Alabama’s Million Dollar Band will have a special celebrity conductor for “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to tonight football game vs. LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

James Spann, the well-known meteorologist at ABC 33/40, announced in a Facebook post early Saturday that he will direct the band in the national anthem prior to kickoff. Spann, who grew up in Tuscaloosa, played French horn in the Tuscaloosa High School band in the early 1970s prior to attending Alabama and later graduating from Mississippi State.

“FULL CIRCLE,” Spann wrote. “Fifty years ago I was in the Tuscaloosa High School band. A really bad French horn player. This photo was taken during my sophomore year. While I wasn’t much of a musician, the band experience provided me with many life lessons that would help me in the decades to follow. It was a wonderful experience.

“This evening, I will have the honor of directing the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band in the National Anthem before the Alabama/LSU game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I marched on that field during my THS days (Denny Stadium was our home field)…

“I never dreamed I would be on the big ladder in front of the Million Dollar Band one day. But tonight it happens…”

Here’s the full post:

Spann, 67, is arguably the most recognizable television personality in the state of Alabama, famous for his marathon broadcast sessions during major weather events such at tornadoes and hurricanes. He won an Emmy for his television work in 2001 and was named National Weather Association Broadcaster of the Year in 2012.

Kickoff for Alabama-LSU is set for 6:45 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. CBS will provide television coverage.