Jimmy never Forgot His Roots
If you had any involvement in broadcasting or the media, you would have had to have been living under a rock if you didn’t know the name Jimmy Carter. 
There’s no telling how many people he met and interviewed–everyone from Presidents to many of Hollywood’s biggest names and tons of folks in between. I meet Jimmy through my 1980s broadcasting days at NBC/13 in Birmingham where he works as a producer.
He moves to Nashville and WSMV, where his career takes off for over two decades as a journalist and entertainment reporter at Channel 4. Prestigious awards for excellence in journalism follow, including Dupont Columbia and Edward R. Murrow. Involvement with the Crook and Chase country music show, frequent appearances on WSM Radio and a strong presence on YouTube puts Jimmy in front of people around the world. He builds a huge social media presence. Dolly, Elvis, a president with the same name, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn, Tom Hanks, Johnny Cash, Julia Roberts, Morgan Freeman and so many more–Jimmy meets them all. A man on the go all the time. He teaches classes at Belmont University.
Working around so many famous people, it would be easy for Jimmy to be filled with ego and totally impressed with himself. But that’s not Jimmy. Born in Montgomery and attending Auburn (where he helps launch campus radio station WEGL), he’s 100% Alabama. Genuinely down to earth. Easy to talk with. In fact, Jimmy makes being around him uplifting. And that’s why–from big cities to small towns–he makes friends everywhere. Interesting stories about experiences and people he has met are never in short supply. He visits Fairhope from time to time and we meet for lunch. I sometimes run into him taking pictures at one of the parks along Mobile Bay. We love sharing stories with each other about our days in broadcasting since we worked with many of the same people in the industry.
Jimmy dies in his sleep OCT 13 2026, two days short of his 74th birthday. I lift up prayers for Jimmy and his family, and I give thanks for being one of the fortunate people who can say they were able to spend time around him…