Washington, D.C. -- On Monday, July 2, members of the Marine Band performed alongside the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters as the military musicians backed up country artist Chris Janson’s recording performance for the Hallmark Channel’s White House Independence Day special. Almost two hundred Marines from Marine Barracks Washington crowded into John Philip Sousa Band Hall at Marine Barracks Annex for the performance as Janson performed his hit “Our World,” from his Everybody album, and his new song “Soul in Your Country,” a tribute to America’s servicemen and women.
As Janson stood before the room full of service members, he genuinely thanked the service members for their service and said it was incredibly humbling to be performing for them and “cool as hell.” He encouraged the Marines to let their hair down and referred to the Marine Band musicians as “The Lone Rangers.” After the first run-through he asked if he could take them on the road, shouting “Man that is fun; that is powerful! It’s one great big old American party in here!”
Following the recording, Janson performed his number-one hits “Buy me a Boat” and “Fix a Drink,” then spent time with the Marines for a meet and greet, signing autographs and posing for selfies. The singer/songwriter later posted on his Facebook page: “Words have no comparison, to the humility I felt, standing in front of a full room of Marines and Navy. There’s no way to really prepare for that moment, until you’re there. The men and women who provide us the luxury and privilege of living in Freedom, every single day. An overwhelming amount of love and gratitude mutually filled the room. It will go down as one of the most impactful days of my life. My heart is full. Thank you for serving our country.”
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