Kansas City Native Returns To Sing National Anthem For KC Royals

KANSAS CITY, MO — Stephanie Varone performed her first national anthem at a Kansas City Royals game when she was a teenager. On August 24, she'll return to Kauffman Stadium to perform the anthem again, before heading to her Grandview High School reunion the next day.

Nowadays, Varone lives in Minnesota, so performing "The Star-Spangled Banner"in Kansas City will be a homecoming in more ways than one.

"The last time I sang at Kauffman Stadium, I was a senior in high school, and it was the first time I ever performed the national anthem at a ballpark," she said.

As lead singer for 80s cover band Stephanie V 'n Headliner, Varone has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and, alongside her band, opened for and backed up former members of Boston, Badfinger and John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, among others. But, she's especially passionate about singing the national anthem. She's performed it in front of thousands of fans at stadiums across the country, everywhere from Wrigley Field to Fenway Park.

Coming from a military family, Varone says the anthem holds a special place in her heart. Her grandfather served in World War II. Her father was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star as a "tunnel rat" during Vietnam. Her oldest son served a tour in Afghanistan, and her youngest is currently serving in the Air Force.

"All these kids are so young when they choose to sacrifice for us, and I feel so absolutely overwhelmingly grateful," Varone said. "It means something to me that my sons have chosen to sacrifice themselves for other people. We owe our soldiers the greatest respect."

Varone says, for her, singing the national anthem is a spiritual experience.

"It's a hymn for our country. So, when I have any opportunity to perform our anthem, I never wear the jersey of any team that I'm singing it for — the team that has asked me to sing is hosting it, but I sing the song for all of us."

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"I used to make my own demo tapes when I was in high school," Varone said. "I would make calls to the studio owners in downtown Kansas City, and I would set up appointments to sit down and play the tape to them."

It worked. She was hired to sing "America the Beautiful" for a local company's corporate video. She says she uses the same skill set today in her day job as a senior account executive with the Burwood Group, a national IT consulting and integration firm. Ultimately, Varone said, it takes the same thing to be successful in both fields: passion.

"Back then, I went out and I got the gig," Varone said. "I do the same thing today."

For more information on Stephanie Varone, including upcoming shows, visit: https://www.stephanievarone.com.

Lead Photo: Stephanie Varone (Kevin Johnson Studios for Stephanie Varone). All photos used with permission.