ALICIA KEYS - KEYS TO PERFORM AT THE SUPER BOWL

ALICIA KEYS has been recruited to perform AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL before this year's (05) SUPER BOWL - making it only the third time the song has been sung at the American football final.

GRAMMY-winning beauty Keys, who will join RAY CHARLES and VIKKI CARR as stars who have performed the song at the Super Bowl, will be accompanied by 150 students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, which Charles attended in 1937.

The students will sign and sing along with Keys, reports MTV.

Keys says in a statement, "I'm very excited to be playing at the Super Bowl for the first time, especially because I will be singing a song made famous by an artist I admire, miss and respect."

Super Bowl XXXIX takes place at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on 6 February (05).