List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl

The U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", has been performed at every Super Bowl—except for XI, when Vikki Carr sang "America the Beautiful" instead. In some recent years, the anthem has been preceded by "America the Beautiful," and in very early years, the Pledge of Allegiance.

Early Super Bowls featured the national anthem being performed by marching bands. But as the popularity of the game increased, a trend where popular singers and musicians performed the national anthem emerged. Whitney Houston's performance at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, during the Gulf War, has been regarded as one of the best renditions of the U.S. national anthem in history.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The performance was released as a single on February 12, 1991, appeared on the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits, and was re-released as a single shortly after 9/11. Faith Hill's XXXIV rendition proved popular in country radio. Following 9/11, her version entered the Country singles chart at number 35, despite not being released as an official single. It re-entered the same chart at number 49 in July 2002, and enjoys recurrent since then. During Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014, Renée Fleming became the first opera singer to perform the national anthem.[7]

Performances

[8]

No. Year Venue Performer(s)
I 1967 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, California University of Arizona, University of Michigan Marching Bands & UCLA choir
II 1968 Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida Grambling State University Marching Band
III 1969 Lloyd Geisler of the Washington National Symphony Orchestra[9][10]
IV 1970 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana Al Hirt
V 1971 Orange Bowl, Miami Tommy Loy (trumpeter)
VI 1972 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale
VII 1973 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Little Angels (children's choir) of Chicago's Holy Angels Church
VIII 1974 Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas Charley Pride
IX 1975 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans Grambling State University Marching Band (2)
X 1976 Orange Bowl, Miami Tom Sullivan
XI 1977 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California None (Vikki Carr sang "America the Beautiful")
XII 1978 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans Phyllis Kelly of Northeast Louisiana University
XIII 1979 Orange Bowl, Miami The Colgate Thirteen
XIV 1980 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Cheryl Ladd
XV 1981 Superdome, New Orleans Helen O'Connell
XVI 1982 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan Diana Ross
XVII 1983 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Leslie Easterbrook
XVIII 1984 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida Barry Manilow
XIX 1985 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California San Francisco Boys Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus
XX 1986 Superdome, New Orleans Wynton Marsalis
XXI 1987 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Neil Diamond
XXII 1988 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Herb Alpert (trumpet, to date last instrumental performance at the Super Bowl)
XXIII 1989 Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Billy Joel
XXIV 1990 Superdome, New Orleans Aaron Neville
XXV 1991 Tampa Stadium, Tampa Whitney Houston along with The Florida Orchestra directed by Jahja Ling
XXVI 1992 Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota Harry Connick, Jr.
American Sign Language (ASL) performed by Lori Hilary
XXVII 1993 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Garth Brooks
ASL performed by Marlee Matlin
XXVIII 1994 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia Natalie Cole
ASL performed by Atlanta Falcons cheerleader Courtney Keel Foley
XXIX 1995 Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Kathie Lee Gifford
ASL performed by Miss America Heather Whitestone
XXX 1996 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Vanessa L. Williams
ASL performed by Mary Kim Titla
XXXI 1997 Superdome, New Orleans Luther Vandross
ASL performed by Erika Rachael Schwarz (Miss Louisiana 1996)
XXXII 1998 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Jewel
ASL performed by Phyllis Frelich
XXXIII 1999 Pro Player Stadium, Miami Cher
ASL performed by Speaking Hands
XXXIV 2000 Georgia Dome, Atlanta Faith Hill
ASL performed by Briarlake Elementary School Singing Choir
XXXV 2001 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Backstreet Boys
ASL performed by Tom Cooney
XXXVI 2002 Superdome, New Orleans Mariah Carey
ASL performed by New Orleans Police Officer Joe Narcisse
XXXVII 2003 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Dixie Chicks
ASL performed by Janet Maxwell
XXXVIII 2004 Reliant Stadium, Houston Beyoncé Knowles
ASL performed by Suzanna Christy
XXXIX 2005 Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida Combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy,
the U.S. Air Force Academy (2), and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy,
and U.S. Army Herald Trumpets.
ASL performed by Wesley Tallent
XL 2006 Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan Aaron Neville (2) and Aretha Franklin,
Piano accompaniment by Dr. John,
ASL performed by Angela LaGuardia
XLI 2007 Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Matt Miller
ASL performed by Marlee Matlin (2)
XLII 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Jordin Sparks
ASL performed by A Dreamer (of Phoenix College)
XLIII 2009 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Jennifer Hudson
ASL performed by Kristen Santos
XLIV 2010 Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens Carrie Underwood
ASL performed by Kinesha Battles
XLV 2011 Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas Christina Aguilera
ASL performed by Candice Villesca[11]
XLVI 2012 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana Kelly Clarkson
ASL performed by Rachel Mazique[12]
XLVII 2013 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans Alicia Keys[13]
ASL performed by John Maucere[14]
XLVIII 2014 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Renée Fleming
ASL performed by Amber Zion
XLIX 2015 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[15] Idina Menzel
ASL performed by Treshelle Edmond[16]

Noteworthy

Five performers have rendered the national anthem at two Super Bowls:

Performers who had performed the national anthem in their hometown area:

Controversies

Just days after Super Bowl XXV, a report surfaced that Whitney Houston lip synced her performance. It was confirmed that she was actually singing into a dead mic, but the performance heard in the stadium and on television was prerecorded.[1][2] The disclosure, however, did not tarnish the performance's critical praise.

