John Michael Montgomery / NASCAR

[fuzzwuzz]

anyway, has he made any kind of statement for us or radio?

[ProducerJ]

No statement issued. Our NASCAR channel has a recording of this... I'm going to listen when I get into the studio tomorrow.

It is not uncommon for performers to have the words to the anthem nearby... at hockey games we put them on the Jumbotron and put the artists where they can see it. It is a song you don't want to mess up.

Has anyone been to his website to get any reaction? May have to go there next.
J.

[lee512w]

This is what is on John's website....

http://www.johnmichael.com/

John's Response to his National Anthem Performance

Dear friends,

I have received many emails from you regarding my performance last weekend at the race in Atlanta . Many of you were confused and offended by my rendition of our National Anthem. Enough of you wrote in that I now feel it is my obligation to answer your concerns.

Everyone has good days and bad days and it's no different for singers. Unfortunately my bad day was televised. Based on lack of information, many of you assumed that my less than perfect performance was alcohol related, and I understand how it may have appeared that way. Let me explain why.

A couple of years ago I noticed hearing loss in my right ear and I would occasionally lose my balance. As time passed both symptoms worsened until I finally, at the beginning of this year, went to a doctor in Nashville and most recently LA.

I have been diagnosed with a condition known as Acoustic Neuroma which can seriously affect my hearing and balance. The unsteadiness in me that you saw was my vertigo and lack of balance.

The side-effect of loss of balance that makes me feel like I am falling does not bother me all the time but is more noticeable when I am tired and fatigued. Prior to the race I had shows and had met and talked to a lot of people. I was tired both physically and vocally. Better judgment might have been to notify the promoters instead of trying to perform the anthem. However, due to my contractual obligation I decided to go ahead with the performance. In hindsight, I shouldn't have.

Please accept my sincerest apologies for offending anyone, it was certainly not my intention. I will continue to see the doctors as we try to determine the best course of action to remedy the Acoustic Neuroma condition. The good news is my doctors feel that there is a very good chance that the situation can be corrected and it should not affect any of the tour dates we have scheduled.

Thank you for listening to my music and voicing your opinions and of course your years of support.

John Michael Montgomery


Leelee

[fuzzwuzz]

You're in my thoughts and prayers John Michael. Thanks for always taking good care of the music. Stuff happens sometimes. Keeps us humble I guess.

Please tell our friend Sal Fritts "hello" from Dale. Hope you guys come play on Florida's Treasure Coast again. I missed the good stuff!

[allisonv7]

I'd like to hear/see this again. Joyce, I went to his web forums that day and there was quite a negative response, it seems they disabled the boards for now.

allison.

[ProducerJ]

I listened to the audio... I didn't find the actual tone and pitch to be as horrible as I expected, but clearly it was a bad rendition....he was slurring words, and got a bunch of them completely wrong.

(Sorry but the hearing loss excuse doesn't cover why he couldn't read his cheat sheet well enough to correctly read / pronounce the words!)

How sad.

[fuzzwuzz]

My husband told me Buddy Jewell did a fantastic job singing it the other day.