Reba McEntire's National Anthem Will Go Down as One of the Best in Super Bowl History
Reba McEntire is the latest in a long line of country music stars who have had the honor of singing the National Anthem before the Super Bowl. After memorable performances by greats like Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Charley Pride, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Mickey Guyton, and Chris Stapleton, Reba had some big shoes to fill. But, of course, the 68-year-old Grammy winner was up to the challenge.
Reba followed Andra Day's emotional performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and Post Malone's rendition of "God Bless America." She took the stage wearing a gold blazer, embellished black pants, and an oversize gold belt buckle. Reba was joined by actor Daniel Durant, who performed the song in American Sign Language.
Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones was seen with tears streaming down his face. The NFL shared the performance on Instagram and was met with comments like, "Thank you Reba, an amazing singer," "She did a great job love her!" and "Reba ate this, her voice is amazing 🔥" Another said, "Reba! Should have been the halftime show! 🔥"
In an interview with Apple Music, she revealed that her boyfriend, Rex Linn, helped her make the decision to sing the National Anthem on the big stage. She explained that her manager called to tell her about the opportunity but said that Rex had to be on the phone when he told her. Reba said she considered the offer for a moment, but Rex was "bouncing off the walls. 'Absolutely she'll do it!'"
Reba said, "We were thrilled to be asked. I'm honored. This is my 50th year of getting to sing the National Anthem."
Drew Barrymore asked her about the full-circle moment in her career earlier in the week. Reba said, "Amazing. I'm very grateful, very thankful. But, wow. Who would've thunk it? Little ol' girl, going up to the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City...getting to sing the anthem, meeting a guy named Red Steagall. And he said, 'Hm, something different about this girl.'"
Reba continued, "Eleven months later, I had a recording contract with Polygram-Mercury Records. And every step, little baby steps throughout the 50 years, has been teaching, learning, cause I knew nothing about the music business. It's just like, wow, mind-boggling. Never in my wildest imagination (and I have pretty good imagination) but nothing would have presented that to me that 50 years later you would've been singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl."
If you're keeping track, we clocked Reba's performance at an unofficial 95 seconds.
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