Jim Nabors is breaking a tradition or nudging Hoosiers to start a new one.
The celebrity best known for his role as Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show" confirmed March 25 that he will perform "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" for the final time on May 25 before the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.
So now that Hoosiers have had some time to mull over this news, it's time to move forward and consider the options. Who should replace the singer who was thrust into the limelight just 20 minutes before the waving of the green flag at 1972 Indy car race? Nabors has performed over the public address system nearly every year since. Those are some big shoes to fill.
Jim Nabors sings "Back Home Again in Indiana" before the start of the Indianapolis 500 in 2010. Nabors singing the sentimental song has been a pre-race tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1972. (Photo: Danese Kenon / The Indianapolis Star)
Jim Neighbors talks to IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan in the green room before the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013. (Photo: Chris Bergin Chris Bergin / for The Star)
Jim Nabors sings "Back Home Again in Indiana" a signature moment before the start of the Indianapolis 500 in 2013. Nabors was absent from the race in 2012 as he recovered from heat surgery. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson / The Star)
Jenn Sterger of Tampa, Fla., shows her support for Jim Nabors, when illness kept him from the race in 2007. Nabors played the title character in the television comedy "Gomer Pyle, USMC." The show ran from 1964 to 1969. (Photo: Walter Winter / The Star)
To many fans Jim Nabors will always be Gomer Pyle, a simple and kind character he played on the "Andy Griffith Show" and "Gomer Pyle, USMC." Nabors was the foil to Frank Sutton (left) as Sgt. Vincent Carter in "Gomer Pyle, USMC." (Photo: TV Land)
Jim Nabors salutes the crowd from the victory podium before he sings "Back Home Again in Indiana" in 2003. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson / Indianapolis Star)
Video screens around the track provide the words as fans sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" in tribute to Jim Nabors. He was ill in 2007 and could not attend the race. (Photo: Joe Vitti / Indianapolis Star)
Jim Nabors and his spouse, Stan Cadwallader, posed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013. The couple wed in Seattle earlier that year. (Photo: Cathy Kightlinger / The Star)
"My nomination to replace Jim Nabors on "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" at #Indy500....the Indianapolis Children's Choir. Thoughts?" tweeted Jake Query, host of WNDE radio.
Star reader Steve Pardee suggested the Indianapolis Motor Speedway consider its "quest to attract a younger audience when searching for Nabors' replacement."
And Jim Culp offered this tip at IndyStar.com: "Bono from U2 promised David Letterman on his show that if Jim Nabors ever stopped coming to the 500, he would step in and sing '(Back Home Again in) Indiana.' " Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials say they won't talk about what comes next until after Nabors' farewell performance. But that didn't stop us from offering some suggestions (some more serious than others):
1. Indianapolis Children's Choir: Founded in 1986 by artistic director Henry Leck, these young voices come from more than 362 Central Indiana schools, including 44 parochial schools, 12 private schools and 10 charter schools. Forty-five choir members performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson at Super Bowl XLVI.
2. John Mellencamp: Not only does this Hoosier live in Indiana (just outside of Bloomington), he sings about growing up in a small town. Mellencamp's music has won him a Billboard Century Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
3. Angela Brown: A graduate of Indiana University School of Music, Brown was awarded the school's African American Arts Institute's inaugural Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award and is featured in "Nineteen Stars of Indiana," a book by Michael S. Maurer. Her powerful soprano voice spans both opera and African American spirituals and she travels the world performing.
4. Joshua Bell: He's performed to sold-out audiences around the world but his musical roots are planted in his hometown of Bloomington. Bell received his first violin at the age of four after his parents noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around his dresser drawer handles. By 14 he gained national attention in a debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
5. Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds: This Indianapolis native is a 10-time Grammy Award winner and recently released a duets album with Toni Braxton titled "Love, Marriage & Divorce" on Motown Records. But more importantly, you can see the Speedway's Pagoda from a stretch of I-65 that bears his name.
6. Lily & Madeleine: A video of the Indianapolis teens performing their first original song "In the Middle" hit 250,000 views on YouTube. What followed was an explosion of interest in the Jurkiewicz sisters. Madeleine, 19, dropped out of her college course but intends to return next year. Lily, 17, formerly a junior at North Central High School, is completing this year's high school semester with online classes. The sisters appeared on the Oct. 5 episode of "CBS This Morning" performing "Come to Me" and "Devil We Know" and have recorded under the Asthmatic Kitty label.
7. Josh Kaufman: Before the Indianapolis singer Josh Kaufman became a sensation on NBC's "The Voice" he was performing in the city's life-music bars. His trio, the New Etiquette, had a standing gig at the Chatterbox. Now he's hanging with the likes of Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
8. Jennie DeVoe: With the release of "Strange Sunshine," DeVoe remains a local blues favorite. But here's the rest of the story — her music is heard throughout the country and she's performed with such greats as Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Lucinda Williams, Jack Johnson and Ray Charles.
9. Straight No Chaser: This popular a cappella group formed while members were attending Indiana University in 1996. A 1998 performance of them singing "The 12 Days of Christmas" has been viewed more than 16 million times. A five-album record deal with Atlantic Records followed and now the group (more than 50 men have passed through its ranks) perform worldwide.
10. Marrialle Sellars: "You are going to be a nightmare for other competitors," "American Idol" celebrity judge Harry Connick Jr. said after Sellars sang Adele's "One and Only" and Bruno Mars' "Grenade," on a premiere episode of "Idol's" 13th season. Sellers, 18, advanced to the Top 30. Contact Star Reporter T.J. Banes at (317) 444-6815 and follow her on Twitter: @tjbanes.
