vice President candidate in 2011. As a university student he earned extra pesos busking with his electric guitar and promoting rock concerts on campus. He still drags out the guitar an campaign stops.

Manno Charlemagne ~ 69 ~ Haitian singer-songwriter, guitarist and politician, Mayor of Port-au-Prince (1995–1999)

Alan Garcia ~ Right wing president of Peru from 1980-85 and again starting in 2006 to the present. While studying in Paris and Madrid made extra cash as a guitar playing street busker.

Gilberto Gill; One of the best known musicians in Brazil since the 1960's, with his fusion of samba, reggae and African music, Gil was an international star as well when he became Minister of Art & Culture in the government of Lula Da Silva from 2003 to 2008. Gil was also known in Brazil for his opposition to the military governments of the 2970's and 80's which got him banned from the country in the 1970's. After serving in government Gil returned to his musical career.

GILBERTO GIL;


Ana de Hollanda; Succeeding Gil as Minister of Art and Culture Hollanda had also previously been a singer whose brother, Chico Buarque, has been a popular singer-songwriter and author since the 1970's.

Victor Jara ~ Chile's greatest folk singer, Jara was talented, handsome and charismatic and known for his support of Salvador Allende's Unidad Popular Parti for whom he acted as an organizer, campaigner and composer of the party anthem "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"). After Allende's election Jara acted as a cultural attache but when Allende was overthrown in a CIA inspired coup Jara was brutally tortured and murdered.

VICTOR JARA ~ "TE RECUERDO AMANDA";


Wyclef Jean ~ The Haiti born rapper was a member of the hugely successful hip hop group The Fugees in the 1990's and later had a solo career including a duo with Shakira. He also busied himself with charitable works for his native Haiti, especially after the earthquake of 2010. In July of that year it was announced that he was considering running for the presidency and had filed the paperwork for this, however his candidacy was rejected by Haiti's election commission for not meeting residency requirements, he also speaks little French. Jean would later endorse another candidate, fellow musician Michel Martelly and while campaigning on his behalf would be shot in the hand.

WYCLEF JEAN ~ "WISH YOU WERE HERE";



Michel Martelly ~ Also known as Sweet Mickey, Martelly is probably the most popular musician in Haiti with several hits to his credit as well as appearing in collaboration with Wyclif Jean and running a successful night club. He has long been outspoken in his support of various figures from Haiti's ruling class (who often hang out at his club) and for his opposition to President Aristide. In 2010 he announced that he would be running for the presidency of Haiti as did Jean. This would have been the first time two pop stars faced of against each other in an election, however Jean was disqualified as a candidate. As it happened Sweet Mickey didn't win either but finished a strong third in an election that was widely dismissed as rigged. Both Martelly and Jean would jointly protest the results and the second place candidate would surprisingly drop out allowing Martelly to stay in for a second runoff round which he surprisingly won in April 2011.

MICHEL MARTELLY ~ "MON COLONEL";



Javier Milei ~ The flamboyant Anachro-Capitalist President of Argentina from 2023 was in his youth the singer in a band called Everest which specialized in Rolling Stones covers.

Pablo Neruda ~ The great Chilean poet/revolutionary was elected to the senate in 1945 as a Communist but was forced into exile when the party was outlawed in 1948. He continued to campaign for various causes in exile, returning to Chile in 1952 he was invited to run for the senate again but declined. In 1970 the Communists invited him to be their candidate for the presidency but he decided to instead support and campaign for the Socialist candidate Salvador Allende who won and appointed Neruda to be ambassador to France. Neruda was suffering form cancer and was hospitalized immediately after the U.S. backed coup in 1973 dying days later. Despite a ban on public demonstrations by the new junta Neruda's funeral was attended by thousands who lined the streets in tribute. As Latin America's most honored poet he has had many of his works adapted to music by both classical composers and folk and prog rock bands both while he was alive and afterward, including the Canadian band Red Rider.

LUCIANA SOUZA SINGS NERUDA


Francesco Petrozzi - Peruvian opera tenor who served as MP and Minister Of Culture from 2016-2019, he died in 2024

Francisco Everado Oliviera Silva; Known by his stage name Tiririca, he is an highly popular comedian, clown and singer-songwriter who ran for Congress as a joke in 2010 on an anti-corruption, help the children and support the arts platform using adds in which he sang and danced while wearing a clown hat and mocked other politicians. To his surprise not only did he win, he won the second largest vote getter in Brazil's history. His time in congress was not happy though and he announced he would not run for reelection.

Johnny Ventura - A Grammy winning Dominican salsa & meringue singer and band leader from the early sixties, he was elected Mayor of Santo Domingo (1998–2002). He died in 2021 aged 81

JOHNNY VENTURA;

Scandinavia

ICELAND;
Jon Gnarr; Known as the Punk Rock Mayor of Reykjavik and founder of the Best Party, a progressive protest party in 2009. He started out as a bassist for an obscure punk band named Nefrennsli ("Runny Nose") before becoming a comedian for many years. The Best Party was formed in response to the 2008 financial crisis and became a shocking success, as mayor Gnarr was known for his spiky hairdo, jeans and black t-shirts. He was a popular mayor but did not run for reelection in 2014. There was some speculation he would run for Prime Minster but did not although he has not ruled out running in the future.

Einar Örn Benediktsson; Singer/Horn Player with 1980's pop band the Sugarcubes and later Ghostdigital who went on to co-found the Best Party with Jon Gnarr. Orn would also win a seat on the Reykjavik city council in 2010 but like Gnarr he did not run for election.

THE SUGARCUBES ~ "COLD SWEAT";


FINLAND;
Claes Andersson; Poet and jazz musician who served in the Finnish parliament from 1987 to 1999 for the Left Alliance and the Finnish People's Democratic League where he served as Minister Of Culture. He later served again in 2007-2008.

Mikko Alatalo; Folk singer with many albums to his credit who ran successfully for parliament for the Center Party starting in 2003 and has served since either in parliament or Tampere city council since.

MIKKO ALATALO;


Kike Elomaa; A beautiful blonde professional body builder who also had a brief career as a pop singer in the 1980's and became an MP for the right-wing True Finns Party since 2011.

KIKE ELOMAA - "SAMA SAMA TAIVAS";


Tony Halme; Pro-wrestler, actor and singer who ran successfully for the far-right nationalist True Finns Party from 2003 to 2007 where he distinguished himself by attacking Finnish President Tarja Halonen, things went downhill as he was arrested for firing a handgun inside his house and possession of steroids and later driving while impaired. In 2006 he was committed to a mental institution. He did not run for reelection and was found dead in 2010 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Kari Peitsamo; Multi-instrumentalist and singer with various art-pop bands from the 1970's onward. He has also unsuccessfully run for parliament several times for the Communist Party from 2003.

Anni Sinnemäki; Former leader of the Finnish Green Party and member of Finnish parliament from 1999 to 2011 who served as minister of labour as well as serving on Helsinki city council. Previously she was a poet and lyricist for her husband Kerkko Koskinen's band Ulta Bra who have several albums.

ULTRA BRA ~ "KIRJOITUKSIA";


Tommy Tabermann; A romantic poet and singer who was elected to parliament in 2007 for the Social Democrats but he died suddenly of a brain tumor in 2010.

Veltto Virtanen; An eccentric and theatrical singer who ran for parliament as a protest candidate a few times, actually winning in 1995 and again in 2007. Originally he ran for a Finnish version of the Green Party but later switched to the right-wing True Finns Party.

VELETTO VIRTANEN;


Greenland;

Kuupik Kleist ~ The current prime minister of Greenland and head of the island's independence movement was formerly known as a guitarist, songwriter, record producer and record company executive in his native Greenland and Denmark.

Europe

Alexander III ~ The second last Tsar of Russia from 1881 to 1894. A notorious reactionary who famously censored artists and writers, he had little patience for the traditional balls and dances of the Romanov court. To cut short these concerts one of his favorite tricks was to summarily dismiss the band one member at a time until there was nobody left but a piano and a violin, the guests usually got the point by then. Oddly Alexander himself was actually a trained musician having learned the trumpet and trombone. He could in fact play and read music well enough to occasionally join in band and play along when in a good mood. It's not known if the band found this more disturbing then being dismissed.

Silvio Berlosconni ~ The popular conservative prime minister of Italy and all around buffoon throughout the 1990's to 2011. He's also a businessman and media tycoon who owns most of the television and newspapers in Italy. However he started out as a bass player and cruise ship lounge singer in the 1960's.

Cicciolina; The Hungarian born Italian porn star (real name Ilona Staller) who gained international notoriety by getting elected to the Italian Parliament in 1987 running as a Green candidate serving one term. She had actually been running for office since 1979 and would do so again, both in Italy and Hungary without success. She has announced her intention to run again in the upcoming Italian elections to be held next year.

