It was time for a big basketball game at a school in Morgantown in West Virginia in the United States. The audience was composed and the players were waiting anxiously to go out onto the field. Leslie Dochester was supposed to sing the national anthem before the match started but she was nowhere to be found. The crows waited and waited… but she never showed up…
A big snowstorm raged over the city outside and it was chaos on the roads. Leslie was stuck in traffic.
Meanwhile, police officer Carlton Smith was on duty in the arena. When Leslie Dochester didn’t show up, he was asked to take her place instead. With just five minutes to prepare, he was thrown into the spotlight.
One can only imagine how nervous he must have been having had absolutely no preparation for such an important performance. But within a few seconds he has charmed the entire audience with his incredible voice. I later heard that he auditioned for American Idol in 2014 – and completely understand why!
Carlton’s fabulous talent is now spreading like wildfire online, with nearly half a million YouTube views of his impromptu performance in just days.
Carlton says that he is overwhelmed by all the positive feedback he has received.
“Anytime you sing the national anthem, there’s a sense of pride. I love this country and I love singing. So two of the things that I love put together, there’s an overwhelming feeling of joy,” Carlton told Bob Huggins on his show.
Take a look at his magical performance here:
Please share if you agree Carlton did a simply phenomenal job!:)
