Carslbad, U.SA. – He may be leader of the free world, but little did anyone know President Barrack Obama was also a natural vocalist. This year, President Obama claimed the number one spot in NAMM’s annual survey on America’s favorite “Unexpected Musician,” a personality not primarily known for playing a musical instrument, with a majority of 29%.

Since crooning a few lines of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at a New York fundraising event in January, the president has captured America’s heart with his surprising talent. In an interview with Barbara Walters one month prior, he revealed that he deeply regrets not having learned a musical instrument in school.

Seasoned Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep (violin) tied with actor Robert Downey, Jr.(piano, vocals) for second-place, both securing 24% of votes, while funnyman Steve Carell came in fourth place (10%) for his flute-playing skills, over “The Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence (5%), who plays the guitar.

The National Association of Music Merchants created the Unexpected Musicians Database in 2010 in response to a Gallup Poll that found 85% of Americans who do not play a musical instrument wish they did in an effort to encourage aspiring musicians by helping them find further musical inspiration from celebrities they already admire.

The extensive list includes professional athletes, actors, politicians and more. From Julia Roberts’ skills on the clarinet to Clint Eastwood’s hidden piano talent, the detailed database offers fans the opportunity to find out just how talented their favorite celebrities really are, demonstrating that anyone can become a musician despite age, experience or profession. The Unexpected Musicians Database can be found at wannaplaymusic website.

This year, as part of NAMM’s National Wanna Play Music Week (May 7-13, 2012), the association commissioned a survey to learn which Unexpected Musicians Americans favor most. Key survey findings include:

• More women (28 %) than men (23 %) were excited to discover that President Obama is a vocalist, while 20 % of women and 27 % of men were excited to learn that Robert Downey, Jr. sings and plays the piano.
• Millennials were most excited to learn about President Obama’s (30 %) and Robert Downey, Jr.’s (30 %) musical talents.
• Meanwhile, survey-takers aged 65-plus were most excited to learn about Meryl Streep’s musical abilities, with 37 % voting for the actress. Streep was also the Baby Boomers’ celebrity of choice at 34 %.

The findings are the result of a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,000 adults ages 18 and over, living in the United States, conducted by KRC Research, April 19-22, 2012, on behalf of NAMM. The margin of error for this study is +3.1 % at the 95 % confidence level. The data was weighted by demographic variables to ensure the sample accurately reflects the U.S. adult population.

Image Courtesy of  cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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