Since 1993, the NFL has required performers to supply a backup track.[1] This came after Garth Brooks walked out of the stadium prior to his XXVII performance. Only 45 minutes before kickoff, he refused to take the stage, due to a dispute with NBC. Brooks requested that the network premiere his new music video "We Shall Be Free" during the pregame. The network chose not to air the video, due to content some felt was disturbing imagery. Brooks had also refused to pre-record the anthem, which meant the league had nothing to play if he left. Television producers spotted Jon Bon Jovi in the grandstands, and were prepared to use him as a replacement. After last-minute negotiations, NBC agreed to air a clip of the video during the broadcast of the game,[18] and Brooks was coaxed back into the stadium and sang.[6]

Following the "wardrobe malfunction" controversy during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, all scheduled performers for Super Bowl XXXIX were chosen under heavy scrutiny.[19] Game organizers decided not to use a popular music vocalist.[20] The combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets were invited to perform. This was the first time since the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon in 1973 that all four service academies sang together.[17][21]

Two days after Super Bowl XLIII, it was revealed that Jennifer Hudson also had lip synced.[1] The revelation garnered little criticism.

At the beginning of Super Bowl XLV, Christina Aguilera sang the lyrics incorrectly. Instead of singing "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming", the pop star sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming".[22][23] According to the New York Times, she also changed "gleaming" to "reaming".[24]

Other patriotic performances

The following Super Bowls have also featured other patriotic performances besides the National Anthem:[25]

Pledge of Allegiance
"America the Beautiful"
"God Bless America"

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Hudson's Super Bowl Lip-Sync No Surprise to Insiders". ABC News. February 3, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "A fitting wartime rendition". St. Petersburg Times. February 4, 1991.
  3. ↑ "Warner can't match '07 magic vs. Steelers". Chicago Tribune. February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Our National Anthem: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". Rolling Stone. July 3, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  5. ↑ Super Bowl XXV Highlight Film, NFL Films, 1991
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Oh, Say, Can She Sing". St. John's Downtown. January 31, 2004. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Opera star Renee Fleming to sing national anthem at Super Bowl". CBS Sports. January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Super Bowl - Entertainment". Nfl.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "NBC Broadcast of Super Bowl III". Paley Center for Media. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  10. ↑ NFL.com source currently states that Anita Bryant performed anthem, but NBC's broadcast of game, available from the Paley Center for Media's collection, shows that Geisler performed the anthem.
  11. ↑ "Texan to Sign the National Anthem at the Super Bowl". National Association of the Deaf. February 6, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Super Bowl XLVI: PepsiCo and the NAD". National Association of the Deaf. February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ King (January 19, 2013). "Alicia Keys to Perform National Anthem at Super Bowl XLVII". KING Says. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  14. ↑ "NAD, NFL, & CBS Rally to Improve the Super Bowl Experience". National Association of the Deaf. February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Super Bowl Tickets 2015". Ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Idina Menzel to sing National Anthem at Super Bowl". NFL.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Byron, Master Sgt. David (February 1, 2005). "Super Bowl goes super blue". Air Force Print News (af.mil). Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Discography". The Official Garth Brooks Official Website. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009.
  19. ↑ Collins, Scott; James, Meg (February 4, 2005). "The Nation; After '04 Fiasco, Super Bowl Wants to Avoid Going Offsides". The Los Angeles Times (Home ed.). p. A01.
  20. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (February 14, 2005). "Football? They Play a Game?". New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Cadets to sing at Super Bowl XXXIX". Air Force Print News. af.mil. January 25, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  22. ↑ Callow, James (February 7, 2011). "Super Bowl 2011: Christina Aguilera defends national anthem gaffe". The Guardian.
  23. ↑ Schabner, Dean (February 6, 2011). "Christina Aguilera Mangles 'Star-Spangled Banner' at Super Bowl". ABC News.
  24. ↑ Harris, Elizabeth A. (February 6, 2011). "Singing, Aguilera Trips O’er Ramparts". New York Times.
  25. ↑ "Super Bowl Entertainment". Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  26. ↑ Weseling, Chris (January 30, 2013). "Sandy Hook, Newtown to be represented in Super Bowl". National Football League. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  27. ↑ Hudson, Jennifer (January 31, 2013). "I'm blessed & honored to be singing "America The Beautiful" with Sandy Hook elementary school chorus at the Super Bowl Sunday". Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2015.