Lee Greenwood

Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one. He has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

Greenwood is known for his signature song " God Bless the U.S.A.," which was originally released in the spring of 1984 and became a popular song, especially among members of the Republican Party (of which Greenwood is a member). That summer it was included in a film about Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee, which was shown at the 1984 Republican National Convention. "God Bless the U.S.A." gained prominence during the 1988 United States presidential election campaign, when Greenwood performed the song at the 1988 Republican National Convention and at rallies for the Republican nominee, George H. W. Bush. The song was also featured in television advertisements for Bush. It later became popular again during the Gulf War and after the September 11 attacks (becoming his highest charting pop hit, reaching number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and again during the 2016, 2020 and 2024 United States presidential elections as Donald Trump's rally introduction track.

His seven number-ones on the U.S. Hot Country Songs list in his career: " Somebody's Gonna Love You", " Going, Going, Gone", " Dixie Road", " I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)", " Don't Underestimate My Love For You", " Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love)", and " Mornin' Ride". His 1983 single "I.O.U." was also a top-five hit on the adult contemporary charts, and a number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early life

Greenwood was born in 1942 in South Gate, California, a few miles south of Los Angeles. He has German, English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. His father joined the U.S. Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and his mother was a piano player who had several jobs. After his parents separated, he grew up in Sacramento, on the farm of his maternal grandparents. At the age of seven, he started singing in church.

Greenwood did not serve in the United States military, despite the universal draft at the time. He has said that he was given a 3A deferment for family hardship due to having had a child at age 17. He eloped to Reno, Nevada, with his first wife, Edna, in 1960.

Career

Greenwood founded his first band, The Apollos, in 1962. The band, which changed its name later to Lee Greenwood Affair, played mostly pop music and appeared mostly in casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1969, he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearance. A short time later, he worked with the country musician Del Reeves. A few records were recorded in Los Angeles with the Paramount label. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as a blackjack dealer during the day and as a singer at night.

In 1979, he was "discovered" in Reno, Nevada, by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist for Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville division of the MCA label (which had recently absorbed the Paramount label), and McFaden became his manager.

The first single, the Jan Crutchfield-penned "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country chart in 1981. The song had been written for Kenny Rogers, Rogers recorded a version but decided to pass on it due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered to record at the time. " Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" landed him in the country top 10. Each song was marketed heavily, particularly in the South Florida market.

Greenwood is known for writing and recording " God Bless the U.S.A." in the early 1980s, and later "God Bless You Canada". The song gained renewed popularity following the start of the Gulf War in 1991, and again, 10 years later, following the September 11 attacks. "God Bless the U.S.A." re-entered the top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played across the U.S., at many public events.

Greenwood performed on the eve of the January 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump. Trump used "God Bless the U.S.A." as one of his campaign songs during the 2016 presidential election, the 2018 midterm elections, and again during the 2020 presidential election.

On May 19, 2018, Lee Greenwood was inducted into the Mississippi Music Project Hall of Fame by "Commander" Joseph W. Clark, for his contributions to the music industry.

Greenwood appeared at the Republican convention on July 15, 2024, and performed "God Bless the U.S.A", while former President Trump, the party's presidential nominee, entered the arena. Greenwood also performed for Marsha Blackburn after her victory in her 2018 Senate election. He also performed at the 250th Anniversary Parade and Celebration of the U.S. Army on June 14, 2025.

National Council on the Arts

In September 2008, President George W. Bush nominated Greenwood to succeed Makoto Fujimura for a six-year term to the National Council on the Arts expiring in 2014. He was confirmed by the Senate via voice vote in October 2008. In 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Esperanza Spalding to succeed Greenwood; however, the nomination was not acted upon by the Senate, allowing Greenwood to continue serving until President Joe Biden nominated, and the Senate confirmed, a successor, Kamilah Forbes.

Theater

In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule and built a theater in Sevierville, Tennessee, which opened its doors in April 1996. This gave Greenwood the opportunity to perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. According to an article in the Wilkes-Barre ''Times Leader'', Greenwood had considered building the 1,800-seat theater in Minneapolis; San Antonio; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Branson, Missouri. He eventually settled on eastern Tennessee as the most lucrative area: “The numbers in east Tennessee were far greater than anywhere else in the country, except Orlando, Florida, as a destination point for entertainment,” Greenwood said, lauding its proximity to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.Rose, Van
Country Veteran Turns off Road to Open Theater
28 April 1996, ''Times Leader''. Accessed 7 March 2025. The Lee Greenwood Theater operated for five seasons, then closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The former theater building now hosts a church.

Controversy

In May 2021, to commemorate the September 11 attacks, Greenwood published the '' God Bless the U.S.A. Bible''. This edition of the Bible has the U.S. flag on its leather cover and includes the texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the chorus of "God Bless the USA" in Greenwood's handwriting. These augmentations have sparked controversy among certain Christians, who argue that it violates Scriptural prohibitions, such as those contained in Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18, against "add nganything" to "the commands of the Lord your God." The text of the Bible was intended to be the New International Version, but Zondervan, the division of HarperCollins that owns the rights to the New International Version, withheld them rather than associate Christianity with American jingoism, and it used the King James Version, which is in the public domain in the United States. It created further controversy in 2024 when current president Donald Trump promoted a new edition printed in China and sold at a 1600 percent markup.

Family

Greenwood is married to former Miss Tennessee USA Kimberly Payne, his fourth wife but fifth marriage, who is 25 years his junior. They have two sons together, Dalton and Parker. He married his first wife Edna at age 17, whom he divorced and remarried. The second was Melanie Cronk, and the third was Roberta Taylor. He has four children from his earlier marriages.

Discography

References

Further reading

* Wood, Gerry (1998). "Lee Greenwood". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 212–213.

External links

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1942 births
20th-century American singer-songwriters
20th-century American saxophonists
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American saxophonists
American country singer-songwriters
California Republicans
Country musicians from California
Grammy Award winners
Living people
People from South Gate, California
Singer-songwriters from California
Tennessee Republicans