Entertainment, Music - Marine Corps Times

Gretchen Wilson describes ‘surreal’ convention performance

It appears that there’s at least one thing on which Democrats and Republicans agree: Country music artists are go-to performers for music worthy of historic moments at national conventions.

On Wednesday, Gretchen Wilson, John Rich and Cowboy Troy performed after the much-anticipated speech by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first woman ever nominated for vice president by the Republican Party. The trio performed “Our America,” a spoken-word and musical piece that blends the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and portions of the Constitution, during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Rich also performed “Raisin’ McCain,” the campaign song he wrote for the Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

On Aug. 28, Brooks & Dunn’s recording of “Only in America” was played at the end of the speech by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who is the first African-American presidential candidate nominated by a major party.

“It was a once in a lifetime kind of deal,” Wilson said on Thursday. “The last time I did the national anthem, I swore I would never ever do it again because it was so nerve-wracking.

“It was kind of surreal. It felt right. I know that sounds kind of strange. I don’t know if you noticed: It might have been the first time I ever smiled while I was singing. I can’t tell you why I did. I was so nervous when we went out there.”

A few years ago, the trio, along with John Rich’s country duo Big & Rich partner, Big Kenny, recorded “Our America.” Wilson said they cannot call the song their own creation because it contains portions of several American compositions, but said “we melded it together in our own way.”

Rich, who is heavily involved in McCain’s campaign for presidency, played “Our America” for campaign officials. About three weeks ago, Wilson learned of the campaign’s request to have the song performed live. “I couldn’t hardly say no,” she said.

The trio was originally scheduled to go on before Palin.

“We were standing backstage with our ear monitors in and the microphones in hand,” she said. “Then they switched things around and asked if we would go right after her,” Wilson said. “They said there would be a surprise guest after her.

“When we saw McCain walk out on the stage, we thought it was over and we got skipped because of time constraints. I was about to cry. Especially for John (Rich), it was a big deal for him too.

“I was standing there, looking at him, and I said, ‘I think we got skipped, John.’ He said, ‘I don’t know, maybe.’ I said, ‘If we did, that’s OK. That’s not what it’s about.’”

But then they were told to go on out and wait for the voiceover. She knew the words by heart and had rehearsed the number about five times with the others in the dressing room — and the words were on a teleprompter — but Wilson, a seasoned professional, was extremely nervous.

“When you go out there, your brain falls apart on you,” she said. “That’s a really important historical moment; these are things you do not want to mess up.”

About halfway through the performance — when her lips stopped quivering and her smile first appeared — the nerves went away. “I found myself looking at John and John looked at me. We felt at home, like we were supposed to be there.”

Wilson, a McCain supporter, wasn’t able to meet Palin because the country singer had to quickly leave to make a show in Ontario Thursday.

“After last night’s speech, I’m very much a Palin supporter, too,” Wilson said. “I think a lot of people were concerned about her and her ability and her strength and determination. In my opinion, I think she cleared a lot of that up in a lot of people’s minds last night.

“You know, I wouldn’t be afraid at all to think that she may end up being the first female president of the United States. I think she is just the woman for the job.”