About Lee Greenwood
Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music singer-songwriter and saxophonist.
Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with 7 singles reaching the number one. He has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
Greenwood is known for his patriotic 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 . That summer, it was included in a film about President Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee, that 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 in 1991 and after the September 11 attacks , and again during the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections as President 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 ", "Don't Underestimate My Love For You", "Hearts Aren't Made to Break ", 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.
Greenwood was born in South Gate, California, a few miles south of Los Angeles. 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 children at age 17. He eloped to Reno, Nevada, with his first wife, Edna Greenwood, in 1960.
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