Cheryl Ladd Talks Singing the National Anthem at the 1980 Super Bowl (Exclusive)
Charlie’s Angels actress and singer Cheryl Ladd made history at Super Bowl XIV in 1980 by singing the national anthem, becoming the first professional female singer to begin the event. Though many female pop stars have now sung the game-opening song, in the early years of the Super Bowl, it was more common for marching bands to do the honors.
Ladd sat down to talk with ReMIND about that memorable day. When asked how it felt, she said, “What a lucky girl I was! Just being a Charlie’s Angel opened lots and lots of doors for me, but at that moment, being able to sing was amazing.”
Ladd’s performance marked the beginning of a tradition that has since featured many of the top women in pop music. Among those who have followed in her footsteps are Diana Ross (1982), Whitney Houston (1991), Cher (1999), Vanessa Williams (1996), Mariah Carey (2002), Beyoncé (2004), Christina Aguilera (2011), Lady Gaga (2016), and P!nk (2018).
In a heartfelt tribute, Ladd dedicated her rendition to the American hostages being held in Iran at the time. She performed alongside the Los Angeles City High School Choir under the direction of Richard Harris. The game, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, saw the LA Rams face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Steelers emerging victorious with a score of 31-19.
Ladd recalls of the day of the Super Bowl, “I do remember. Brian and I were dating. They brought me down to the sidelines, where I was surrounded by a forest of gigantic men. As the jets flew over and the flag was being rolled out, I was thinking of my family watching in South Dakota”
Ladd enjoyed a successful solo music career, after starting out as the musical voice of Melody in the Saturday morning cartoon show Josie and the Pussycats. In 1978, she released her self-titled LP and went on to release three more studio albums. Her first single, “Think it Over,” became a top 40 hit in the U.S. All of her albums went gold in Japan, and The Best of Cheryl Ladd CD was released in the 1990s. Ladd also filmed three TV musical specials that aired on ABC-TV from 1978-1980. More recently, she sang in the feature film A Cowgirl’s Song and the TV film A Christmas for the Ages.
Ladd is best known for her role as Kris Munroe on Charlie’s Angels, joining the cast in 1977 and replacing Farrah Fawcett. She played Fawcett’s character’s younger sister for the next four seasons until the show ended in 1981. Ladd went on to star in numerous feature films, including Purple Heart, Poison Ivy, Millennium, Dogs of Flanders, Permanent Midnight, and Unforgettable. She also appeared in TV series such as One West Waikiki, Las Vegas, American Crime Story, and was on the 31st season of Dancing with the Stars.
“I felt honored and patriotic,” Ladd added. “It was just an incredible gift.”
This Sunday, multi-Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Jon Batiste will take the stage to perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIX, which airs on FOX Feb. 9 at 6:30pm ET.
Remind 
Oh What A Year: 1980
January 2020
Take a look back at our retrospect of the year 1980 where we celebrate the hottest in movies, music and TV.
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