One of the most beautiful things about America is all the different styles of popular music our nation has produced. From Beyoncé to Katy Perry and Rihanna, our country is full of talent. Many of those talents have performed on our country's biggest stage: the NFL's Super Bowl. Some sing the national anthem or "America the Beautiful" before the big game's kickoff. Others join pop culture immortality by performing during the Super Bowl halftime show — a stage Michael Jackson turned into pop culture staple.
But it wouldn't be a truly American spectacle without country stars along the way. As it happens, some of the biggest names in country music history have performed at the Super Bowl.
Multi-Grammy award-winner Chris Stapleton added his name to the always-growing list of Super Bowl country performers in 2023 by singing the national anthem. This year, Reba McEntire will do the honors.
Other country artists to appear during the broadcast not listed below are Doug Kershaw (the 1990 halftime show) and the duo of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert ("America the Beautiful" in 2012).
Here's Wide Open Country's list of the 10 best country performances in the Super Bowl, ranked.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images One of modern country music's household names, Carrie Underwood performed a show-stopping national anthem at Sun Life Stadium in Miami to kick off the Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. KMazur/WireImage The '90s (and beyond) queen of country music, Shania Twain performed the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVII between the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers alongside No Doubt and Sting. It was proof that a country singer belonged on the same stage as pop royalty. Christopher Polk/Getty Images Before the New England Patriots staged the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, Luke Bryan started off the festivities with a rousing rendition of our country's national anthem at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. George Rose/Getty Images In the midst of the Dallas Cowboys '90s dynasty, who better to perform a halftime show than a quintet of country music legends: Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and The Judds? Both the Cowboys and country music fans won that night (the Buffalo Bills, as was tradition, lost). Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Before the St. Louis Rams' Greatest Show on Turf won the Super Bowl to cap off their record-setting season, Faith Hill wowed the country with one of best national anthem renditions in the history of the game. And in 2009, Hill sang before a Super Bowl loss by the Arizona Cardinals to the Pittsburg Steelers. The connection between those games, aside from Hill, is that future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner started at quarterback for both the Rams and the Cardinals. George Rose/Getty Images Garth Brooks, the Super Bowl and the national anthem are about as natural of a combination as you could possibly imagine. Brooks' performance became the stuff of legend, as he reportedly nearly walked out on his performance. Thankfully, the performance went off without a hitch. KMazur/WireImage Between Shania Twain and the Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), the 2003 Super Bowl was all about women in country music. Like Twain during her electric halftime show, the Chicks wowed the nation with a stadium-ready performance. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TW Country star Eric Church and singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan performed the national anthem in 2021. It's a highlight of a tradition that dates back to Charley Pride's appearance at Super Bowl VIII in 1974 and continued at Super Bowl LVI in 2022 with Mickey Guyton (who was followed by Stapleton and McEntire). Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation Country singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton took the stage to perform a stunning rendition of the national anthem in 2022 for Super Bowl LVI, which featured the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation In 2023, country superstar Chris Stapleton performed the national anthem ahead of the Chiefs-Eagles game. "The national anthem's a hard one for any singer, I don't care who you are," Stapleton told Willie Geist of "Today," before (in typical Stapleton fashion) remaining humble about the widespread praise of his performance. "People were like, 'Oh. You made people cry.' I was like, 'Oh, OK. Good, I'm gonna go watch the game.'" Carrie Underwood, Super Bowl XLIV — National Anthem (2010)
Shania Twain, Super Bowl XXXVII — Halftime Show (2003)
Luke Bryan, Super Bowl LI — National Anthem (2017)
Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and The Judds, Super Bowl XXVIII — Halftime Show (1994)
Faith Hill, Super Bowl XXXIV — National Anthem (2000)
Garth Brooks, Super Bowl XXVII — National Anthem (1993)
The Chicks, Super Bowl XXXVII — National Anthem (2003)
Eric Church & Jazmine Sullivan, Super Bowl LV — National Anthem (2021)
Mickey Guyton, Super Bowl LVI — National Anthem (2022)
Chris Stapleton, Super Bowl LVII — National Anthem (2023)
This story was previously published on Feb. 9, 2023. It was updated on Feb. 6, 2024.