CICCIOLINA ~ "BABY LOVE";


Krzysztof Cugowski; Polish rocker who served a term in the Polish Senate.

Queen Elisabeth of Belgium ~ Elisabeth of Bavaria(1876-1965), Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, was the Queen escort of Albert I of Belgium, she was raised with a deep love of painting, music, and sculpture. Because of her love of music and an accomplished violinist, the original Ysre International Music Competition is named after her as - "The Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition".

Gabriele D'Annunzio ~ Notorius Italian nationalist poet and considered one of the founders of the Fascist movement. Besides poetry he also wrote operas and collaborated with Claude Debussey. He served a term as member of the Chamber Of Deputies from 1987-1900 but he did not run for reelection and fled Ital to escape creditors. After WW1 in September of 1919 he led led a small Blackshirt militia who staged a coup and seized the Croation city of Fiume over which he declared himself "Il Duce" and established a constitution declaring "Music" to be the founding principle of the new city state and petitioned to be annexed by Italy. When the embarrassed and annoyed Italian government instead demanded he and his militia vacate the city he declared war on Italy forcing the Italian navy to evict him by December of 1920. Returning to Italy he involved hinself in right wing politics as sometime ally and rival to Benito Mussolini who was able to sideline him due partly to his scandalous and erratic behaviour which included serious injuries from a fall out of a window either while drunk or involved in a brawl, it's clear which. After Mussolini siezed power he publically supported the regime including it's wars in Africa but later urged avoiding an alliance with Hitler and a general war. He died just before WW2 in 1938

GABRIELE D'ANNUNZIO;


Anton Drexler ~ Founder and original leader of the Nazi Party until forced out by Hitler, Drexler was a locksmith who also moonlighted as a zither player in local beerhalls which was apparently a thing back then.

Willem Engel ~ One of the leaders of Vrij en Sociaal Nederland, a small far-right party for conspiarcy theorists, anti-vaxxers and Putin fanboys, he was formerally the owner of a dance studio that taught Latin dancing, he ran for parliament in 2021 but the party failed to win any seats

Brian Eno ~ The legendary multi-instrmentalist originally with Roxy Music in the 1970's then solo as well as producer with the Talking Heads and U2 is currently on the Board of Directors for the Democracy In Europe Movement, a cross border progressive EU political party which seeks to reform the EU, other members include Jean Michel Jarre

ROXY MUSIC ~ "IN EVERY HOME A HEARTACHE";


Joseph Goebbels ~ Unlike most of the Nazi leaders who were thugs and cretins, the Minister of Propaganda was actually (like Hitler) a frustrated artist with a novel to his credit as well as being a trained amateur pianist. After 1939 when all works by Polish composers were banned, the works of the great piano composer Fredric Chopin were specifically excluded from the ban as Goebbels was a fan, although Hitler was not.

Princess Stephanie Grimaldi De Monaco ~ The younger daughter of Prince Ranier and Princess Grace had her own career in the 1980's as a model and pop singer even scoring a few hits in Europe which thankfully never translated to North America which had one of it's occasional bursts of good taste.

PRINCESS STEPHANIE ~ "IRRESISTIBLE";


Jean Michel Jarre ~ French pioneer of electronic music is currently on the Board of Directors for the Democracy In Europe Movement, a cross border progressive EU political party which seeks to reform the EU, other members include Brian Eno

JEAN MICHEL JARRE ~ "FOURTH RENDEVOUZ";


Vakhtang Kikabidze - 84 - Georgian singer & actor, long a critic of Russia and the USSR he was a notable figure in Georgian independence and ran for and won a seat in the Georgian Parliament where he travelled t Ukraine to show support for their war with Russia but soon died after becoming ill.

Vytaulas Landsbergis ~ The first president of an independent Lithuania from 1990 to 1992 was also a well respected concert pianist who taught at the Lithuanian Conservatory and recorded several albums of classical music.

VYTAULA LANDSBERGIS;


Vladimir Lenin ~ Before he became a full time revolutionary Lenin came from a well educated middle class background as a lawyer and part-time time musician who could read music and play classical guitar and balalaika. Oddly one of his favorite composers was the bombastic Wagner, also the favorite of arch enemy Hitler. He also had the typical Russian love of poetry. However after his older brother was executed for plotting against the Tsar Lenin dedicated himself to revolution with such single minded focus that he gave up all other interests, including music. Later after he became Soviet President he began to take an interest in music again, at one point even inviting Leon Thermin to teach him how to play his new invention, the theremin. According to Thermin, Lenin was a good player.

Thanos Mikroutsikos ~ Respected Greek composer and pianist from the 1960's onward, besides works celebrating Greek culture he also adapted works of Berthold Brecht. He was also heavily involved with politics opposing the 1960's right-wing junta as a member of the Greek Communist Party. When democracy was restored he served the socialist govt as minster of culture in the 1990's. He died in 2019.

THANOS MIKROUTSIKOS ~ "CYRENIA";


Alessandra Mussolini ~ The granddaughter of Italian dictator Benito and niece of Sophia Loren, started out as a model and actress who made a number of mostly B movies in Europe. One of those films in which she played a minor role was however nominated for a foreign language Oscar and won a Golden Globe in 1977. As a model she did photo shoots for Playboy. She also found time to record an album of Euro-Pop called "Amore" in 1982 which was however only released in Japan. She later quit showbiz to join the other family business, running for election to the Italian parliament as a neo-fascist in 1992 where she has sat ever since. She also ran for mayor of Naples but lost. As for her grandfather Benito; he played the violin and his son (and her father) Romano was a successful jazz, lounge and film soundtrack pianist.

ALESSANDRA MUSSOLINI ~ "LOVE IS LOVE";


Hilbrand Nawijn; A typical fat, white, far-right politician who had an untypical career path in that after his electoral career petered out he tried his luck as a contestant on a Dutch talent show and even though everyone agreed he was devoid of talent or looks he managed to get a recording deal and recorded a couple of hit singles.

HILBRAND NAWIJIN ~ "HEY JUMPEN";


Jan Paderewski ~ The first prime minster of an independent Poland in 1919 was also a concert pianist and composer and probably the most famous musician of his era, known for the crowds of swooning fans who attended his world tours. He used his fame to promote Polish independence in the 1900's and briefly served as Prime Minister but disliked the job and soon returned to music. During WW2 after Poland was invaded he again resumed his role as a promoter of Polish independence and fundraiser until he died in 1941 at the age of 81.

JAN PADEREWSKI ~ "HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY";





Vardo Rumessen; Respected Estonian classical pianist and musicologist who was a leader of the independence movement from the USSR he became a member of the Riigikogu (1992–1995, 1999–2003) dying in 2015.

Ruslana; A hugely successful singer and sex-symbol in the Ukraine, she has also been heavily involved in supporting figures like Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko along with a high profile role in the Orange Revolution, activities which have gotten her banned in Russia. She has suggested she may run for the presidency.

RUSLANA ~ "IT'S MAGICAL";


Miroslav Skoro ~ Croatian folk-pop singer known for his patriotic songs during the Yugoslavian Wars of the 1990's ran for the Presidency in 2019 as a far-right nationalist in a campaign where he praised the Nazi collaborationist regime of WW2. He got a large number of votes but lost narrowly in the first round and failed to make it to the run-off round.

MIROSLAV SKORO ~ "U MOM DVORISTU";


Maria Stern ~ An Austrian former singer/songwriter and current leader of the JEZIT List a breakaway group from the Green Party who got several MPs elected in 2017 but were wiped out in 2020.

MARIA STERN ~ "STRACHE SONG";


Arturo Toscanini ~ The famously temperamental Italian conductor was an early supporter of Benito Mussolini and ran as a Fascist candidate in 1919 and lost. However he soon publicly broke with Mussolini and refused to display his portrait and refused to play the Fascist anthem as required even when government ministers were in the audience. This resulted in his being assaulted by Blackshirts and had his passport revoked until international outcry forced Mussolini to back down enabling him to travel to America and perform. Toscanini fled Italy in 1939 and did not return until the end of the war to a rapturous welcome, however he largely remained in the U.S.A. until he died in 1957.

ARTURO TOSCANINI ~ BEETHOVEN'S 9TH SYMPHONY;



Slavi Trifonov ~ Current President of Bulgaria as of 2021 was previously a popular musician in various genres from Folk to Folk Rock & Punk and Hip Hop as well as a television host.

SLAVI TRIFONOV & KU KU BAND";


Guiseppe Verdi ~ The great Italian composer was also a famous supporter of the Italian Unification led by Garibaldi and Cavour and served as a member of provincial counsils and a member of parliament from 1859 to 1865 however he quickly grew to dislike politics and after Cavour died he stepped down to resume his musical career. In 1874 he was appointed to the senate anyway in which he refused to serve.

Mike Wade ~ The singer of an Isle Of Man band Ballaghs, ran for a seat on the local municipal board in 2021 and easily won. However he resigned in 2023 announcing he was buying a pizza place and couldn't spare the time.

