Jim Nabors Sings Back Home Again in Indiana at Indy 500

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JIM NABORS

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Jim Nabors - Twin Spin:) Back Home Again in Indiana

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It's been a tradition for years. Singer and actor Jim Nabors has sung "Back Home Again in Indiana" prior to the start of the Indy 500. The former TV star has been singing the song accompanied by the Purdue All-American Marching band since the 1970s. 

Nabors was first invited to sing at the Indy 500 in 1972 by speedway owner Tony Hulman. Nabors thought he was going to be asked to sing The Star-Spangled Banner. Instead, Hulman asked him to perform the Back Home in Indiana, which was written in 1917 by James Hanley and Ballard MacDonald. The song has been performed at the Indy 500 since the 1940s. It was often performed by different singers, but ever since Nabors' rendition in 1972, the job has been his and his alone.

Nabors is a bit of an odd choice, considering he is not even from Indiana. A native of Alabama, Nabors is best known for his role as Gomer Pyle, the lovable country bumpkin from the Andy Grifftith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC.