Guitarist Lets Freedom Ring by Playing the Star-Spangled Banner at the Grand Canyon on Fourth of July

Andrew Suggs wanted to do something special on the 4h of July 2019. Suggs is an avid guitar player, who
is proud to be an American, so he paid tribute to his country the best way he knew how; by playing the
Star-Spangled Banner overlooking one of America’s most iconic landscapes: The Grand Canyon.
Suggs had the idea in a spark of inspiration, while on a camping trip in northern Arizona. His timing was
perfect, as the video was created on the Fourth of July.

“Happy 4th! Please share!” Suggs wrote in the Instagram post, after uploading the video to his YouTube
channel. In the video, Suggs stands at the edge of the Grand Canyon, electric guitar in hand, and plays
the National Anthem.

“I took my Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and Vox AC30 to the Grand Canyon to pay homage to our nation by
performing the national anthem. I plugged straight into the amp and turned it all the way up!” Suggs
said of the tribute, “I’m from Atlanta so I had to rep my city and my Braves while at the Canyon! I’m
pretty sure this is American history, being the first person to record the national anthem on electric
guitar at the Grand Canyon!”

He added: “It took a lot to pull this off – especially in one take! There was no crew involved so I was
juggling three cameras plus audio tracking and running electricity off of a vehicle!”
Andrew Suggs can be seen in an Atlanta Braves uniform, which was also part of his tribute. Being from
Atlanta, Suggs is a huge Braves fan and since baseball is America’s National Pastime, honoring his
favorite team came natural to him.

After the video went viral, Suggs updated his Instagram followers, explaining that the Braves team saw
the video. He reported that the team was so impressed with his performance, they invited him to play
the anthem ahead of first pitch at SunTrust Park, during one of the games, this season.

While Suggs only goal was to pay homage to his country, his passion, and his favorite baseball team, he
is certainly excited to have received so much attention. He is hopeful that when he goes to perform at
the game, he will have the opportunity to meet the man his jersey represented; Brave’s catcher, Brian
McCann.