Valodomir Zelensky ~ The President of Ukraine had famously been a major TV star as a comedian but he also did musical and dance numbers includng winning the Ukraine version of "Dancing With The Stars".

VALODIMIR ZELENSKY ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS";

United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia

Tony Blair ~ The British prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 originally wanted to be a rock star and promoter, singing and playing guitar in a short lived and unrecorded punk band named Ugly Rumours after he moved from Scotland to England in the late 1970's. One band mate was Mark Ellen, who would later become a rock journalist and television emcee for "The Old Grey Whistle Test". Blair was apparently considered a pushy self-promoter and was generally disliked in the scene.

Peter Chapman ~ A Tory member of the Scottish Parliament released an album of folk songs in the Scottish English language known as Doric

Edward VIII ~ Before he became the disgraced former king of England the Crown Prince was a popular figure of the Jazz Age where he was known for appearing at Dixieland jazz clubs and sometimes sitting in with the bands and playing the drums and banjo at which he was apparently quite good. His Grandfather Edward VII was another party animal who played a little banjo and reportedly got lessons from popular Black Canadian minstrel duo the Bohee Bros.

Elizabeth I ~ Like her father Henry VIII (see below) Queen Bess considered herself quite cultured and dabbled with various stringed and key instruments but was especially fond of dancing.

Tim Farron; MP and Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017 was a member of an obscure synth-pop band under various names such as "Fred the Girl" and "The Voyeurs" but he's been vague about the band's history. He ran for parliament successfully in 2005 and has been reelected since but stepped down as leader after the party's dismal results in the 2017 election.

Peter Garrett ~ The bald and over six foot tall singer for the Australian post punk band Midnight Oil from 1973 to 2002 was also a lawyer and activist for peace, native rights and the environment, running for the Australian Senate in 1984 unsuccessfully as a green candidate before switching to the Labour Party and winning election in 2004. He is currently the Minster of Environment, Heritage and the Arts.

MIDNIGHT OIL ~ "BEST OF BOTH WORLDS";





Dennis Healey ~ A powerful leader in the Labour Party from the 1960's to the 1980's as a cabinet minister and leadership candidate, Healey was also a good pianist who occasionally appeared on television.

DENNIS HEALEY ~ "THE WIZARD OF OZ";


Danny Healy-Rae ~ The Healy-Raes are a family dynasty in County Kerry in Ireland who have run held various offices as independents for decades the old fashioned way, shaking hands, showing up at funerals christenings and weddings and using traditional campaign fight songs railing against the elites in Dublin and London at least one of which features MP Danny Healy-Rae on the accordion.

Edward Heath ~ British Conservative Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974 was a respected classical conductor and pianist who conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and others in the U.K and U.S.A even while still in office and won honorary music degrees. After losing the Tory leadership to Thatcher who toppled him and then excluded him from cabinet he stayed as an MP for the next twenty years (long enough to get his revenge by voting against Thatcher when her leadership came up) while cooling his heels on the back benches he recorded albums and wrote a book of Christmas carols. Note; This Ted Heath is not to be confused with his contemporary Ted Heath who confusingly led a Jazz Big Band in Britain from the 1950's to the 1980's.

EDWARD HEATH CONDUCTING;


Henry VIII ~ Considering himself the ultimate Renaissance Prince (at least until he became a fat, bloated, syphilitic, buffoon) Henry was considered a talented musician on various stringed and keyed instruments as well as composing a number of songs, both hymns and love ballads, he was also a good dancer.

A.P Herbert ~ Humorist for Punch Magazine in Britain and a light opera librettist for Cochran, was also a lawyer who ran for Parliament in the 1930's on a platform of liberalizing divorce laws, and lost.

Lillian Lenton ~ One of the most radical of the British women suffragettes of the early 20th century as well as the most beautiful, Lenton started off as a trained dancer before being radicalized by the issues of woman's equality. As a radical suffragette she was noted for acts of vandalism and arson for which she was arrested several times upon which she went on hunger strikes and was force fed once almost leading to her death when food was forced into her lungs by mistake. Eventually she escaped to Europe where she served as a nurse during World War 1 and was awarded with medals. After the war she became an advocate for children and animals. She died in 1972.

Brian May; Guitarist for mega-successful pomp-rock band Queen. May has been a Conservative supporter but is also well known environmentalist and supporter of historical preservation. In the 2015 election he announced he might run for parliament as an independent but later declined and endorsed the Green Party.

QUEEN ~ "CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE";


Donnie Munro ~ Singer for popular Scottish Celtic Rock band Runrig since 1974, Munro was also the Rector of Edinburgh University from 1991 to 1994. He suddenly quit in 1999 to run for the British Parliament for the Labour Party only to narrowly lose to The Liberal Democrats. Munro subsequently returned to scholarship and Gaelic music. Fellow Runrig band member Pete Wishart would also run for office with better luck (see below).

RUNRIG ~ "LOCH LOMAND";


Dave Rowntree - Drummer for 1990's top-ten Britpop band Blur. He later became a lawyer and ran for the Labour Party in 2007 unsuccessfully and again in 2008, 2010 and 2011, so far with notable lack of success.

BLUR ~ "SONG 2";


Andy Semple - AKA Andy Septic, guitarist for 1970's Scottish Punk band the Limps. Later became a Cockermouth City Councillor for the Labour Party.

THE LIMPS ~ "SOMEONE I CAN TALK TO";


Rose Simpson ~ Bassist for the 1960's British psychedelic/folk group the Incredible String Band. After quitting music she settled in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth where she was appointed Lord Mayoress as a Liberal Democrat. After serving her term she retired and still lives in the town.

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND ~ "PAINTING BOX";





Screaming Lord Sutch ~ British shock rock pioneer from the early 1960's who claimed to be a hereditary English Lord (which he was not) and who became a famously perennial candidate in forty British elections from 1963 to 1997 as the leader and founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, occasionally getting more votes than some of the "serious" parties. His campaigns were good matured but nonsensical and best known for his flamboyant costumes. In 1990 he got more votes than the SDP led by former foreign secretary David Owen which promptly disbanded weeks later. After Sutch got several hundred votes in Margaret Thatcher's riding the rules were changed forcing candidates to pay a larger fee to run, but Sutch simply staged more fund raising concerts and kept on running until he killed himself in 1999.

SCREAMING LORD SUTCH ~ "JACK THE RIPPER";



Pete Wishart ~ A Scottish National Party member of the British Parliament for the Scottish riding of Perthshire since 2001, Wishart was previously known since 1986 as the keyboardist for the popular Celtic Rock band Runrig, before that he had been in a lineup of Big Country, one of Scotland's biggest bands of the 1980's. Wishart in fact did not quit Runrig until he was elected. He was also not the first member of Runrig to run for office as singer Donnie Munro had already done so for the Labour Party with less success (see above). Wishart was re-elected in 2010.

Canada (pt.2 L-W)

Serge Laprade - 83 - French Canadian 1960's Pop singer and radio broadcaster ran for the Liberals in the 1988 election unsuccsefully

SERGE LAPRADE ~ "CAPRI C'EST FINI";


Wilfred Laurier ~ Canadian Prime Minister from 1896 to 1911 was a famously cultured dandy who also played the flute.

Jack Layton ~ Current NDP leader and previously a longtime Toronto city councilor now Leader of the Opposition. Also a well known ham has been known to break out the guitar and harmonica and busk to fundraise for various causes. He also played the piano and a little saxophone. He died of cancer in 2011.

JACK LAYTON ~ "PARTY FOR SALE OR RENT";



Kenzie MacDonald; A Cape Breton singer and songwriter ("The Island") as well as a theatre and TV producer. He was also served as Chair of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation and editor/publisher of the Cape Bretoner magazine. He also found time to run for Parliament as a Tory in 2004 and 2006, losing both times. In 2019 he ran again for the regional Cape Breton United Association (CBUA).

Rodney MacDonald ~ Tory Premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 is well known as a Cape Breton fiddler who has recorded for Smithsonian/Folkways as well as two albums of his own.

RODNEY MACDONALD ~ VARIOUS FIDDLE REELS;



Ashley MacIsaac ~ The flamboyant Cape Breton fiddler has long been an advocate of gay rights and the environment and done some charity work. In 2006 he announced that he was planning on running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada only to drop out a few months later.

ASHLEY MacISSAC ~ "POKA ROKIN";


Ernest Manning ~ Alberta Premier in the 1950's & 60's and successor to William Aberhart (see above). Like Aberhart he also came from a gospel background and also played the fiddle. He was the father of Reform Party founder Preston Manning.

Blair Martin ~ The singer/guitarist for Toronto punk band The Raving Mojos ran for mayor in 1982 against Liberal Art Eggleton and finished well back with 1,800 votes.

