From 2009:
By now, most people have probably heard about or seen Jennifer Hudson’s flawless performance of the national anthem at Sunday’s Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
What they may not know is the reason why it was flawless: Hudson lip-synced the anthem to a previously recorded track, and apparently so did Faith Hill who performed before her.
They did so at the request of Rickey Minor, the pregame show producer. Minor told The Associated Press that he insisted Hudson and Hill, who sang “America the Beautiful” before the anthem, use the tracks the National Football League requires them to submit a week before the game.
“That’s the right way to do it,” said Minor, who has produced numerous Super Bowl pregame performances and is the music director for “American Idol.” “There’s too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance.”
