In dark days like these, it’s sometimes a good thing to go back and look at heartwarming moments to remember that, while there are horrible people and evil ideas out there, there is also much good in the world. That’s particularly true of America right now, where the Biden Presidency, humiliation abroad, and rampant crime across our once-beautiful cities have turned them into brutal dumps.
So, for that reason, it’s nice to take a moment and look back to 2018, when now-country star and then-high school football player decided to play the National Anthem for a game at his high school in Gambrillis, Maryland.
For the heartwarming moment, Dean appeared on the center field line before the game, full football uniform on and helmet by his side and a guitar in his hand. After appearing on the field with the marching band the cheerleader squad behind him, Dean sang a rendition of the anthem in his characteristically twangy voice.
Watch the powerful moment here:
The video of Dean’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner managed to garner over a million views and boosted his online presence across the country, but, though the young man was immensely talented, it still took many years of hard work and grinding at both singing and marketing his singing before Dean achieved mainstream success.
But, eventually, he achieved mainstream success. Describing his current career and newfound success on the “About” section of his slickly-designed website, Dean says, “Fast-rising Country singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country following a breakout year that landed him on Pandora’s Ten for 2023 (all genre), Spotify’s Hot Country Artists to Watch 2023, the CMT Listen Up class of 2023, CRS New Faces 2023, Amazon Music’s 2023 Breakthrough Artists to Watch: Country Class as well as a slew of other artist to watch lists. Mature beyond his years, Jackson opted to move out to a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing at just 18 years old.”
That biography continues, “An adventurous and carefree spirit, the 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, is also an old soul and skilled artisan whose pastimes include making leather goods, wood-burned art and disappearing into the woods to sleep under the stars. Bringing that same sense of adventure and down home vibe to his songwriting, the “modern-day Country rambler” (Taste of Country) burst on the scene, showing people how real music can be with his atmospheric, musically-forward debut album Greenbroke (out now via Big Machine Records). The Maryland native’s single, “Don’t Come Lookin’” was the fastest debut to reach No. 1 in 2022 and cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut.”
It then adds, “Landing spots on the Billboard Hot 100, the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Ice Road and a John Dutton scene in Yellowstone. His sophomore single, “Fearless (The Echo)” is currently climbing the Country radio charts after being Most Added upon impact. Following an early career of local performances in his hometown, Jackson has joined bills with superstar acts like Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Brice, HARDY and Brothers Osborne and found himself on the bill for credible events like Austin City Limits and Stagecoach. The young talent just kicked off the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour with Blake Shelton and Carly Pearce and will join dates with Eric Church and Parker McCollum later this year.”
Watch Dean talk about the anthem video here, years after it went viral:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video