Reba McEntire to sing national anthem at Super Bowl
Reba McEntire has been tapped to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII.
The NFL just confirmed that the country music legend will be starting the Super Bowl festivities at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
McEntire shared her excitement about the big news, posting this message on X:
I’m honored to be part of something as big and historic as the Super Bowl coming to Las Vegas for the first time! #SBLVIII @NFL @RocNation @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/mAaizVWlcf
— Reba McEntire (@reba) January 18, 2024
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It’s a fitting role for the 68-year-old singer. It was “The Star-Spangled Banner” that first put the Oklahoma native on the map.
McEntire sang the national anthem at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. (Her father was a champion calf roper). Country singer Red Steagall was in the audience, and he was so impressed with McEntire’s vocals that he financed a recording session for the young singer. That recording later led to McEntire’s deal with Mercury Records in 1975.
McEntire went on to perform the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo for the next 10 years, so she certainly has a lot of practice singing what many have called one of the most challenging songs to sing.
While McEntire has never performed at the Super Bowl before, she did perform during the halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in 1997.
In addition to the announcement about McEntire, the NFL also revealed that Post Malone will sing “America the Beautiful” and Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
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As we previously shared, Billy Idol will be performing at a special pre-game event at the stadium, while Usher will take the stage during halftime.
McEntire appeared on “CBS This Morning” to talk about being part of Super Bowl Sunday. She said that it was her boyfriend Rex Linn who helped convince her to take on the job, as he is a huge football fan.
Watch the entire segment below:
Over the years, many country singers have performed the national anthem during the Super Bowl. Chris Stapleton took on “The Star-Spangled Banner” last year, and before that, Mickey Guyton and Eric Church performed the anthem. Other country legends like Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and The Chicks have also started the Super Bowl with a twang, so McEntire will be in good company when she takes the stage on Sunday, Feb. 11.
You can watch Super Bowl LVIII on CBS, Paramount+ and Nickelodeon.
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