Charles Glenn to sing the National Anthem at Gateway

He is a beloved St. Louis icon. He sang the National Anthem prior to the opening puck drop at St. Louis Blues home games for 19 years. And now Charles Glenn is coming to World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, on August 24 to sing “The Star Spangled Banner" before the start of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 INDYCAR race.

Glenn, 64, retired from singing the National Anthem at St. Louis NHL games at the end of the 2018-2019 season – the year they won their first Stanley Cup championship.

Glenn’s mother was an accomplished opera singer, but her son leaned toward the pop scene. Over the course of his career in and around music, Glenn has opened for Smokey Robinson, Huey Lewis and the News, Meatloaf and Earth, Wind and Fire.

John Kelly, who has called Blues games for 17 years, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch home games at Enterprise Center won't be the same without Glenn.

"I'm lucky enough to see every anthem in every arena, and I think Charles is one of the very best," said Kelly. “His rendition of our anthem is fantastic. When Charles does the anthem, he does it from the heart. When he's done, our building is electric."

The annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline brings the cars and international racing stars of the Indianapolis 500 to the St. Louis-Metro East region. Tickets start at just $40 for adults and kids 15 and under are free. Race day also includes races for Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West cars – not to mention fireworks and a pre-race show. To purchase tickets or obtain more information about WWTR, please call (618) 215-8888 or visit www.wwtraceway.com. Follow WWTR on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.