With nearly as much attention paid to the music as the game during the Super Bowl, the trio of artists who took the field before kickoff Sunday understood the significance of their platform.
Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), and Babyface were nominated.
Stapleton, whose brawny voice is a trademark of his numerous hits, played guitar and sang the national anthem with his usual humble demeanor.
Stapleton, who was not wearing his trademark cowboy hat, hit some big vocal notes over his subdued guitar picking.
As they stood on the sidelines, Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and center Jason Kelce were moved to tears by Stapleton’s quietly moving performance. The country star’s swoops on the anthem’s final notes elicited wild applause from the Arizona crowd.
This is the third year in a row that a country singer has been chosen to perform the national anthem. Eric Church performed alongside Jazmine Sullivan in 2021, and Mickey Guyton delivered a powerful performance in 2022.
.@ChrisStapleton brings the house down with his performance of the National Anthem! #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/iiRzjVcByW
— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2023
Stapleton, who performed “Higher Ground” with Stevie Wonder at the Grammys last week, was joined by Troy Kotsur, who sang the national anthem in American Sign Language. Kotsur became the second deaf actor to win an Academy Award for his performance in the Oscar-winning film “CODA.”
Stapleton, who has a gruff voice and a teddy-bear demeanor, has been on a steady career upswing since breaking through with the song and album “Traveller” in 2015.