THE RAVING MOJOS ~ "STRANDED IN THE STREET";



Stephane Moraille; a singer with Canadian pop band Bran Van 3000 who had hit singles in the 1990's. Later became a lawyer and ran for the NDP in Montreal in 2013 and lost to the Liberals.

BRAN VAN 3000 ~ "DRINKIN' IN LA";


Kevin O'Leary; As one of the co-hosts of reality shows "Dragons Den" (in Canada) and "Shark Tank" O'Leary often loved to show-off his prowess on his collection of electric guitars. In 2017 he announced to much fanfare his intention of running for the leadership of the opposition Conservative Party. He quickly became one the front-runners but dropped out at the end of April when he made the startling discovery that his lack of French might be a bit of a drawback. In Canada. He endorsed the Tories in the 2019 losing 2019 election but any chances of gaining the party leadership sank when he was involved with a boating accident involving alcohol in which a woman died.

KEVIN O'LEARY & RANDY BACHMAN;


Sean Panting; A singer/songwriter in Newfoundland bands Drive and Kelly Russell & The Planks as well as solo as well as acting in the series "Republic Of Doyle". His father was leader of the Newfoundland NDP in the 1970's and Sean ran as candidate in the 2015 provincial election where he lost to the Liberals.

SEAN PANTING ~ "MUSIC AT WORK";


Elvis Aaron Presley ~ No not that one, this one is an Elvis impersonator from Canada's Yukon Territory who has performed with Chubby Checker and on the TV show "Dragon's Den". Born Gilbert Nelles, he legally changed his name after encountering a UFO, as you do. The King has also run for the Legislature twice as an independent and he also ran for the leadership of the Yukon Liberal Party in 2005 finishing last with five votes.

Bob Rae ~ Canadian MP from 1978 and NDP Premier of Ontario form 1990 -1995 currently serving as a Liberal MP in Toronto. One of his hobbies was playing piano and singing flatly, including at party fundraisers. Famously wrote a mawkish theme song "We're in the same boat now" which was cordially disliked by all. Lately he has challenged Prime Minister Harper to a piano playing contest which Harper declined to respond to.

BOB RAE ~ "LET IT BE";



Michelle Rempelle ~ High profile right-wing Alberta Conservative MP is a classically trained pianist although oddly there are no videos of this.

Trudy Schroeder ~ The then former executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra ran in a 2022 byelection for a Winnipeg suburb as a candidate for the NDP and finished a distant third behind two former pro football players.

BRAD WALL ~ Conservative Premier of Saskatchewan for several terms until 2016, he is also a competent bluegrass banjo player.

BRAD WALL & THE MacEVOYS:

Canada (pt.1 A-K)

William Aberhart ~ The Social Credit Premier of Alberta in the 1930's started off as a radio preacher nicknamed "Bible Bill" who played piano and organ in a staid gospel style.

Charlie Angus ~ Guitarist for Toronto post punk band L'Étranger, who recorded two albums in the 1980's and the country rock band The Grievous Angels in the 1990's. Currently a NDP Member of Parliament for Timmins in Northern Ontario. His former L'Etranger band mate Andrew Cash was elected as an MP for the NDP as well. (see below)

L'ETRANGER ~ ONE PEOPLE;




Tommy Banks ~ An Edmonton Alberta based pianist, conductor, arranger, composer and broadcaster starting on local radio in 1960 then on CBC television on CBC on the "Tommy Banks Show" from 1968 to 1983. He also recorded and toured both as a pianist and big band leader. He was given the order of Canada in 1993 and in 2000 appointed to the Canadian Senate by Jean Chretien were he still sits.

THE TOMMY BANKS BIG BAND ~ "HYMN TO FREEDOM";


Honoré Beaugrand ~ Liberal Mayor of Montreal from 1885-87 and unsuccesful Provincial candidate in 1890, among his many other careers he was a newspaper publisher, writer, collector of Quebecois folklore and violinist.

Geoff Berner ~ A BC singer/songwriter paying the accordion in the 1990's Kelzmer-Punk band The Terror Of Tiny Town and later solo has a few albums under his belt and collaborations with Bobby Wiseman and others. He had also run for office four times for the Green Party starting in 1990 and once for teh Rhino Party. Recently he has joined a new far-left party the Eco-Socialist Party of BC.

GEOFF BERNER ~ "Whiskey Rabbi";


Bob Bratina ~ A popular liberal talk radio host in Hamilton and Toronto. Ran for Hamilton City council and later became mayor in 2010. In the 1960's he was a member of Wally Mack Orchestra a well known old time party band with at least one album, and later the Balkan Strings Folk Orchestra. As mayor, while neighboring Toronto has been talking about cutting arts grants and closing libraries, Bratina would been increasing them. After a term as mayor he successfully ran for Parliament as a Liberal and was reelected in 2019.

Edgar Breau; Singer/guitarist with late 1970's cult art-band Simply Saucer and later a solo folk singer. He ran for a seat in the Ontario Provincial Assembly in 1999 for the right-wing Christian Family Coalition Party but got just over 1% of the vote.

SIMPLY SAUCER ~ "MOLE MACHINE" (video done by yours truly);


George Canyon ~ Popular New Country singer who ran for the Tories in 2019 in Nova Scotia (in a riding he did not live in) and lost to the Liberal MP.

GEORGE CANYON ~ "OUT OF THIS TOWN";


Jim Carr; Current Winnipeg Liberal MP since 2015 and provincial MP and deputy leader from 1988 to 1992, now serving as minister of Natural Resources. Previously he was an oboist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, a music writer and Director of The Manitoba Arts Council. Has has returned to play with the Orch.

JIM CARR & WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCH;


Andrew Cash ~ Former singer with 1980's Canadian post punk band L'Etranger and later solo folk-punk singer elected as a Member of Parliament for the NDP in Toronto in the 2011 election, but he lost in 2015 and again in 2019. His former band mate Charlie Angus is already the NDP M.P. for Timmins.

ANDREW CASH ~ "TRAIL OF TEARS";


Jean Chretien ~ Liberal Prime Minister of Canada during the 1990's and M.P. since the 1960's. Chretien played the trombone when younger and as P.M. was part of "True Grit", a Dixieland jazz band made up of Liberal M.P.s including Don Boudria on guitar and Roger Gallaway on piano.

Tony Clement; Longtime Ontario Tory MP and former cabinet minister both federally and provincially until a sex scandal ended things in 2018 also has an equally longtime rock star fantasy claiming the Clash as an influence. Luckily for him Joe Strummer is still dead.

TONY CLEMENT;

Gary Crawford ~ A current rookie Toronto City Councilor from Scarborough elected in 2010, Crawford is also billed as a former musician as a drummer in a rock cover band and painter who had served on various boards of arts groups and who ran promising to support arts funding. He had previously run as as Tory candidate provincially and lost.

Don Davies ~ NDP MP for a Vancouver riding since 2008, Davies is also a decent fiddle player.

DON DAVIES ~ "ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL JAM";


James Desautels ~ Candidate for Mayor of Calgary in 2021 running on a Green platorm, previously a concert violinist and conductor with the Austin Pops as well as a violin maker whose previous political activities are as a board member with the American Federation Of Musicians

Ed Fast ~ A current Canadian Conservative MP from B.C. is also a pianist for a white gospel group with his three daughters called Father's Daughter who have toured and recorded even while he was sitting as a MP, and have in fact won a Gospel award.

FATHER'S DAUGHTER ~ I STAND REDEEMED;




Roger Gallaway ~ Canadian Liberal MP from Sarnia, Ontario from 1993-2006. Was also a pianist who played with the Sarnia/Port Huron's International Symphony, and was the narrator of a "Child's Introduction to the Symphony". As MP formed a Dixieland jazz band called "True Grit" made up of fellow Liberal MPs including the Prime Minister Jean Chretien. In 2010 he ran for mayor of the small town of Point Edward, Ontario but lost.

Steve Goof ~ AKA Crazy Steve, the singer for Toronto crusty hardcore punk pioneers The Bunchofuckingoofs (AKA THE BFGS) sine the mid 1980's. Steve Goof also ran for mayor and municipal office in downtown Toronto a few times as well and surprisingly lost.

BUNCHOFUCKINGOOFS ON THE NEW MUSIC;


Ron Graham ~ An Elvis impersonator who ran for Mayor of Toronto in 2003 in which he got 800 votes

Hagood Hardy ~ Toronto based jazz pianist who had a huge 1975 easy listening AM radio hit with "The Homecoming theme" ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the Ontario provincial election in 1995 but lost to NDP leader and Premier (and amateur pianist, see below) Bob Rae.

HAGOOD HARDY ~ "THE HOMECOMING";


Stephen Harper ~ Canada's Conservative Prime Minster is a reasonably competent pianist. Famously known for his contempt for "white tie galas" and the arts he recently impressed a white tie gala dinner (including Yo Yo Ma) by playing and warbling a flat version of "With a little help from my friends". He later got to "fulfill a dream" by jamming with Bryan Adams.

