Earning yet another stripe as the “Empress of Soul,” Gladys Knight conjured tears and jaw-dropping after her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game.
The Georgia native, who lives in metro Atlanta, participated in the musical portion of the evening ahead of the game, which has stirred controversy due to it drawing thousands of people to the heart of Atlanta during the pandemic. The stands at State Farm Arena were reportedly filled with 1,500 people — masked and distanced — made up of front line workers, locals, students, fans and HBCU alumni.
The NBA honored HBCUs at Sunday night’s game with performances from the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir, the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band, the Florida A&M University Marching 100 and step teams from Spelman College and Morehouse College. Along with Knight’s soul-stirring performance, Alessia Cara performed a smooth rendition of the Canadian national anthem, singing live remotely from Toronto.
Knight, a 76-year-old Atlanta native, sung a slow, organ-backed rendition of the national anthem Sunday night. As she paid tribute to the game and country, she also was representative of the night’s HBCU theme. The seven-time Grammy Award winner was a student at historically Black college Shaw University.
Fans were floored by Knight’s effortless, Gospel-tinged version of the national anthem. Many made references to past national anthem singers, including Fergie, who sang at the NBA All-Star Game. Some online users also heralded Knight for showing her timeless voice during Sunday night’s game and during her Verzuz show with Patti LaBelle earlier this year.
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