On Jan. 30, 2000, just before the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans at Super Bowl XXXIV with a score of 23–16, Faith Hill sang the national anthem, and she killed it.

The Rams captured their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951 that year, and Hill's home team, the Tennessee Titans, made their first (and so far, only) appearance in a Super Bowl.

Hill's performance was breathtaking, as a company of drummers and bagpipe players acted as the live band and played in the background while her voice soared, hitting those difficult notes again and again. Dressed in a black sweater and leather pants, Hill seemed satisfied with the delivery, as at the close of the song, when the rockets fired off into the air, she pumped her fist in the air for a job well done.

Nine years later, Hill would go on to sing "America the Beautiful" before Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 in Tampa, Fla., making her the only country artist to perform both songs at the Super Bowl. Hill's performance of the national anthem in 2000 made many "best of" lists. Time and time again, she was ranked as one of the most highly regarded singers of the song.

Her husband agrees with that sentiment. "My favorite Super Bowl National Anthem. Faith Hill," Tim McGraw writes on Facebook.

Perhaps her performance allowed her to get into the good graces of NBC's Sunday Night Football, as she began singing the opening theme for the program in 2007. Her version of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," made into "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," made its way into every Sunday game. She was a staple for six seasons. She exited the gig in 2013, paving the way for Carrie Underwood to take over.

15 Country Artists Primed to Headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show

Any way you slice it, country music is long overdue for its time in the spotlight at the Super Bowl. Although several artists have sung the national anthem at the game, the coveted halftime show has been anything but country for nearly three decades. The last time anyone from the genre headline the performance was in 1994, when Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd did a medley of their biggest hits. With country music gaining in popularity, there's no better time than now to put one of our own in the spotlight. Here are 15 artists who are already primed to take on the task.

Gallery Credit: Jess

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