STEPHEN HARPER ~ "WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS" (with YoYo Ma);





Leanne Haze ~ A Toronto based singer in a goth/metal band named Haze as well as a Wiccan priestess who ran for the Green Party in the same election as Hagood Hardy and Bob Rae.

Jennifer Hollett; An NDP candidate in the last election, Hollett started out in the 1990's as a member of an all-female hip-hop dance troop called "Shebang!" who worked with Nelly Furtado and Le Tigre. She later became a host on Much Music before moving into politics running unsuccessfully for the NDP nomination for the Toronto Rosedale riding before getting the nomination in the neighbouring riding in the 2015 election which she then lost to the Liberals.

Ben Kerr ~ Toronto 1960's folk singer who became a well known street busker, anti-smoking activist and perennial mayoral candidate running in every election from 1985 to 2003 going to debates with his guitar and singing his theme song "The Fringe Candidate". Kerr died in 2005 and has a street named after him but he never actually recorded.

BEN KERR;


Mike Hurley ~ Current Mayor of Burnaby B.C. is also a bass player who has backed up the now Councillor and former DOA frontman Joey Keithley

JOEY KEITHLEY & MIKE HURLEY ~ "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER";


Joey Keithley ~ Singer and guitarist for the Vancouver punk band DOA ran for the British Columbia parliament as a Green Party candidate in 1996 and 2001 getting a respectable number of votes. He recently announced his intention to retire from music entirely and run as an NDP candidate in the comming B.C. election expected in 2013. He was finally elected to Burnaby City Council as a Green in 2019.

D.O.A. ~ "WORLD WAR 3";





Mart Kenney ~ 1930's & 40's Big Band sax & clarinet player and band leader who recorded several light swing numbers with RCA and Blue Bird Records. Later in the 1960's entered municipal politics becoming an alderman in Mission BC before moving to Toronto where he ran unsuccesfully for Parliament as a Liberal in 1968 but lost the nomination. He died in 2006. His grandson, Jason Kenney would later become a Conservative MP, Cabinet Minister in Stephen Harper's govt and later Premier of Alberta. In 2021 as part of Jason Kenny's revamping of the education curriculum Mart Kenny was listed as Canada's leading Jazz figure which is clearly not true

MART KENNY & HIS WESTERN ORCH ~ "THERE'S HONEY ON THE MOON TONIGHT";




Warren Kinsella ~ Strategist, spin doctor and unsuccessful candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada, Kinsella is also proud of his musical knowledge having been the bassist in a punk band called The Hot Nasties in the 1980's. He still occasionally plays in a part time band. He also wrote a memoir about his punk years. By 2018 he had a falling out with Justin Trudeau and left the Liberals to briefly sign up with the Greens until the backlash about his hardball tactics drove him to the Tories where he focused on a campaign to destroy the anti-immigrant People's Party. That led to more bad headlines so it's unclear who he works for now, if anyone. To be fair hating racists is the one thing he has actually been consistent about, he was also responsible for launching criminal charges to get a rabidly anti-Semitic and homophobic newspaper shut down.

THE HOT NASTIES ~ "BALLAD OF THE SOCIAL BLEMISHES";

The United States (pt.4 R-Z)

Jason Rapert ~ Current far right Tea Party Republican member of the Arkansas State House who has made a name for himself with his total anti-abortion stands and inflammatory racist rhetoric, may be a total hate filled nutjob but he is is also an fine Old Time Fiddle player.

JASON RAPERT ~ "I'VE GOT THE HOLY GHOST";


Martha Reeves ~ Singer for the Motown group Martha & The Vandellas with such classic hits as "Dancing In The Street", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Nowhere To Run" later served a couple of terms on Detroit City Council as a Democrat until 2009.

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS ~ "DANCING IN THE STREET";


Condoleeza Rice ~ The U.S. Secretary of State from 2000-08 and who briefly flirted with possible Presidential runs in 2008, 2012 & 2016 was also known as a talented classically trained pianist who sometimes performed at White House during her tenure. Afterwords she also played at various charity events with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Yo Yo Ma.

CONDOLEEZA RICE & JENNY OAKES BARBER ~ "AMAZING GRACE";


Tex Ritter ~ Cowboy singer and actor from the 1920's to the 1950's with hits like "Goodbye Old Paint","Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin" and "Remember the Alamo" and a series of movies. Also the father of actor John Ritter. Followed in the footsteps of Roy Acuff by running as a moderate Republican for Senator of Tennessee in 1970 only to loose the nomination.

TEX RITTER ~ "HIGH NOON";



Dana Rohrabacher; A longtime Texas Republican Congressman is pro-pot but otherwise right wing anti-environment, pro-gun, pro-Putin nutjob who also fancies himself a folk singer. Which really shouldn't be encouraged. He was finally defeated in 2018 and hasn't been heard from since.

DANA ROHRABACHER;


John Russell; An independent congressional candidate in Florida who was also an part time musician who took "I Can See Clearly Now" as his campaign song. He lost.

JOHN RUSSELL ~ "I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW";


Bernie Sanders; in 1987 while he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders recorded an album of folk tunes about which his wikipedia page tactfully points out "Sanders was not skilled at singing" which is somewhat of an understatement.

BERNIE SANDERS ~ "WE SHALL OVERCOME";


Eugene Schmitz ~ Mayor of San Francisco from 1902-07. A professional concert violinist and conductor who headed the Musician's Union, he ran at the head of the new Union Labor Party and surprisingly won election as mayor. Called "Handsome Gene", the urbane, elegant Schmitz used his performing experience to his advantage on the campaign trail winning over voters with his ability to give speeches from memory and project his trained voice without the use of microphones, unlike his bland opponents. Unfortunately while he was personally popular he was also unlucky and was saddled with dealing with the great San Fransico Earthquake in 1905. His administration was also notoriously corrupt, which might have gone unnoticed if not for the funds for rebuilding after the earth quake that went missing and he was impeached and arrested in 1907 and sent to prison. Acquitted on appeal in 1908 and again in 1912 he ran for mayor again in 1915 and 1919, losing both times while still getting a respectable number of votes. He did get elected to the Board of Supervisors however from 1921-25 and died, still popular, in 1928.

Carl Schurz ~ Missouri senator and one of the founders of the liberal wing of the Republican Party from 1868 to his death in 1906. Schurz was also a classically trained pianist who sometimes entertained at the White House often accompanied by President Rutherford Hayes, his wife Lucy and Vice President Wheeler who were tee-totaling amateur hymn singers.

Steven Seagal ~ The famously wooden star of 1980's & 90's martial arts movies later became a famously loony star of far-right conspiracy theories which basically the only thing that gets him press coverage now. As his film career petered out in the 2000's starred in his own reality TV series (of course) which included an invitation from notorious far-right Arizona sheriff and future felon Joe Arpio on a raid to an alleged cockfighting inn which he got to drive a tank through the suspect’s gate; 115 roosters and a pet puppy were apparently killed in the process. He would later campaign for Arpio's reelection as well as Trump's (of course) and considered running for Governor of Arizona in 2014 but begged off. A huge Putin fanboy (because of course he is) he has spent so much time campaigning for Putin that he was banned from the Ukraine and in 2017 Putin named him Special Ambassador to he USA although Putin doesn't seem to actually need one since he already has one in the White House. Arizona has a senate seat up in 2020 and no word on if Seagal will jump in this time but that would be fun. Did I mention he also has a Dad Rock band that apparently popular in Russia? Because why not? If you look closely at this vid you will note that he is barely actually playing here.

STEVEN SEAGAL ~ "DUST MY BROOM";


Joe Scarborough ~ A Florida Republican Congressman from 1995 to 2000and current Never-Trumper host on MSNBC's morning show also has a Dad Rock band which is at least better than Steven Seagal's. No word on their popularity in Russia.

JOE SCARBOROUGH ~ "MYSTIFIED";


Alek Skarlatos ~ Republican Congressional camdidate for a district in Oregon was previously a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars" where he finished third.

Andy Starr ~ An eccentric 1950s rockabilly and country journeyman from Arkansas who turned to God in later years and became a preacher, he also made a unsuccessful run for the Idaho State House in 1974. Failing this he set his sights on the presidency in 1976 again in 1992 against fellow Arkansan and musician Bill Clinton with even less success.

ANDY STARR ~ "OLD DEACON JONES";



Jimmy Swan ~ A 1940's and 50's Honky Tonk singer from Alabama who had played wiht Hank Williams and Hank Locklin as well as solo recordings scoring a few hits. He was also a radio DJ until he retired from the music business in the late 1960's and involved himself in right wing politics in Mississippi. Running as for Sheriff of Hattiesburg and then Governor losing both times.

