Reba McEntire to sing national anthem at Super Bowl, reminiscent of her first singing gig
Reba McEntire will perform at the Super Bowl for the first time this year, but it will still be a full-circle moment for the Oklahoma native.
The Country Music Hall of Famer will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Usher will perform the Super Bowl 58 halftime show.
Reba got her start singing the national anthem in Oklahoma
For Reba, singing the national anthem is a return to how she got her start in the music business 50 years ago.
In 1974, the small-town farm girl from Chockie took her daddy's advice — and a job singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City.
"Because of that, I'm up here on this stage tonight," Reba reminded her loudly loyal home-state audience during her October 2022 Oklahoma City concert at Paycom Center.
FIRST ON CBS MORNINGS: @reba will sing the National Anthem ahead of #SuperBowlLVII, with @AndraDayMusic and @PostMalone rounding out this year’s lineup of performers.
McEntire shares with @gayleking and @nateburleson how she is preparing for the big game. pic.twitter.com/jtj5blAH7M— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 18, 2024
On "CBS Mornings" Thursday, Reba recalled that she sang the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in OKC for 10 years at the beginning of her career. The broadcast showed a photo and video of her pivotal 1974 performance, which helped launch her storied entertainment career. Country artist Red Steagall, who was also performing there, was so impressed by her version of the anthem that he helped her land her first recording contract.
"How you get ready for it: You just warm up like you do a concert and sing it about five or six times and get in there and do it," she said on "CBS Mornings."
How I met y'all. I’m still here. pic.twitter.com/RiwDVPBMM4
— Reba McEntire (@reba) January 18, 2024
She said her boyfriend, Oklahoma actor Rex Linn, is a big football fan and insisted she take the job when her manager called with the news that she had been invited to sing the anthem at the Super Bowl.
Post Malone and Andra Day also will perform at Super Bowl 58
Along with Reba's anthem performance, the NFL announced Thursday that Post Malone will croon “America the Beautiful" at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas before its championship game. Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as part of the pregame performances that will air on CBS.
"CODA" actor Daniel Durant will perform the national anthem in American sign language. Model and dancer Anjel Pi?ero will sign “America the Beautiful," while actor and dancer Shaheem Sanchez will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Reba McEntire to sing national anthem at Super Bowl 2024
