The NFL apparently loves Country music. Last year, Chris Stapleton was invited to sing the National Anthem, and this Sunday at the Super Bowl, it’s gonna be Reba McEntire.

Reba is very seasoned at singing the "Star Spangled Banner" at sporting events. She's belted it out, seamlessly at several NFL games, as well as the World Series, at an Indy Car event, and celebrity softball games to name a few. 

Any of those events would be considered a lifetime achievement for most people, but the one that meant the most to her… happened 50 years ago:

“It’s absolutely amazing coming full circle, 50 years after being discovered by Red Steagall me singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. That was in 1974. Little did I know, I had no idea 50 years I’d be singing (laughs) the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl. O-mi-gosh. I don’t even have the imagination to say that I would be doing something like this. I’m absolutely thrilled to pieces that they asked me.” 

FAST FACTS

• Reba charted her first single two years later (in 1976) after that event in Oklahoma City with “I Don’t Want To Be A One Night Stand.” It peaked at #88.
• Four years later, in 1980, she scored her first Top 10 with “You Liff Me Up.”

National Anthem Facts

• The University of Arizona and University of Michigan Marching Bands performed the very first Super Bowl National Anthem in 1967.
• It was Charley Pride in 1974
• Garth Brooks 1993
• Faith Hill 2000
• Dixie Chicks 2003
• Carrie Underwood 2010
• Kelly Clarkson 2012
• Luke Bryan 2017
• Eric Church 2021
• Mickey Guyton 2022

SIDE NOTES

• On Super Bowl Sunday, the average household buys about 6,000 calories worth of snacks per person.
• 1.3 billion chicken wings will be consumed. 
• 3.8 million pounds of popcorn will be made.
•  $2.37 million will be spent on soda

Reba McEntire last sang the national anthem at a major sporting event in 1999, clocking in a lightning-fast 89 seconds.

The current total (90.5) is still very swift for Super Bowl standards, with country singers averaging an anthem length of 112.5 seconds, dating back to 1991. pic.twitter.com/YAAj6HlG1R

— Covers (@Covers) February 8, 2024

Toby Keith was affectionately known as Big Dog Daddy, so you know he's gonna have some cool stories from his past.  Well ever since his death, people keep sharing their favorite Toby Keith memories, and this man lived a very full life.

Here are the highlights:

1.  At a concert in Kentucky in 2009, a drunk fan flipped Toby the bird and threw his beer at him.  So, Toby jumped off the stage, fought his way through the crowd, berated the fan and then got him thrown out.  How many modern country stars would have just called for security instead?

2.  In 2010 in Iraq, in one of Toby's many USO tours, indirect fire started coming into the base while he was doing his set.  Everyone got down to take cover from the rockets . . . but those explosions didn't deter Toby.  He got back on stage and famously said into the mic, "Hey Al Qaeda, you missed."

3.  In 2022, at his first show back from his cancer diagnosis during his song, "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue", he fired up the crowd by saying, "Never apologize for being patriotic. [Eff] 'em."

4.  Did you know Toby Keith was responsible for signing the one and only Taylor Swift to her first record deal?  Pretty wild.  (You can read all about it, here.)

Toby Keith died on February 5th, at the age of 62, following a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. According to a post on his social media accounts, the country star was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing. The note added, “He fought his fight with grace and courage.” The singer, well known for hits like “How Do You Like Me Now?” and “Beer For My Horses” previously told us: 

• Keith explained, while he doesn't get to spend much time at home, the time spent there is quality: "First of all, they (his kids) are provided for a lot better than they would be if I was a cross-country truck driver. I'm gone a lot of the time, but when I'm home, I'm completely off. You know, it ain't like I'm coming home at five everyday and I've got that three hours before they've got to be in bed, so they can get up and go to school the next morning. I've got all of those days off, they're all day and all night. They are all mine."
   
• Keith kept such a tight schedule and busy life because, as he explains, he knows how important it is to keep his fans happy: "They are the only reason we do this. I would probably make music for my own satisfaction if that's all there was to do. I love music that much, so I would probably write songs. But, the reason we do albums and the reason we go out on tour is because of the fans. You unplug all of that, you know... you can never forget them. You unplug that, then there's no place for any of us to go. That's how important the fans are."
   
• Keith told us that credit for his success goes to his ability to diversify. "You know, you've got all these things -- I've got restaurants and bars and grills . . . I've got so many other things -- makin' movies and things -- that promotes my brand name and stuff that I'll never be bigger than country music, but I'll be bigger than the people that run country music. I'm so big that the people that do run country music can't stop me. You see what I'm sayin'? It's a beautiful position to be in. You'll never be their poster child but at the same time they can't do s**t about it."
   
• The singer says live performance is one of the most important aspects of his career: "If we're into an audience that's completely over-the-top into us, it's real easy to do it every night, because you know what they are there to hear and you know you've got it in your rotation. And you just keep feeding the monster, you know, and you're trying to take them completely over the top where they're seeing the best show they've ever seen."
   
• Keith talked about how hard it is to please everyone as he prepared to launch his own record label: "Well, I think you just move on and concentrate your energies on the things that will make you most successful, and you obviously can't please everybody. You think you've got to try to please 'em all and you just can't do it, so at some point, you back up and you go, 'You know what? Let's do an inventory of what works for you and what doesn't, and let's concentrate on your news goals and achievements that you're gonna do,' like the publishing company and possibly a label and things like that."