FWIW there was a rise in southern rock music in the mid 1970s, e.g. Allman Bros, Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, etc.
Some young Southerners voted for Carter rather than Ford just because of the Southern pride connection. Carter was a “nuc’lear” engineer and had a great smile too! Ford wasn’t much to get excited about back then. :-)
According the George W. Bush is it pronounced "nuke-u-ler."