Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison taking Indy 500 stage

Just past noon on Sunday, the Indianapolis 500 will tip its hat to its neighbor to the northwest as renowned Chicago singer Jim Cornelison lends his pipes for the traditional singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

Cornelison, who says his vocal range is that of a dramatic tenor, will be backed by the Purdue University marching band, just as actor/singer Jim Nabors did for almost 40 years until his retirement from the Indy 500 stage in 2014.

“It is quite an honor to be asked to sing at that venue,” Cornelison said in a phone interview. “It will probably be the largest live audience I have performed before.”

The crowd is expected to be in excess of 200,000 fans.

Cornelison, who has been a full-time singer of the national anthem for the Chicago Blackhawks since 2008, said he received a call from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway management earlier this year and once the details were finalized he received a call from Doug Boles, the track's president.

“Doug made me feel real comfortable and I felt taking part in it was like I was becoming part of the family,” Cornelison said.

Asked if he had ever been to the speedway, Cornelison said he once attended a Time Trials weekend when he was studying at Indiana University in the early 1990s.

Besides at the Blackhawks, Cornelison has performed the national anthem for the Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Fire, 2012 Ryder Cup and the Arlington Million. And he is no stranger to auto racing, having performed the anthem at Joliet's Chicagoland Speedway since 2014.

“My song at the Indy 500 will be much different from when I sing the anthem,” Cornelison said. “I've listened not only to how he (Jim Nabors) did it, but to other versions by other singers.

“And I did learn something. Jim changed a few words from the original lyric. I've gone back to what was originally written.”

While most know the song as “Back Home Again in Indiana,” it is actually entitled “Indiana,” and was composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, and was first published in 1917.

Cornelison was born in Virginia, but spent a good portion his early life in Washington State. While at Indiana University, he earned a Master's Degree in Opera Performance in 1992. He came to Chicago in 1995 to participate in the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. Afterward he performed in various locations throughout Europe and the United States.

Along with performing at the 500, Cornelison's weekend will begin “back home again” in Washington State, where he'll attend a memorial service for his late mother on Saturday morning. He expects to arrive in Indianapolis about 1 a.m. Sunday.

“I'll get a few hours of sleep, get up, shower, dress and be at the speedway for an 8 a.m. to practice with the Purdue University band,” he said.

And Sunday, with all the pageantry and hoopla, will be like a second homecoming for him, Cornelison said.

“I am a Hoosier by choice, so I think I'll fit in comfortably.”