Chris Stapleton will sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl this Sunday.  He’s following in some very big footsteps . . . but not that many of them when it comes to country stars.  He’ll be the NINTH country artist to do it. What’s surprising is how the Super Bowl has almost ignored country stars when it comes to performing at the big game.  Here’s a quick list of stars who’ve performed over the past 50-plus years.

1.  National Anthems:  Charley Pride was the first country singer to do it in 1974, and also the first PERSON to do it on their own.  Before that, it was always instrumental, or done by a choir. The other seven are:  Garth Brooks in 1993 . . . Faith Hill in 2000 . . . The Chicks in 2003 . . . Carrie Underwood in 2010 . . . Luke Bryan in 2017 . . . Mickey Guyton last year . . . and Eric Church was on guitar when R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan sang it in 2021.

2.  Halftime Shows:  A country star hasn’t been featured in one for 20 YEARS.  The last time was Shania Twain in 2003.  Even then, she shared the stage with Sting and No Doubt. Before that, Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and The Judds did the halftime show in 1994 . . . fiddle player Doug Kershaw was part of it in 1990 . . . and if you think of Kid Rock as “country,” he was involved in 2004.

3.  “America the Beautiful”:  Faith Hill sang it in 2009, and Miranda Lambert did it with Blake Shelton in 2012.

The Super Bowl is in Arizona this year.  Seriously.  And since that’s Dierks Bentley’s home state, he has things to say about it.  First of all, he’s excited that Chris Stapleton is doing the National Anthem.  But he wants more. “For me personally, I’d be very happy watching Chris doing the half-time show.  He would be amazing, and I think people would really love it.”  Chris or not, Dierks thinks we’re due for another country music halftime show.

Chris Stapleton is going to make a billion new fans when he sings the National Anthem on Sunday.  I’m nervous for him.  Mickey Guyton sang it last year, so somebody asked if she had any advice. She does, and although it’s basic, I have a feeling it’s very real.  She said, quote, “Enjoy every minute, and don’t forget to breathe.” 

A jelly roll isn’t just a tasty cake . . . it’s also a performer who has just crushed a crazy Billboard record.  Jelly Roll is #1 on Billboard’s all-genre “Emerging Artists” chart for the 25th week, which is a new record.  He’s also working on a full-length country album, which will feature “Need a Favor” and “She”.

Here’s a fun song for your Friday.  Willie Nelson released a cover of Buck Owens’ classic 1960s hit, “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail”.  It’ll be on Willie’s next album, “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love” . . . which is out March 3rd.

Ty Herndon announced not only is he in a new relationship, but he’s also getting married.  He shared photos of himself and his fiancé Alex and wrote, “The last six months God has showed up.  Never in a million would I have imagined meeting someone who’d bring so much love and light into my heart.”