Every Sunday morning, RADIO.COM's Kelly Ford is taking you back to the '90s with your favorite throwback Country tracks -- on your favorite Country stations.
This week, with the 'Big Game' on everyone's minds, Kelly is looking back on a game-changing moment in music and sports -- when in 1993 singer Garth Brooks walked out of Pasadena's Rose Bowl in protest only 45 minutes before he was scheduled to perform the National Anthem.
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You may remember Michael Jackson's epic half time performance, the sultry Pepsi ad featuring supermodel Cyndi Crawford, or of course the Cowboys' big win over the Bills (spoiler!) but a lesser-known story of Super Bowl XXVII was Country star Garth Brooks' battle with programming execs over his wish to broadcast his latest music video for "We Shall Be Free."
The song was written in response to the Los Angeles riots that followed the Rodney King verdict in 1992. The video featured harrowing footage of riots, war, poverty, and other topics that the network decided were too controversial to air. So, Brooks reportedly bounced.
After some scrambling by executives to figure out a solution, eventually Brooks got his way and returned to sing the anthem proudly beside Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin as she signed for the hearing impaired.
Ever since, the NFL has required that all anthem performances at subsequent Super Bowl events be pre-recorded.
You can watch the stunning performance, shared by Matlin, below.
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Be prepared for lots of "Oh wow!" moments and cool fun facts, along with some of the best throwbacks to start your Sunday mornings right with '90s Country with Kelly Ford, only on your favorite RADIO.COM Country stations!
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