Apparently the folks behind “The Colbert Report” are familiar with Jim Cornelison and his anthem-singing brilliance. As part a celebration of the 200th anniversary of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the man behind the anthem before every Blackhawks home game will join the program to offer up his booming voice for a national audience.
As NBC Chicago reports, the episode will also be featuring author Lonn Taylor, who will discuss his book, “The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon.”
Cornelison has had several brushes with national attention in the past as one of America’s foremost anthem singers. He sang the anthem prior to a Chicago Bears-Atlanta Falcons game at Soldier Field on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 (which also happens to be reaching its 13th anniversary on Thursday). His appearance on Colbert certainly won’t be as powerful as that was:
Cornelison will also be singing at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 14, and he makes his debut at United Center for the upcoming NHL season on Sept. 22 at the Blackhawks’ Training Camp Festival.
Good luck tonight, Jim! We’ll be watching!