5 Acts We'd Love to Perform the Super Bowl National Anthem

The Super Bowl National Anthem has been sung by a host of musical acts, but several artists have yet to take the big stage.

From Billy Joel to Jennifer Hudson, musicians from a wide range of genres have sung "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. Kelly Clarkson will take the field this Sunday, but even the first American Idol cannot compete with the superstar allure and singing chops of these musical performers.

I tried to choose performers who have yet to perform the Super Bowl's National Anthem. Superstar status, musical range, and a voice that can carry in an arena setting were also considered criteria.

Here are the few elite musical acts that would start the Super Bowl on the right note.

Jim Cornelison

It was a day in history Americans would like to forget but Jim Cornelison made the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 a moment to remember.

His rendition of the national anthem at the Chicago Bears game this season served as a source of inspiration for many, including myself. Cornelison’s strong presence and vigor that day exemplified the strength of the American spirit. It made me proud of our nation and how far we had come since tragedy struck 10 years earlier.

We all become preoccupied with life's dilemmas, but once in a while there is one moment that makes you step back and appreciate who you are and where you come from. Cornelison's anthem made me proud of the country we call home and the people we share it with. He had me smiling and singing made me happy to be a part of America and, of course, to be blessed with ears. 

I wish Cornelison could sing the national anthem before every sporting event. But I'll take a consolation prize: a performance on the biggest stage this country can offer.

If you haven't heard of Cornelison, be sure to press play. With an opera-like delivery, Cornelison has the pipes to blow the lid off the RCA Dome. I would not be surprised if he has broken a few windows with his range either.

He has already impressed on a American National Holiday. At the Super Bowl, an unofficial holiday, Cornelison would have the crowd in an uproar by the time he finished, "O, say, can you see..."

Alicia Keys

A couple years ago, Alicia Keys drilled the Super Bowl pregame show. Unfortunately for Jordin Sparks, she had to follow up the brilliant Keys with her national anthem. When Sparks began to sing, the ideal anthem singer had already just exited left. The American people had been ridden of a possible classic national anthem.

No one can doubt Alicia Keys’s singing ability. As for her resume, it speaks for itself. 

She can already claim of the chorus of New York’s unofficial anthem. Her hook on Jay-Z’s "Empire State of Mind" has become the biggest sing-a-long in New York. Instead of Frank Sinatra’s "New York, New York," Keys’s belting of "New York" in the Jay-Z track serves as the New York Yankees' victory song that plays out of the stadium loudspeakers.

Take that, Sinatra.

Keys’s singing prowess has not reached the ears of only the New York sports world. She has taken part in the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Concert and the NBA All Star Game halftime show.

Isn’t it time for Keys to get called up to the big leagues to sing America’s song? We have seen enough American Idol contestants. Alicia Keys is New York’s girl; now she can become America’s girl, too.

Whitney Houston

Okay, so Whitney Houston’s already been there, done that with the Super Bowl National Anthem. You caught me.

But if anyone is getting a lifetime pass to do the Super Bowl’s national anthem, it’s Whitney Houston.

When the American people were reeling from the Persian Gulf conflict, Houston delivered a soothing American symphony for the crowd of 80,000 in the stadium and the millions watching at home on their televisions. While Kelly Clarkson prepares for the national anthem on Sunday, there's no doubt she has replayed Whitney Houston’s national anthem many times.

It has been 20 years since her historic anthem rendition, but if a 48-year-old Whitney Houston could muster just 10 percent of her flawless performance today, millions of Americans will be singing along in unison.

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men already serenaded the Super Bowl crowd at the halftime show in 1998, but their R&B act seemed a bit out of place for the hoopla of a halftime show. Their soulful melodies would be better served singing the Super Bowl national anthem.

A Super Bowl national anthem rendition would catapult Boys II Men back into the mainstream music scene.

We would also be doing good for the children. The generations born in 2000 and beyond could meet Billboard Magazine’s most successful group of the 1990s.

No better place to have music education than Super Bowl Sunday.

Carl Lewis

If you prefer a good laugh during the national anthem, you might prefer to see Carl Lewis sing at the Super Bowl.

If you only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, mingling with the guests during fourth quarter, or into the Super Bowl for the "entertainment," then you'll prefer Carl Lewis's screechy voice and fumbled lyrics.

The former Olympic track star should not be encouraged for an encore after his inaugural performance. Even Michael Jordan was chuckling under his breath listen to the Olympic track star miss a B-flat.

If only Simon Cowell was there to critique Lewis after his failed rendition. That might pull more ratings than the Super Bowl game itself.

For entertainment purposes only, I present Carl Lewis. Unfortunately, I don't think he will get to sing at the Super Bowl to "make up for it."