Lawson Sings the National Anthem

Kaci Bates, "Smokey," Bradley Bates, Lawson Bates

 

Are you a college basketball fan? The Bates are! Yesterday was opening night, and Lawson Bates had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. And this isn't the first time that Lawson has shared his musical talents with Tennessee sports fans. Below is a video of his performance in February 2016.

It turned out to be a great night for the Vols and the Bates. The Vols beat Lenoir-Rhyne, and Lawson had the cutest supporters on the block (see photo above).

Photo courtesy of Zach and Whitney Bates; video courtesy of lawsonbates.com

"Volun-told" to Sing the National Anthem

Zach Bates graduated from the Police Academy on last week's episode of Bringing Up Bates. As Zach puts it, he was "volun-told" to perform the National Anthem at the graduation ceremony, after someone at the sheriff's department found out he could sing.

"He did such a good job," says Josie in the video below.

Video courtesy of UP

Lawson's Latest Gig

Over the weekend, Lawson Bates had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the Tennessee vs. Louisiana State University men's basketball game (video below).

Before the game, Lawson was interviewed by Noah from NoahPOPTV (video below).

Videos courtesy Lawson Bates, NoahPOPTV

Recap: "The Purity Ring"

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "The Purity Ring"...

• Lawson Bates prepares to sing the National Anthem for 15,000 people at a University of Tennessee men's basketball game. When he first mentioned the idea to his parents, they thought it wouldn't be possible, but Lawson made it happen. "He doesn't give up," says Kelly. "He kept pursuing, and that's encouraging as a parent."
• The rest of the Bates clan attends the game to support Lawson. This is the first major sporting event they have attended as a family.
• Before the performance, Lawson admits he is extremely nervous, but he ends up doing very well. Lawson's parents and siblings are proud of his accomplishment. Gil tears up as he listens to his son sing.
• "It was absolutely awesome," says Carlin. "The crowd loved it," says Nathan.
• Later, Carlin is shocked when she receives a special delivery: a bouquet of flowers, a fancy dress, and an invite to a dinner date with Mom and Dad.
• Carlin is all smiles as she and her parents enjoy a meal at an expensive restaurant, just the three of them.
• Gil starts to cry as presents her with a purity ring. "This is a little gift that we got you," says the father of 19. "It's valuable, but what you are is way more valuable than any gift we could give you, and what God's given you is a wholesome, pure life. And I want you to keep it until the day that I hand you off to some fine young man that loves God, and then he will begin to take care of you."
• Kelly says that she expects Carlin to start forming friendships with guys and to enter into a courtship when she finds a guy she really likes.
• "For us, a purity ring is something we have given our girls, just as a symbol for them and a reminder for them to keep their heart pure and to put God first in their life and to save themselves for marriage," says the mom of 19.
• At Zach and Whitney's house, the couple shares how they are adjusting to life with a new baby. "Whitney is an amazing mom," says Zach. "I'm just blown away. The way her and Bradley bond, you'd think she'd had 20 or 30 kids of her own already." Whitney says her husband is an excellent father.
• The Bates brings a pile of frozen pizzas over to Zach and Whitney's for some family bonding time. Kelly comes up with the idea of getting together every other Friday night, and everyone agrees.

Tonight on UP

Tune in to UP tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT for a new episode of Bringing Up Bates (video preview below). In "The Purity Ring," Carlin spends a night out with her parents, and they have a special surprise for her. Later, the Bates family visits Zach and Whitney as they adjust to being first-time parents. Then, Lawson sings the National Anthem in front of 15,000 people.