Country music and football seem to go hand-in-hand. For example, country signers have long been the voice of both Monday and Sunday night games. Hank Williams Jr. sang the Monday Night Football theme for years. Now, Chris Stapleton is part of the Monday night intro. Additionally, Carrie Underwood performs the theme for Sunday night games. However, relatively few country artists have performed during the Super Bowl.
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With the Big Game right around the corner, we’re going to take a look back at the country artists who have performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl over the years.
[RELATED: Watch: Chris Stapleton Wows with National Anthem at Super Bowl LVII]
Country Artists Who Sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl
Every NFL game starts with the national anthem. However, more people watch the Super Bowl than any other regular season or postseason game. As a result, those who step up to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” before the Big Game have millions of eyes on them. In short, the performance is a major feather in the caps of those who land the gig.
Charley Pride—Super Bowl VIII, 1974
Charley Pride became the first country artist to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1974. When Pride took the field at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas he was in he was fresh off a string of No. 1 hits.
Pride landed five No. 1 singles between 1972 and 1973. His hot streak started with “It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” and ended with “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’.”
Garth Brooks—Super Bowl XXVII, 1993
It would be almost 20 years before another country artist performed the national anthem during the Super Bowl. Garth Brooks took the field at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California on January 31, 1993, to sing the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Like Pride, Brooks was near the peak of his popularity during his Super Bowl performance. He had released “Papa Loves Mama,” “The River,” “Somewhere Other Than the Night” among others in the previous year.
Faith Hill—Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000
It didn’t take quite as long for Super Bowl viewers to see another country artist sing the national anthem. She took the field at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to inspire patriotic pride. She was in the middle of the album cycle for Breathe during the performance. The album produced hits like “The Way You Love Me” and “Let’s Make Love” featuring Tim McGraw.
The Chicks—Super Bowl XXXVII, 2003
The Dixie Chicks performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 before they changed the group’s name to The Chicks. They performed at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.
While they were at the center of some controversy a couple of years before their national anthem performance, they were riding high on a handful of rock-solid releases. 2002 saw them release “Landslide,” “Long Time Gone,” and “Travelin’ Soldier” from their album Fly.
Carrie Underwood—Super Bowl XLIV, 2010
Carrie Underwood was crushing it when she took the field at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida in 2010. The previous year saw her release a pair of massive hits: “Temporary Home” and “Cowboy Casanova.”
Luke Bryan—Super Bowl LI, 2017
Country star Luke Bryan was the artist who landed the national anthem gig for Super Bowl LI in 2017. At the time, he was nearing the end of the album cycle for Kill the Lights. The year before he performed at the Big Game, he released “Move” and “Fast” both of which were No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country chart.
Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan—Super Bowl LV, 2021
Super Bowl LV took place amid a wave of new hope. It was the first Super Bowl after many pandemic restrictions lifted and crowds were starting to gather again. At the same time, the country was still reeling from the deep division that ramped up in 2020. Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sulivan performed the national anthem at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They hoped to inspire unity in fans by combining their styles for the performance.
Mickey Guyton—Super Bowl LVI, 2022
Mickey Guyton became the first Black female country artist to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl when she took the field at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in 2022. She also kicked off a string of country singers to open the Big Game.
Chris Stapleton—Super Bowl LVII, 2023
Chris Stapleton brought players and coaches to tears with his stunning rendition of the national anthem at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. His rendition of the song was so impressive that he released it to streaming platforms shortly after the performance aired.
Reba McEntire—Super Bowl LVIII, 2024
Reba McEntire performed the national anthem at last year’s Super Bowl, becoming the third country artist to do so. The performance took place on the field of the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, February 11.
This was a full-circle moment of sorts for McEntire. Her career began when Red Steagall heard her sing the national anthem during the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma in 1974, 50 years before her Super Bowl performance.
Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation
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