Garrison Keillor Leads 'The Star Spangled Banner'

Garrison Keillor, host of A Prairie Home Companion and the Writer's Almanac, leads delegates at the 2012 Chorus America Conference in a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."

[KorbyLenker]

Touched my heart. Neighbors and countrymen

[ElsaBella]

I had the opportunity to tour Russia and Kiev in 1989 for a month as a student ambassador when it was still the Soviet Union. What an eye-opening experience it was, on so many levels, and instilled in me a profound respect and admiration for the Russian people. However, upon flying back to NYC on an Aeroflot, as the plane descended and circled New York, the ENTIRE PLANE broke out into a Star Spangled Banner and America The Beautiful, in a rapturous chorus filled with relief and gratitude for our nation. A beautiful salute to our beautiful country, now so deeply imperiled. God Bless America - Please everyone, it's time to WAKE UP!!!

[drdtking]

A song of thanksgiving we can all sing....

[rwyckoff]

And they sing it in the key of Ab, the key that was used in the 1950s and 60s when it was still sung by ordinary people in the stands with their hats off. Since then it has, for some reason, always been played in the higher key of Bb which it puts it just out of range for most ordinary folk. People today think it can only be sung by professional soloists and opera singers. We used to sing it regularly whenever it was played in school or at a public event.

[bobbyhardeman]

Several years ago I was at Davis Kidd Bookstore in Nashville at one of his signings. Garrison led us in singing several songs including God Bless America. It was a great time.

[peggycampbell]

SO glad you included at the end of the fabulous post today ... hard not to swell with gratitude for lives of such privilege, just to live in America. Thanks.

[annalitchka]

Sooo wonderful to hear an unrehearsed but passionate choral rendition of our national anthem!!! With descant! LOVE IT!

[michelemandrioli]

That singing sounds better than a lot of rehearsed choruses that I have heard!  My husband and I have sung along at several of Garrisons performances over the years and I have gotten two of his books autographed by him.
When there was a singalong of "Loch Lomond" at a Bryn Terfel recital at Tanglewood a few years ago, we were in the 4th row center so he was able to hear my husband's voice above the others. (He has been singing since he was a child and took 4 years of classical voice courses at our local university after he retired.) We talked to Bryn afterward and the said that he thought my husband was the late opera singer Sanford Sylvan (who was still alive and well at the time.) We have talked to a lot of famous opera singers after recitals and they have all been very friendly and nice and happy to let you take pictures of them.

[cb]

Holy sh*t! That was great! Happy Flag Day, America!

[laskatz]

Beautiful. I hope we Americans can begin to heal and move forward…for the preservation and respect of our great country and all her Citizens.

[arleneb.]

Thank you! Wonderful singing, I loved it!

[paulschmolke]

A rousing wake up this morning. Sadly I hear that song less often than I should. Glad to have it for breakfast today. Thanks for making the effort, decent audio for a crowd of pretty good singers. 👍🏽

[gilliecampbell]

Let's make all public renditions of SSB be communal singings, no more over-the-top solos while we stand mute. Thanks, G. Keillor and 2012 (so long ago!) Chorus America Conference. Let's all sing together again soon.

[ewaMCC]

Thank you, Mr. Keillor, for keeping up the old-fashioned human values and your unrelenting creativity.

[Joe_J-MT_Boy]

I think this is the 'before FOX News and Trump' version. There's an honesty to the singing of the anthem when it's you and your neighbors doing it... as it should be.