December 14, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brian McCarthy/Steve Alic, National Football League, (212) 450-2000
                Steve Brener/Nicole Jacobs, Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc., (818) 344-6195

NEW YORK – The NFL will celebrate America’s 225th birthday in Super Bowl XXXV pre-game ceremonies as one of the world’s top groups, Backstreet Boys, will perform the National Anthem and recording legend, Ray Charles, will sing "America The Beautiful," at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. on Sunday, January 28, 2001, the National Football League announced today.

It will mark the first time the two songs will be performed prior to the start of the game. Charles will open the ceremony and Backstreet Boys will follow with its rendition of the National Anthem. Tampa’s Tom Cooney will sign the national anthem.

Rickey Minor, who produced the sound track of Whitney Houston’s popular Super Bowl version 10 years ago in Tampa, will create the track for the Backstreet Boys rendition.

In addition to the musical performances, the Air Force will provide a B-2 that will circle the stadium throughout the first song. The Air Force’s elite "Thunderbirds" will then fly over the stadium at the conclusion of the National Anthem. On the field, a joint services color guard will present the official flag, while the field will be virtually covered with other red, white and blue symbols of the flag.

"The Backstreet Boys and Ray Charles’ popularity and great musical talents are recognized across the country and around the world," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "We are pleased they will be part of our Super Bowl XXXV entertainment lineup."

CBS will televise Super Bowl XXXV live, including the national anthem. Game time is 6 p.m. ET.

Presently recognized as the biggest pop group in the world, Backstreet Boys have sold more than 55 million albums in less than three years. The group’s new album and fourth release, Black & Blue, sold more than five million copies worldwide in its initial week, setting a new first-week record in international sales. Globally, Black & Blue — whose 13-song selection features five songs co-written by members of the group, plus two songs solely penned by all five Backstreet Boys – achieved platinum status in 22 countries and gold certification in 10 regions around the world during its first week of release.

At the same time, in the U.S., Backstreet Boys – Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson – set a precedent by becoming the first group in SoundScan History ever to achieve million-plus first-week sales with back-to-back albums. This follows 1999’s Millennium album, which moved more than 1,134,000 copies in its opening week.

Backstreet Boys will add its name to the Super Bowl national anthem list that includes: Diana Ross; Barry Manilow; Neil Diamond; Billy Joel; Whitney Houston; Harry Connick, Jr.; Garth Brooks; Natalie Cole; Vanessa Williams; Luther Vandross; Jewel; Cher and last year’s anthem singer, Faith Hill.

Few artists merit the title of legend. However, in the case of Ray Charles, the moniker is well deserved. An international phenomenon, Charles, who has a star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame, has earned 13 Grammys, several gold records and the Kennedy Center Award. He is a member of three Halls of Fames (Rhythm and Blues, Jazz and Rock & Roll).

Charles has taken virtually every form of popular music and broken through its boundaries with such awe-inspiring achievements as the LP’s Genius Plus Soul Equals Jazz and Modern Sounds in Country & Western.

Rhythm & Blues became universally respectable through his efforts. Jazz found a mainstream audience it had never previously enjoyed and Country & Western music began to chart an unexpected course to general acceptance, then worldwide popularity. Along the way, Ray Charles was instrumental in the invention of Rock & Roll.

Music has always been the driving force in Charles’ life. It catapulted a poor, blind, orphaned teenager from rags to riches.

By the early 1960’s, Charles had accomplished his dream. He had come of age musically. He had become a great musician, posting musical milestones along the way. Against seemingly insurmountable odds, Charles made it to Carnegie Hall. The hit records (Georgia, and Born to Lose) successively climbed the charts. He made his first triumphant European concert tour in 1960 and with the exception of 1965, has continued to tour Europe every year since.

In the past decade, Charles has taken on George Gershwin ("Porgy and Bess"), Rodgers and Hammerstein ("Some Enchanted Evening," "Oh What a Beautiful Morning") and "America the Beautiful" – all with resounding, if unexpected, success.