JIMMY SWAN ~ "HONKY TONKIN";


Jill Stein; Like a few other politicians Green Party leader Stein had a folk music background, but showing a bit more commitment, as well as having more free time, she had an actual serious band called Somebody's Sister which recorded four albums and was twice a finalist in "Musician Magazine's" Best Unsigned Bands contest.

JILL STEIN ~ "PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER";


Glen Hearst Taylor ~ Idaho senator from 1945 to 1951, a liberal-populist Democrat and also Vice Presidential candidate for the Progressive Party in 1948 (against Harry Truman), later unsuccessful in reelection runs. He began as a touring preacher and country western folk singer known as the Singing Cowboy. As a politician he brought his guitar to speeches and sang left wing folk songs. Although he performed on radio he never recorded. Ironically he is one of the inspirations for the fictional right wing character "Bob Roberts" which would have appalled him.

Bobby Lee Trammell ~ An Arkansas Wildman rockabilly singer from the 1950's left a series of minor hits (including "The Arkansas Twist") along with an even longer series of trashed stages, motel rooms, and at least one radio station which got him banned from California. He also dared to get into a brawl with Jerry Lee Lewis of all people which resulted in The Killer's piano being turned to kindling just before a gig. Not surprisingly this sort of thing got him blacklisted from all but the most small town stages and radio stations in the south and cost him his record deal. He would continue to record for small independent labels and was even offered a distro deal by Warners which he turned down in a typical burst of self-destructive pique, he had previously walked out on a possible deal with Sun Records. He would continue to slog away as a country artist for years but his days as a possible rock start were over by 1961. In later years Trammell would sober up enough to run for the Arkansas State House and amazingly won and served from 1997 to 2006. He died in 2008.

BOBBY LEE TRAMMELL ~ "SHIRLEY LEE";


Harry S Truman ~ President from 1945 to 1952; in spite of his homespun image he had formal piano training as a child and was a good amateur player who had once dreamed of a career in music.

HARRY S TRUMAN - PERTILLO DUET;


John Tyler ~ President in the 1840's played the violin as well

Jimmy Walker ~ Mayor of New York during the 1920's Jazz Age; known as Dandy Jim, Beau James and The Night Mayor due to his love of night clubbing and partying. In his previous life he had been a sports journalist, vaudeville song and dance man and Tin Pan Alley song plugger who wrote the hit song "Will You Love Me in December (As You Do In May)?" which became his theme song. His two terms in office accomplished some good works in building infrastructure, parks and keeping transit fares down but ended when he fled town to escape indictment in various scandals. He later returned and remained a popular figure in New York night life.

HARRY MCDONOUGH & THE ELYSIAN SINGERS ~ "WILL YOU LOVE ME IN DECEMBER (AS YOU DO IN MAY)" (WRITTEN BY JIMMY WALKER);


Joe Walsh ~ The former Eagles and solo guitarist ran a joke campaign for President of The USA in 1980 even though he was not actually old enough to assume the office according to the constitution. His campaign included a promise to change the national anthem to his own hit "Life's Been Good To Me So Far" and a promise of free gas for everyone. Surprisingly he still lost. In 1992 he declared his candidacy again, this time he set his sights lower and campaigned for VICE President, and still lost.

JOE WALSH ~ "ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY";


Don Ward ~ The sound guy for a Colorado Metal band Driven By Turmoil and Libertarian Party candidate for Congress on a paltform of Free Speech, Pro Choice, Legal Weed and Fuck The Establishment and whose campaign essentially consisted of telling people to vote for him at the band's shows. He ended up getting almost 4% of the vote and in the event the results left the Democrats winning by one percent leaving the GOP crying foul and blaming Satan who could not be reached for comment.

Kanye West ~ On-Again-Off-On-Again MAGA-Head announced he was running for President in 2020 in what he admitted was a transparent attempt to lure blac and young voters away from Joe Biden and elect Trump. He has been openly supported by the Trump campaign which has ran signature campiagns to get on the ballot but has failed in most states with allegations of using fake signatures and filing late paperwork and bizzare rambling press confrences. In 2023 he announced he would run again and reportedly asked Donald Trump, yes that Donald Trump, to be his running mate. In spite of Trump having already announced his own intention to run for the Presidency himself. That went about as well as might be expected. Then Kanye (who has also changed his name to Ye because why not?) kicked off his campaign, if we can call it that, by going on a couple of podcasts to talk abput his love of Adolph Hitler. Yes that Adolph Hitler. That also went abut as well as could be expected.

KANYE WEST ~ "I LOVE IT";


Larry West ~ A 22 year old aspiring thrash metal musician and graphic artist who ran as a candidate for mayor of Philadelphia in 2007 and got a fair amount of press coverage both for his mohawked and pierced appearance as well as for the fact that his young age actually disqualified him to run for mayor at all, forcing him to run as a write in candidate after he was unable to raise the funds to challenge the law in court. Has said he will probably run again and maintains a website.

Woodrow Wilson ~ The American President from 1912 to 1920 and before that Governor of New Jersey was a bookish intellectual with a fine classical education who also played the violin. He also liked to sing and at Princeton University and he became a tenor in the then prestigious Princeton Glee Club.

Frank Zappa ~ The king of post-psychedelic art-rock was largely apolitical in the 1960's being critical both of the government and war and the hippie drug scene. However he became more involved with politics after in opposing Tipper Gore's P.M.R.C. and he considered running for office. He was also a popular figure in the Eastern European intelligentsia like Czechoslovakia's Havel who invited him to become a consultant on trade, culture and tourism. However the American state dept. put pressure on Havel to rescind to appointment, Havel made Zappa a Cultural Attache instead. Zappa died of cancer not long afterwards.

A YOUNG FRANK ZAPPA DOES SOME AVANT GARDE SILLINESS ON THE STEVE ALLAN SHOW;

The United States (pt.3 M-Q)

Thad McCotter ~ Current moderate Republican congressmen from Michigan and long-shot candidate for the Presidential nomination for 2012. McCotter was formerly the guitarist in a band called "The New Flying Squirrels" who now plays in a band with a few bi-partisan congressmen called "Second Amendments" and often plays songs at his rallys. He also announced his candidacy at a rock concert.

THAD MCCOTTER & MIKE HUCKABEE ~ "LET IT ROCK";



William McNair ~ Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1934-36. McNair was a flashy lawyer and part time violinist who would played on stage and the radio including with Rudy Vallee and on Major Bowes Amateur Radio Hour. Known as a crusading reformer who was the first Democrat to win the job after almost thirty years of GOP rule, however he had no political experience and was known for his hot temper, impulsive, attention seeking antics and fringe beliefs about abolishing taxes and ended up feuding with everybody in both parties at every level of government as well as the media. He suddenly resigned in a fit of pique before the end of his term but later changed his mind and ran for office again a few times without success dying in 1948.

Lee Thomas Miller ~ A Grammy Award winning Nashville country songwriter who has worked with Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, and Chris Stapleton and who ran for nomination as a GOP candidate for a Congressional seat in 2016. His previous elected office was as President of the Nashville Songwriter's Association. His other qualifications include being the leader of a group called Praying Parents who save schools by praying over them. So there's that.

LEE THOMAS MILLER ~ "IN COLOR"


Pleasant Moberley ~ Also named "Plez", an Old Time Country singer from Kentucky who once ran for Congress riding a mule from town to town and playing a guitar.

Mark Mowry ~ A rancher and part-time Country singer running as a candidate in the Republican primary for the Senate in South Dakota in 2022

George Murphy ~ Well known as a song and dance man in several big budget Hollywood musicals like "For Me And My Gal", Murphy was elected as a Republican senator from California from 1964 (when he defeated Pierre Salinger) until 1970 when he was defeated. A conservative Republican, Murphy was a mentor to his friend Ronald Reagan.

GEORGE MURPHY TAP DANCING;


The Naked Cowboy (real name Robert John Burck) ~ A well known New York street busker famous for wearing cowboy boots, a stetson a guitar and little else. The Naked Cowboy has been a prominent (if probably chilly) fixture at Times Square for several years. He announced he would be running as an independent Tea Party candidate for president in 2011. He had previously announced runs for Mayor on 2009 only to withdraw. In 2016 he campaigned for Trump.

THE NAKED COWBOY;


Richard Nixon ~ The U.S. president played the classical piano in a predictably stiff but competent style . He did however also compose a few pieces.

RICHARD NIXON ~ "PIANO CONCERTO";



Krist Novaselic ~ Bassist for grunge founders Nirvana, after that bands breakup he has been deeply involved in politics as a lobbyist for censorship and copyright issues and encouraging the youth vote. He currently sits as an elected Democratic State Committeeman in Washington and had announced his intention to run for Lieutenant Governor in 2004 and County Clerk in 2008 but withdrew both times. He has said that he still intends to run for office at some point.

