Who is Jim Cornelison? All about Blackhawks singer as national anthem performance goes viral

The Chicago Bears began their NFL season against the Minnesota Vikings, which was kick-started by Jim Cornelison’s national anthem performance on September 8. Cornelison is an American singer who usually sings The Star-Spangled Banner at the beginning of home games for the city’s NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, at the United Center.

The crowd at Soldier Field Stadium cheered for the artist as he sang the American national anthem on Monday night. His energy resonated with fans and players alike, including Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez, who stood with his arms stretched on both sides and his eyes closed.

Jim Cornelison’s performance has now gone viral on social media platforms. ESPN’s SportsCenter shared the clip on X with the caption, “GOOSEBUMPS. Jim Cornelison delivered the national anthem before Vikings-Bears.”

Notably, Cornelison himself shared his excitement at singing the national anthem for the Bears' home game.

“I’m headed to Soldier Field tonight to sing the anthem for Monday Night Football. There’s always some extra energy for MNF. Looking forward to it. New season, go Bears!” he wrote on X.

Monday’s game was won by the Vikings by 27-24.

Everything you need to know about Jim Cornelison

According to his official website, Jim Cornelison was born in Virginia and grew up in Enumclaw, Washington State, and Sunnyside. He studied at Yakima Valley Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he earned degrees in both music and psychology.

Jim went on to earn his master’s degree in opera performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, graduating in 1992. Three years later, he moved to Chicago to join the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists.

Jim Cornelison signed with Columbia Artists and soon performed across the USA and Europe, including at the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, English National Opera, L’Opéra de Bordeaux, and the National Opera of Belgium.

The 61-year-old began singing both The Star-Spangled Banner and O Canada for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1996 and continued until 2001. Thereafter, he took a five-year hiatus. He rejoined in 2006. Two years later, Jim was asked to be the sole national anthem singer for the 2008-2009 NHL season for the Blackhawks.

Since then, Jim Cornelison has served as the team’s permanent and exclusive anthem singer, performing at major events such as the 2009 Winter Classic, the 2012 Ryder Cup, and the victory rallies for the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup championships.

During a 2009 interview with blackhawksup.com, the singer said that it is “always a rush” performing the national anthems for the Blackhawks and “often the emotions get in the way.”

“I’m an emotional guy, and I have a lot of trouble keeping my feelings in check when the 22,000+ fans start the roar and I’m standing right in the middle of them. I love being a part of that celebration of being American and a Blackhawks fan!” Jim stated.

He has also sung for the Chicago Bears and other teams of the city, such as the Bulls, Cubs, Sox, and Fire, for the Arlington Million horse race, the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup opening race, and ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

The first time Jim sang for the Chicago Bears was during the 2011 Conference final against the Green Bay Packers, followed by the 2010-2011 NFL playoffs. Since 2017, he has also performed Back Home Again in Indiana before the Indianapolis 500 races.

Jim Cornelison has also made television appearances, including on the TODAY Show and The Colbert Report in September 2014, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the American national anthem.

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The father of three has also served on the advisory board of the Illinois Patriot Education Fund and is an honorary member of the World Presidents’ Organization. Jim is an Honorary Squadron Commander of the USAF Band of Mid-America.

He appears on commercials for Lexus of Orland/ Merrillville and Orland Toyota. Cornelison is also a philanthropist who is associated with the non-profit Dreams For Kids, the USO, and other veteran support groups. Jim is a realtor for Rubloff Residential Properties.

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