Charles started out from nowhere and years later, finds himself a global entity. His amazing story and remarkable talents make him an icon of the human spirit. Years after overcoming incredible odds, Ray Charles remains an entertainment legend.

Minor is the music man behind Whitney Houston. "This young man keeps it all together for me. He is the best musical director, I think, in the world," said Houston. The African-American Minor grew up in the projects in Watts and raised by his grandmother, in a two-bedroom apartment that housed 13 people. He’s become a bassist, music director, composer and producer. He produced the biggest selling version of "The Star Spangled Banner" ever in Houston’s 1991 Super Bowl performance in Tampa. The Monroe, Louisiana born musician has played behind the Four Tops, Gladys Knight, Lou Rawls and Al Jarreau and he has worked with Al Green, Shirley Caesar, CeCe Winans, Smokey Robinson, Brandy, Salt-N-Pepa, Paula Abdul and Michael Bolton.

Cooney, 65, has been interpreting the national anthem for 38 years in various stadiums and arenas around the country. A member of the deaf sports hall of fame, Cooney has taught many celebrities and sports stars basic sign language, including four U.S. Presidents. He also has taught school children for the past 16 years. Cooney, who became deaf as the age of nine months and , who spent the first seven years of his life in a wheelchair before learning to walk again, has been honored for his hard work and dedication. He was named one of President Bush’s Thousand Points of Light and he has also won the Jefferson Award and the Nobel Prize of Community Service.

SUPER BOWL NATIONAL ANTHEM HONOR ROLL

Super Bowl I        Universities of Arizona & Michigan Bands

Super Bowl II        Grambling University Band

Super Bowl III        Anita Bryant (Pledge of Allegiance by Astronauts)

Super Bowl IV        Al Hirt (Pledge of Allegiance by Astronauts)

Super Bowl V        Tommy Loy (trumpeter)

Super Bowl VI        U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale

Super Bowl VII        Little Angels of Holy Angels Church (Chicago)
                                Pledge of Allegiance by Apollo 17 crew

Super Bowl VIII        Charlie Pride

Super Bowl IX        Grambling University Band

Super Bowl X        Tom Sullivan

Super Bowl XI        Vicki Carr (America the Beautiful)

Super Bowl XII        Phyllis Kelly of NE Louisiana State University

Super Bowl XIII        Colgate University Seven

Super Bowl XIV        Cheryl Ladd

Super Bowl XV        Helen O’Connell

Super Bowl XVI        Diana Ross

Super Bowl XVII        Leslie Esterbrook

Super Bowl XVIII        Barry Manilow

Super Bowl XIX        Children’s Choir of San Francisco

Super Bowl XX        Wynton Marsalis

Super Bowl XXI        Neil Diamond

Super Bowl XXII        Herb Alpert

Super Bowl XXIII        Billy Joel

Super Bowl XXIV Aaron Neville

Super Bowl XXV        Whitney Houston

Super Bowl XXVI Harry Connick, Jr. (American Sign Language performance by Lori Hilary)

Super Bowl XXVII Garth Brooks (American Sign Language performance by Marlee Matlin)

Super Bowl XXVIII Natalie Cole (American Sign Language performance by Courtney Keel Foley)

Super Bowl XXIX        Kathie Lee Gifford (American Sign Language performance by Heather Whitestone)

Super Bowl XXX        Vanessa Williams (American Sign Language performance by Mary Kim Titla)

Super Bowl XXXI Luther Vandross (American Sign Language performance by Erika Schwarz)

Super Bowl XXXII        Jewel (American Sign Language performance by Phyllis Frelich)

Super Bowl XXXIII Cher (American Sign Language performance by Speaking Hands)

Super Bowl XXXIV Faith Hill (American Sign Language performance by Briarlake Elementary School Signing Choir)

Super Bowl XXXV Backstreet Boys (American Sign Language performance by Tom Cooney)
                                "America The Beautiful" performed by Ray Charles