ENTERTAINMENT

Jim Nabors to sing 'Indiana' one last time at 2014 Indianapolis 500

Leslie Bailey
leslie.bailey@indystar.com
Jim Nabors will sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" for the last time at the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Oh, honey — I've earned my time here in Hawaii," Jim Nabors said Tuesday over the phone from his Diamond Head home in Honolulu.

It's a quiet life by design, a place to relax after a career spanning six decades as an actor and singer. He lives there with Stan Cadwallader, (his partner of 39 years, whom he married in Seattle last year) and their two German shepherds.

"I've traveled most of my career. I've probably played every single state fair in the union, most of the counties, too, and headlined in Vegas for 35 years running — it's getting too difficult to get along now," Nabors said.

So the 83-year-old has decided that 2014 will be the last year he will sing "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500. The 98th running will take place on May 25.

"Like the old song goes, 'Don't Stay Too Long at the Fair,'" he said.

Known best for his role as Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show," Nabors has performed "Indiana" over the public-address system at IMS nearly every year since 1972.

From the archive:Nabors has made them weep at Indy 500 since 1972

He missed the race most recently in 2012 after having a heart valve replacement.

The song was first sung at the start of the race in 1946. "A lot of people did it just once but somehow or another, Jim Nabors just clicked," Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson told The IndianapolisStar in 2013.

Nabors recalls his first Speedway performance with fondness and laughter. He attended the race as the guest of casino operator Bill Harrah. Upon meeting Nabors, the Speedway's owner, Tony Hulman, invited him to sing ... 20 minutes before the start of the race.

"I thought I was going to sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' When Mr. Hulman said, 'Sing the song,' naturally, I thought that's what he meant," Nabors said, laughing. Moments before showtime, the band leader told him the song was "(Back Home Again in) Indiana."

"I looked at him and said, 'Well I'm from Alabama!'" Nabors recalled with a twang. "I sure knew the tune but wasn't sure about the lyrics. So I wrote them on my hand and suddenly they said, 'You're on.'

He may be from Alabama but upon hearing the crowd's reaction, Nabors said he was dumbfounded. "I became a Hoosier that day," he said.

To honor and thank Nabors for his years of performance, the Speedway is encouraging fans to tell their Nabors stories at www.IMS.com/weallhaveastory. More tributes will be announced at a later date.

His own memorable moments are plentiful.

"One year, every time I started singing it started raining," he said. Singing, rain. Signing, rain. Singing, rain. "The fourth time they started booing me — not really, just in a laughing way. I said, 'I'm sorry. It ain't my fault!' The race finally ran on the following Thursday when Nabors sang "Indiana" a cappella. (The Purdue University Marching Band wasn't available.)

As for the future, no plans for the "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" performance will be announced until after this year's Indianapolis 500.

When asked if he'll miss it, Nabors tells a story about Andy Griffith.

Nabors said Griffith called to check in one day. "He said he really missed working. We talked for about an hour, and he died a week later. He was one of my favorite people," Nabors said with sadness in his voice.

It's not but a few seconds before he perks back up again.

Nabors, who follows the IndyCar series on television throughout the season, said just because he's done singing doesn't mean he'll never make it back to the 500. With his hometown approximately 20 miles from Talladega, he grew up a race fan and since coming to his first 500 has followed drivers such as Dario Franchitti throughout their careers.

"I love him. He's one of my favorites," he said of Dario Franchitti. "Racing will really miss him."

Mr. Nabors, racing will miss you, too.

Call Star reporter Leslie Bailey at (317) 444-6094. Follow her on Twitter:@Lesalina.