NIRVANA ~ "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRT";


Will Lee O'Daniel ~ Governor of Texas from 1939 to 1944 and Senator from 1944 (when he defeated Lyndon Johnson) to 1948. Was famous as the host of a popular radio show called which was set up to promote "Light Crust Dough" with a combination of bible stories, recipes and western swing music courtesy of a band that included later western swing legends like Bob Wills and Milton Brown and the Light Crust Dough Boys. O'Daniel nicknamed "Pappy" acted as emcee and wrote many of their songs and occasionally sang. Pappy O'Daniel used his radio show to campaign as well as hitting the road with his band and a special touring bus to barnstorm the state. In power he was very right wing opposing unions, teachers and communists, he had promised to opposed a sales tax, poll tax and capital punishment but reneged once in power. During his time in Washington as a Southern Democrat he opposed the policies of Franklin Roosevelt and was marginalized and unhappy, and chose not to run for re-election. Instead he ran for Governor of Texas again in 1956 and 58 as a segregationist, failing to get the nomination badly both times. When he died in 1969 he was largely remembered for his musical involvement with Wills and Brown than for any policies. He is one of the inspirations for the governor character in the film "Oh Brother where art thou".

PAPPY O'DANIEL's HILLBILLY BOYS ~ "PASS THE BISCUITS PAPPY";


Martin O'Malley ~ Current Democratic Governor of Maryland and possible future presidentail candidate, O'Malley was previously a fixture on the Baltimore folk-rock scene starting in the 1980's as a solo and act and as the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter of Celtic rock band "O'Malley's March" from 1988 to 2005.

O'MALLEY'S MARCH ~ "STREETS OF BALTIMORE;


Beto O’Rourke ~ Elected to Congress in 2013 as a Democrat for El Paso Texas. O'Rourke started out as guitarist for Post-Hardcore bands Foss and The Sheeps before becoming a web entrepreneur. He would later make high profile but unsuccessful runs for the Senate in 2018 and Presidential nomination in 2019 during which he got the endorsement of Willie Nelson who he shared a stage with.

THE SHEEPS ~ "DO YOU WANNA DANCE";


Johnny Otis ~ (real name Ioannis Alexandres Veliote) 1950's R&B singer/band leader who played piano and drums. As his real name shows he was Greek but with his dark complexion he passed for mulatto and most of his legion of mostly black fans assumed he was. After playing in the 1940's with swing bands led by Harlan Leonard, Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown he formed his own band and wrote the classic hit "Willie and the hand jive" in 1958 which inspired Bo Diddly with it's distinctive beat and was hugely influential. Also had hits with "Harlem Nocturne'" in 1946, and produced and/or co-wrote such records as Big Mama Thorton's original version of "Hound Dog", "Roll With Me, Henry" for Etta James and "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by The Royals in the 1952 but later a hit for Gladys Knight. As a band leader and A&R man for King Records Otis discovered singers like Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Mel Walker,Little Ester Phillips and the Robins (later the Coasters) sax man Big Jay McNeely. As a session man he backed Johnny Guitar Watson. Otis hosted his own TV show in Los Angeles in the 1950's. His son, Shuggie Otis also had a career as an R&B band leader in the 1960's & 70's. In the 1960's he later also entered politics and ran for California State Assembly under his real name as a Democrat and lost then becoming chief of staff to another assemblyman. He was also a church pastor. He died just three weeks after his 90th birthday.

Johnny Otis ~ "Willie and the hand jive";




Sarah Palin ~ As a contestant in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant in 1982 the young Miss Palin played the flute as part of the talent competition. Ironically the song she chose was "The Homecoming" written by Canadian pianist (and future Liberal Party candidate, see above) Hagood Hardy. She came in third.

SARAH PALIN ~ "THE HOMECOMING";



Rick Perry ~ Texas Republican governor and 2012 presidential candidate was an amateur drummer in his youth, as governor he once got to sit in with ZZ Top on stage.

Rob Quist; A Country singer-songwriter from Montana who has had his songs recorded by Michael Martin Murphey and Loretta Lynn as well as solo and has won awards. He was appointed to Montana Arts Council by Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer. In 2017 he announced he would be a candidate as a Democrat for a soon to be open Congressional seat currently held by a Republican.

ROB QUIST ~ "SHADEY GROVE";

The United States (pt.2 E-L)

Clint Eastwood ~ The classic movie tough guy and sometime mayor of the small town of Carmel California in the 1980's was also a talented amateur pianist and an enthusiastic fan of jazz and blues. He would later make the definitive jazz film bio of all time with "Bird" and still later a more bare bones documentary for Martin Scorsese's series on the blues. Eastwood got into local politics after a fight with the Carmel council over a zoning dispute. After winning the mayorship he promptly fired the officials who had ruled against him and he also kept an election promise to allow a ice cream parlour to set up shop. A moderate Republican, Eastwood also promoted environmental causes as well. He served only one term but has occasionally made news by endorsing or refusing to endorse various Republicans before he famously did a bizarre speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

CLINT EASTWOOD ~ "PIANO BLUES";


Rahm Emanuel ~ Chief of staff for President Obama and previously a congressman from Chicago, recently elected mayor of that city. Emanuel was in his youth a trained ballet dancer who won a scholarship to the Joffre Ballet but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College, after which he got into politics. His mother, who encouraged his dance aspirations, had previously run a rock and roll club.

Tony Erba; Singer for 1990's Cleveland hardcore band Face Value also ran for mayor and got a few hundred votes.

FACE VALUE ~ "OUTSIDE LOOKING IN";


Sam Ervin ~ A veteran Democratic senator from North Carolina who became famous for chairing the committee investigating the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy and later possible impeachment of Richard Nixon. He capitalized of his fame by recording an album in which he told folk stories and sang a few songs in his distinctive broad southern drawl. Including a version of "Bridge over troubled water" which has become something of a classic of terrible and wrong-headed cover versions of pop songs. He died in 1985.

SAM ERVIN ~ "BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS";


Stephen Fincher; A former Tennessee (from a town called Frog Jump) Republican Congressman and currently in the State House who eyed a run for the Senate after the retirement of Bob Corker is also a singer in a White Gospel group called, appropriately enough, The Fincher Family and another called the Frog Jump Quartet.

THE FROG JUMP QUARTET ~ "JUST A LITTLE WALK WITH JESUS";


Robert Fisher; A Republican member of the New Hampshire State House, Fisher had previously distinguished himself as a far-right blogger known for his hateful rants about women and (of course) bragging about his prowess as a pickup artist. This is even more obnoxious than his other sideline as a one-douche-electro band the Five-Nines with several recordings. Definitely not to be confused with an Irish Folk Rock band of the same name.

Lovett Ford-Whiteman ~ A black civil rights activist of the 1920's and one of the founders of the Communist Party USA, Ford-Whiteman had originally had musical training and had originally aspired to a career as a concert pianist. He ended up in the USSR where he supported the losing side in the battle for succession after Lenin's death and found himself on Stalin's hit list, he died in a Siberian gulag in 1939.

Ari Friedman ~ Running for the nomination for Congress in Ohio in 2020, launching a primary challenge to a sitting Democrat, but as Trump supporter, because apparently that's a thing. His regular job is as a lounge pianist and singer under the name "Harry Bacharach" and as such he has recorded a few campaign songs in praise of Trump. Because apparently that's normal now.

Kinky Friedman ~ Infamous humorist country music rebel with his band the Texas Jewboys and songs like "The Ballad of Charles Whitman" and "Ride 'em Jewboy". He ran as a independent liberal/libertarian candidate for governor of Texas in 2006. His campaign got much publicity, raising plenty of money and at times leading the Democratic candidate in the polls but he finished a disappointing fourth in the end, losing to Rick Perry. He has since announced that he would be running again in 2010 as a Democrat. However Friedman announced on December 14, 2009, that he was leaving the gubernatorial race and would instead seek the Democratic nomination for Texas Agriculture Commissioner in 2010, but lost the nomination to rancher Hank Gilbert in the state's primary on March 2, 2010. He switched parties in 2011 to endorse Texas Governor Rick Perry, noting among other things that Rick Perry was a drummer who had once sat in with ZZ Top.

KINKY FRIEDMAN ~ "SOLD AMERICAN";



Lenora Fulani ~ A left wing activist in New York since the 1980's, Fulani has run for public office several times including presidential runs as leader of The New Alliance Party in 1988 1nd 1992 becoming the first black woman to do so. Originally from Pennsylvania who's father was a singing baptist preacher, she played piano in his choir.

Jared Gomes ~ Singer for 1990's Rap/Nu Metal band HED (P.E) made an announcement he would run for the Presidency in 2020 but does not seem to have followed it up. He has a history of supporting various liberal causes like pot legaliaztion in the past but in the past few years has endorsed the usual grab-bag of conspiracy theories, plus he's opposed to oral sex for some reason.



