The NFL Players Choir set the tone for the 15th annual NFL Honors on Thursday night, opening the ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco with a spirited rendition of Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Let’s Groove Tonight” before host Jon Hamm took the stage.
The performance landed exactly the way you’d want an awards show opener to land, loose, energetic and perfectly matched to the room. A choir made up entirely of current and former NFL players belting out a funk classic three days before Super Bowl LX is the kind of moment that reminds you Super Bowl week still knows how to have fun.
Who Is In the NFL Players Choir?
The Players Choir has been a fixture of Super Bowl weekend since 2008, when the group debuted at the 9th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration in Phoenix. Founded by celebration creator and executive producer Melanie Few, the choir was originally assembled with more than 40 active and former players under the direction of Grammy Award-winning artist Donnie McClurkin.
MORE: Full List of Award Winners
The group is now led by Grammy-winning Gospel producer Myron Butler and Demarcus Williams as music directors. Its roster reads like a cross-section of NFL history: Super Bowl champions, Pro Bowlers, Walter Payton Man of the Year recipients and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees have all lent their voices. Notable members have included Cameron Newton, Tully Banta-Cain, Bryan Scott, Prince Amukamara, Bryant McKinnie, Tommie Harris and Isaiah McKenzie, among others.
The NFL Players Choir gave us a little preview on the red carpet before the start of NFL Honors. pic.twitter.com/ZzRlBvPSCC
— Eric Williams (@edubnfl22) February 6, 2026
The choir broke through to a mainstream audience in 2022, advancing to the semifinals of NBC’s America’s Got Talent after impressing judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara with an a cappella encore of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” They also performed at the 2024 NFL Honors on CBS, the NFL Draft Concert Series in Detroit and the Essence Festival of Culture.
A Busy Super Bowl Week for the Choir
Thursday’s NFL Honors wasn’t the only stage for the Players Choir this week in the Bay Area. The group is also featured in the 27th Annual Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, which premieres Saturday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. ET on BET. Hosted by former NFL MVP Cam Newton, this year’s celebration carries the theme “Go Higher” and includes performances by Pastor Mike Jr., Lalah Hathaway, LaRussell, Miles Minnick, Jamal Roberts and the South Carolina State University Marching 101.
READ MORE: Super Bowl 60 Predictions: Predicting the Winner, Final Score, MVP, and More
The Soulful Celebration, the only NFL-sanctioned inspirational event during Super Bowl weekend, will honor Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss with the Lifetime of Inspiration Award and Giants quarterback Jameis Winston with the Faith in Action Award.
