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  • Jim Nabors Replaced at Indy by Straight No Chaser

    Jim Nabors announced earlier this year that the 35-year tradition of him singing ‘”Back Home Again in Indiana” before the start of the Indy 500 was coming to an end.

    Now the announcement has been made that a cappella Straight No Chaser will be performing the tune in Nabors’ stead.

    The group has ten members, all of whom are alumni at Indiana University in Bloomington. They were founded in 1996 at the college. Jim Nabors himself is 84, and has been singing at the start of the race since 1972.

    After Nabors announce he was stepping down, there were lots of names floated to replace him.

    Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said that ”having a group with a national following, strong Indiana roots and a true understanding of the importance of this moment” was key in making a decision about who would take up Nabors’ mantle.

    In the end, it took ten men to do the job.

    “The song is the tradition,” Boles said. “But over time, Jim Nabors became that tradition. Our fans have offered us many suggestions for who and how the song should be performed in 2015.”

    “It’s probably the greatest honor you can bestow on a bunch of guys from Indiana that just started doing this for fun,” said David Roberts, an original SNC member.

    “We had no idea when we started this that it would ever become, not just a viable career for us, but something that the State of Indiana really respected and brought in as part of its culture and tradition,” said Roberts. “We are just ecstatic.”

    Straight No Chaser is a crowd pleaser, folding comedy and a fun show in with their flawless harmonies. Here is an example of SNC’s work.

  • Jim Nabors Retires Indianapolis 500 Act

    Jim Nabors Retires Indianapolis 500 Act

    Jim Nabors is preparing for his last performance of “Back Home Again” at this year’s Indianapolis 500.

    Nabors, 83, has been performing for 42 years as the opening act for the Indy 500, an annual race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    Nabors, a singer and an actor, had his first breakout role when he played Gomer Pyle in the show The Andy Griffith Show. The role was supposed to be a one-time performance, but he became so popular that his character became a regular on the show. He was also given a spin-off show entitled Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

    File:Jim Nabors Frank Sutton Gomer Pyle 1966.JPG

    Nabors first became an opening act for the Indy 500 in 1972. He may not be an Indianapolis native, as he was born in Alabama, but Indianapolis adopted him as their own since the first time they heard him sing. Since then, he sang “Back Home Again” every year to open the event.

    In 2007, Nabors was not able to attend the event, as he had a pacemaker procedure done. Instead of serenading the crowd, his fans were the one who sang for him, as he was watching the event from his hospital bed. In 2012, he missed the event again, due to another surgery. That year, a video crew went to Hawaii, where he resides, and recorded him singing the song just so it could be played at the event.

    Nabors announced that his performance of “Back Home Again” on May 25 will be his last. “It’s really bittersweet. I just thought I was getting a little long in the tooth,” he said. Nabors also said that he is getting old and it is difficult for him to travel by plane. “It’s the highlight of my year to come there and sing, but as the old song goes, I don’t want to stay too long at the fair.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons,(1), (2)

  • Jim Nabors Will Retire Famous Act

    Jim Nabors Will Retire Famous Act

    Jim Nabors became a friendly face and voice in our lives decades ago, making us laugh with his goofy charm as Gomer Pyle and moving on to the world of music, where he recorded 46 albums. Since 1972, he’s been the opening act for the Indy 500, but now, he says he’s ready to make a change.

    Citing a desire to stop traveling and stay at his macadamia nut farm on Maui–where he’s made a life with longtime partner Stan–Nabors said his last Indy 500 performance will be this Sunday.

    “It’s a really remarkable thing for me. It’s the highlight of my year because it’s 500,000 of my closest friends and they do make me feel like I’m their best friend,” Nabors said of the event.

    The 82-year old actor and singer says it’s remarkable to look back on his career–which saw his Andy Griffith role spawn its own spinoff–and see how many lives he touched.

    “You kind of go back and say, ‘Duh! Did I really do all that?’ I’ve been so blessed. My career and all the incredible people I’ve gotten to know and become friends with. It’s been amazing,” he said.

    Nabors and Stan Cadwallader were married last year in Seattle just weeks after same-sex marriages became legal in Washington; Nabors said that the couple had no rights until that point and that after so many years together, it just seemed like the way to go.

    “When you’ve been together 38 years, I think something’s got to happen there, you’ve got to solidify something. And at my age, it’s probably the best thing to do,” he said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jim Nabors Will Miss This Year’s Indy 500

    Jim Nabors — otherwise known as Gomer Pyle to the layperson — always sings “Back Home in Indiana” before the Indianapolis 500 gets underway. The talented singer/actor’s contribution to the race is something of a tradition; Nabors has been singing the ditty since 1987, and with the exception of 2007, he’s never missed a performance. Unfortunately, Nabors will miss this year’s Indy 500, but that doesn’t mean fans will have to do without.

    Since he’s currently scheduled for heart surgery later this month , a camera crew will pay a visit to the beloved 81 year-old thespians’s Hawaiian home in order to snag a recording of his performance. Considering how much of a staple this song is to the race, it seems only logical to bring Nabors to the fans who adore him.

    “He offered that,” said IMS Productions spokesperson Doug Boles told USA Today. “You’ve got to remember that (the 500) is as much a highlight of his year as it is for the hundreds of thousands of fans who hear him sing.” This is sure to make fans happy, as his performance of the song has become something of a tradition at the event.

    Twitter fans are apparently big Jim Nabors fans, and a lot of them are a little disappointed that he won’t be attending this year’s Indianapolis 500. A small selection of their responses to the news can be found in the space provided below. Additionally, if you’d like to express your own heartfelt disappointment over Nabors’ absence, do so in the comments section.

    (image)@dariofranchitti
    Dario Franchitti    @IMS sad Jim Nabors won’t be @ the 500 this year, glad you taped him singing Back home again in Indiana, it’s my favorite part of pre race!(image) 5 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@PopOffValve
    Tony    So Jim Nabors will be taped singing “Back Home Again.” This had better not be step 1 towards creating Hologram Gomer.(image) 5 days ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@GrahamRahal
    Graham Rahal    Sad news. Jim Nabors, we will miss you at the #Indy500 this year. We wish you a speedy recovery, Get well soon!(image) 5 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@mikekitchel
    Mike Kitchel    If Jim Nabors can’t make the 500, then play a recording of him singing Back Home Again in Indiana. That part of the day is not replaceable.(image) 6 days ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@PopOffValve
    Tony    Get well soon, Jim Nabors. Won’t be the same at the Brickyard without you there.(image) 6 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto