by Paul Sciria

Poet Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the song eyeballing the British bombardment of Ft. McHenry in Chesapeake Bay. The music and lyrics became so popular it was renamed "The Star Spangled Banner." It became the national anthem when President Hoover signed a March 3, 1931 resolution.

The baritone/tenor Rocco Scotti, who sang the anthem more times than anyone, passed away last month at 95-years-old. Raised in Cleveland's Little Italy, he estimated he sang the anthem 10,000 times, mostly at Cleveland Indians baseball games.

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Source: http://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/