Meet the familiar MO veteran singing the national anthem at Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship

Retired United States Navy Petty Officer First Class Generald Wilson, renowned for his compelling renditions of the national anthem, will return to Kansas City to perform at the AFC Divisional Championship game between the Chiefs and Bills on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

“It’s amazing to be asked to come back to Kansas City,” said Wilson in a phone interview on Tuesday. “I’m always grateful for the opportunity to sing here — it’s such a special place, and it feels like home every time.”

Wilson, who will also perform Saturday at the Auburn-Tennessee men’s basketball game, said the Chiefs will fly him from Auburn to Kansas City Sunday. A car will pick him up and he’ll head straight to Arrowhead to prepare.

After his performance, Wilson says he’ll change into civilian clothes and stay watch the game with his wife and two friends who are driving in from St. Louis. He said Chiefs fans often recognize him and ask to take photos with him or ask for autographs. “It’s always a blessing to interact with new people,” said Wilson.

For more than two decades, Wilson, 55, of St. Louis, has been sought after to perform at premier events including the World Series, NFL playoff games, the NHL Stanley Cup finals and the Indianapolis 500. Last summer, Wilson performed on the Fourth of July before the Royals-Rays game at Kauffman Stadium.

Kansas City fans may also remember Wilson singing during the Royals’ 2014 World Series run, the 2015 American League Division Series, and the Chiefs’ 2023 AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead.

“When I go to the different stadiums and arenas, there’s no better feeling than singing the anthem or ‘God Bless America’ and hearing the audience singing with you,” said Wilson in a 2023 interview. He served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and has been performing the national anthem nationwide for the past 25 years.

His singing career took off in 1997 when he performed at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, catching the attention of Georgia Frontiere, then-owner of the St. Louis Rams. That led to his first NFL anthem performance.

“I came over to her table, which was an honor to be able to see her and speak with her and introduce myself, and she said, ‘How would you like to sing the national anthem for the Rams?’ And I said, Are you sure? And she looked at her assistant and said ‘book him for Sunday,’” Wilson recalled.

The following year, he stepped in at the last minute for Toni Braxton to sing the national anthem at the Rams game in the Trans World Dome. “We didn’t even do a sound check it was so late,” Wilson said. “After I sang, my phone just blew up,” he added, noting he did not realize the game was nationally televised on “Monday Night Football.”

“I just thank God for the opportunity to be in this position. I really do. And I’m not done yet,” Wilson said. “We still have some things to do, and I don’t think I’ll be retiring anytime soon from singing our national anthem. I love our country.”

Growing up poor in Kinloch, Missouri, he began singing as a young child with his family. By age 5, he was singing in churches and leading adult choirs. Wilson, who recently lost his mother, Jannie French, 75, said she was very proud of his signing and would ask people in the checkout lines if they recognized him. He said his mom would always tell him, “I love you and make sure you stay humble,” he said.

On Veterans Day in 2023, Wilson was honored and immortalized with his own bobblehead, unveiled by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The bobblehead depicts Wilson in his U.S. Navy blues and a white Dixie Cup sailor’s hat, microphone in hand, and with a tap of a button, it plays a clip of Wilson singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote in an email at the time that Wilson has performed at nearly 1,000 events.

The AFC Championship Game will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Wilson reiterated on Tuesday, “I’d love to hear the entire stadium singing with me.”