INDIANAPOLIS -- After singing a beautiful rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the Indianapolis 500 this past weekend, Hoosiers are pushing for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to bring Jim Cornelison back to perform next year.
Cornelison is best known as the voice behind the National Anthem at the United Center before the Chicago Blackhawks home games.
The trained opera singer grew up in Washington State but he has ties to the Hoosier state as well – Cornelison received his Master of Music from Indiana University.
His version of “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the Indy 500 even had IMS President Doug Boles hinting on Twitter that they wanted him back.
Okay @IMS fans? Tell @Anthem_Singer how much we liked him & that there is another one of these in 365 days! https://t.co/NI7HS0dNpl
— J. Douglas Boles (@jdouglas4) May 29, 2017
For decades, Jim Nabors sang “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the start of every Indy 500 race.
Nabors carried on the tradition from 1972 until 2014 – when health issues forced him to step down and pass on the torch.
Cornelison said he’s open to the idea carrying on the tradition.
“I’m a singer and I’ve been a singer for a long time,” said Cornelison. “I think that everybody’s happy with it and the guys at the track, they’ll think about what they want to do and they’ll let me know.”
You can listen to Cornelison’s performance at the Indy 500 below.