Orrin Hatch ~ Republican Senator from Utah from 1976 to today and a devout Mormon, Hatch is also a successful part time gospel singer and songwriter who plays piano, violin and organ, with many recordings. One of his songs was played at George Bush's inauguration while another was used by Billy Graham and another has even appeared in the Steven Soderberg film "Oceans Eleven" while Hatch himself appears in another Soderberg film "Traffic" in a cameo. Hatch has reportedly made over $65,000 as a singer and songwriter. Before becoming Senator Hatch also managed a few Mormon rock bands in the 1970's.

ORIN HATCH ~ "8 DAYS OF HANUKKAH";


Bob Healey ~ Republican candidiate for Congress in New Jersey is a millionaire owner of a shipping company who had previously spent his teens and twenties slumming as the singer of a Thrash Punk band Ghoul.

GHOUL ~ "WONDERFUL WORLD";


Roger Hedgecock ~ Republican Mayor of San Diego from 1983-85 when he was forced out in a massive corruption scandal in which he plead guilty. Mere days afterwards he got a job as talk radio host. Although he had been elected as a Liberal Republican he quickly became a typical far right radio host ranting about immigrants and sometimes even filling in for Rush Limbaugh (who he claims copied him) until they had a falling out. He quit the radio gig in 2015 but apparently still hosts a local TV show and as entertainment writer. Before politics he had a musical career as a manager (for Gary Puckett) and promoter which included involvement at the infamous Altamont (reportedly he's the one who paid the Hells Angels in Jack Daniels, because what could possibly go wrong there?). After his stint as Mayor he briefly led a band called the Arnold-Hedgecock Experience who recorded an inept version of "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing" in 1987

THE ARNOLD-HEDGECOCK EXPERIENCE ~ "LOUIE LOUIE" & "WILD THING";


Chris Hightower; Campaign manager for Republican Rand Paul's 2008 Kentucky Senate Run and subsequent media spokesman. Until it was revealed in 2010 that his last gig was as a singer for a thrash metal band named "Commander". OK; so you're thinking, what's the big deal? Did I mention it was also a White Power Thrash Metal Band? Sorry, Kinda buried the lede there, oh well. At any rate his musical resume became a tad embarrassing for Paul, not to mention Hightower and once this became public he was eventually shown the door. It wasn't embarrassing enough to stop him from running for, and winning the nomination for a seat in the Kentucky house in 2012 but he ended up losing in the general election in a deeply red state.

Unknown Hinson ~ Alt Country singer/guitarist/comic & voice-over actor whose real name is Stuart Baker ran a low-profile write-in candidate for Governor of North Carolina in 2010. By 2020 he was a full-fledged Republican engaged in a high-profile (and one-sided) feud with Dolly Parton after he attacked her for endorsing Black Lives Matter in a series of unhinged tweets which got him fired from a cartoon he was doing voice-over for.

UNKNOWN HINSON ~ "CHEESE BURGER";


Tipper Gore ~ The wife of Vice President Al Gore became famous as the founder of the PMRC and their crusade to clean up music, making her enemies of a wide spectrum of musicians including Jello Biafra, Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, John Denver, Donny Osmond, Public Enemy, Ozzy and Judas Priest. She always denied she was anti-rock however and was in fact a competent rock and roll drummer. Al Gore claimed to be a fan of Zappa and Denver as well.

Jack Grisham ~ Singer for Los Angeles punk band T.S.O.L. who recorded several albums in the 1980's, he also ran during the California recall election for governor in 2003 which was won by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Previously known as a fiery anarchist in his early TSOL ("Property is Theft") days he evolved into more of a social democrat and ran a serious campaign based around health care but had little money and got few votes. TSOL has since reformed.

T.S.O.L. ~ "SOUNDS OF LAUGHTER";


A. Oakley Hall ~ Republican Mayor of New York from 1868 to 1872 who was implicated but acquitted for involvement with the notorious Boss Tweed Ring's corruption trials in the 1870's. Known as "Elegant Oakley" he had earlier been a prominent lawyer who also found time to moonlight as a poet and songwriter including writing a then popular Christmas song "Old Whitey's Christmas Trot". After his political career was ruined by the scandal he resumed his legal practice including defending the anarchist Emma Goldman who considered him a defender of freedom of speech. He died in 1898.

John Hall ~ A member of 1970's pop group Orleans, who's 1976 hit "Still the one" has been used as a campaign song by various politicians over the years. Hall got into politics himself and ran as a liberal Democrat for local offices successfully before getting elected to Congress in New York in 2006. He lost a re-election bid in 2010.

ORLEANS ~ "DANCE WITH ME";



Stuart Hamblen ~ One of the first of the Hollywood singing cowboys of the 1930's appearing with such other stars as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and John Wayne. Hamblen had a long and successful career on radio and recording star as well, first as a member of the Beverly Hillbillies and then solo. As a songwriter he had such credits as the classic hits "This Ole House" and "Open up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)", which was later covered by the Flintsones. He also wrote gospel songs which became hits for singers Eddy Arnold, Pat Boone, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb. Originally from Texas he decided to run for congress in 1938 in California as a Democrat and only narrowly lost. In 1949 he had a religious conversion with Billy Graham and joined the Prohibition Party becoming their candidate for president in 1952 losing again. He would continue on with the Billy Graham crusade and as a gospel singer until he died in 1982.

STUART HAMBLEN ~ "IT'S NO SECRET " (with Billy Graham intro);



Warren Harding ~ U.S. president from 1920 to his death in office in 1923; the first Jazz Age president loved to drink, smoke, gamble and womanize and he also played the cornet and trumpet.

Bill Hefner ~ Definitely no relation to the Playboy King, this Hefner was a singer with the Harvester's Quartet, a white gospel vocal group through the 1950's and 60's before becoming elected as a Democratic congressman from North Carolina for 1972 to 1999. A version of the group still performs.

Gordon Hintz ~ A Democratic Wisconsin State Assemblyman and possible 2018 candidate for Governor also has an earlier claim to fame in placing second in the 2003 National Air Guitar Championship, which is apparently a thing.

Mike Huckabee ~ The Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007 and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and again in 2012. Like his fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton is also a rock musician, albeit a bassist, frequently playing at his own rallies and fundraisers as well as on TV.

MIKE HUCKABEE ~ "FREE BIRD";



Jon Huntsman ~ Republican Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009 when he was made Ambassador to China by President Obama, now a candidate for President. Huntsman is a keyboard player and a fan of prog rock band Dream Theater for whom he once proclaimed a "Dream Theater Day" in Utah and he has also joined REO Speedwagon on stage for a few songs. Republican insiders state that this musical history will help him win over young voters. Ummm...with REO Speedwagon? (Note; He lost).

Thomas Jefferson ~ The Founding father was well educated and played the violin, harpsichord and clavichord.

Gene Jeffress ~ Arkansas state Democratic lawmaker from 1999 until he was forced out by term limits in 2012. He them ran for Congress and lost to Tom Cotton. He was previously gospel music teacher with a music Bachelor's degree.

Stephan Jenkins; Singer for the San Francisco based alt-rock band Third Eye Blind is currently the subject of a vague campaign to draft him to run for office as a Democrat. Somewhere. Although he has not really been known as an activist previously.

THIRD EYE BLIND ~ "JUMPER";


John Kerry ~ Democratic senator since 1985 and Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 was also played bass in an instro garage band "The Electras" who recorded an album in 1961. Unlike Clinton and Huckabee he hasn't played in public since however. After he won the Democratic nomination the old Elektras album was re-released on CD.

THE ELECRTAS ~ "GUITAR BOOGIE";


Khalifa Hamaas Abdul Khaalis ~ Born as Ernest McGee was a jazz drummer in the post war New York scene before he was drafted into the army then discharged for mental instability. He became an early follower of Malcom X and the Nation of Islam before leaving in a dispute when he decided they were not Muslim enough for his liking. He started his own fundamentalist Hanafi sect which attracted followers like Kareem Abdul Jabar and Amiri Baraka until they left deciding he was too extreme for their liking. Khaalis wrote an open letter attacking the NOI after which Khaalis' home was attacked and his family killed, Khallis blamed the NOI for this. In 1977 he turned to terrorism and captured the New York offices of the Bnai B'rith to protest the showing of the film "Mohammed the messenger of God" in spite of the fact that the film was made by a muslim film maker funded by Muamaar Qaddafi and had nothing to do with the B'nai B'rith. After a police officer and a journalist were killed the hostages were later released and Khaalis was carted off to prison where he died in 2003.

Kid Rock; Real name Robert Ritchie, is a a Nugent style dirt-bag Republican who is threatening to run for the Senate next year and polls have given him a huge lead; over potential GOP primary opponents at least.

KID ROCK ~ "BORN FREE";


Lyndon LaRouche ~ The fascist/conspiracy theorist/perennial presidential candidate and all-around nutbar was actually a respected (if controversial) opera critic who has written extensively on Verdi who he loved and Wagner who he hated.