For the Halifax rugby league player, see Lee Greenwood (rugby league).

Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood performing in his trademark Stars and Stripes jacket.
Background information
Birth name	Lee Greenwood
Born	October 27, 1942 (1942-10-27) (age 65)
Origin	South Gate, California, USA
Genre(s)	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1982-present
Label(s)	MCA, Capitol, Liberty, Curb
Associated acts	Eddie Rabbitt Crystal Gayle Kenny Rogers
Website	www.leegreenwood.com

Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in South Gate, California) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. He is best known for a string of Countrypolitan hits throughout the 1980s, as well as for his hit "God Bless the USA".

Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Theater 4 Discography 4.1 Singles 4.2 Albums 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life

After the separation of his parents, Lee grew up in Sacramento on the poultry farm of his grandparents. At the age of seven, he began playing the saxophone, and at the age of nine became a member of a dance ensemble. 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.

He founded his first band, Apollo, 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. 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 black jack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.

[edit] Career

In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nevada by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville-based MCA label, and McFaden became his manager.

The first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country charts. Greenwood had written this song for Kenny Rogers, but Rogers turned it down due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered at the time. "Ring On Her Finger and Time on her Hands" landed him in the country top 10.

He is best known for writing and recording the patriotic song "God Bless the USA" in the early 1980s. "God Bless the USA" gained renewed popularity following the launch of Operation: Desert Storm in 1991, and again, ten years later, following the September 11, 2001 attacks; in fact, the song even re-entered the Top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played at many public events and commemorations of the attacks. He supports the United States Republican Party.

[edit] Theater

In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule to spend time with his wife and newborn son. In his time off, he elected to build a theater in Sevierville, Tennessee, and in April 1996, the "Lee Greenwood Theater" opened its doors. This gave Greenwood the opportunity to still perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. The theater operated for five seasons, and closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The theater was not located in the heavily entertainment and tourist oriented areas of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Gatlinburg, Tennessee which was contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year	Title	US Country	US Hot 100	US AC	Album
1981	"It Turns Me Inside Out"	17	-	-	Inside Out
1982	"Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands"	5	-	-	Inside Out
1982	"She's Lying"	7	-	-	Inside Out
1982	"Ain't No Trick (It Takes Magic)"	7	-	-	Inside Out
1983	"I.O.U"	6	53	4	Somebody's Gonna Love You
1983	"Somebody's Gonna Love You"	1	96	-	Somebody's Gonna Love You
1983	"Going, Going, Gone"	1	-	-	Somebody's Gonna Love You
1984	"Fool's Gold"	3	-	-	You've Got A Good Love Comin'
1984	"God Bless the USA"	7	-	26	You've Got A Good Love Comin'
1984	"You've Got a Good Love Comin'"	9	-	-	You've Got A Good Love Comin'
1985	"Dixie Road"	1	-	-	Greatest Hits
1985	"I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)"	1	-	-	Streamline
1986	"Don't Underestimate My Love For You"	1	-	-	Streamline
1986	"Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love)"	1	-	-	Streamline
1986	"Didn't We"	10	-	-	Love Will Find Its Way To You
1986	"Mornin' Ride"	1	-	-	Love Will Find Its Way To You
1987	"Someone"	5	-	-	If There's Any Justice
1987	"If There's Any Justice"	9	-	-	If There's Any Justice
1987	"Touch and Go Crazy"	5	-	-	If There's Any Justice
1988	"I Still Believe"	12	-	-	This Is My Country
1988	"You Can't Fall In Love When You're Cryin'"	20	-	-	This Is My Country
1989	"I'll Be Lovin' You"	16	-	-	This Is My Country
1989	"I Love the Way He Left You"	43	-	-	If Only For One Night
1989	"I Go Crazy"	55	-	-	If Only For One Night
1990	"Holdin' a Good Hand"	2	-	-	Holdin' a Good Hand
1990	"We've Got It Made"	14	-	-	Holdin' a Good Hand
1991	"Just Like Me"	52	-	-	Holdin' a Good Hand
1991	"Hopelessly Yours (with Suzy Bogguss)"	12	-	-	A Perfect 10
1992	"If You'll Let This Fool Back In"	58	-	-	The Best of Lee Greenwood
1992	"Before I'm Ever Over You"	73	-	-	The Best of Lee Greenwood
2001	"God Bless the USA" (re-release)	16	16	12	God Bless the USA: The Best of Lee Greenwood

[edit] Albums

Year	Album	RIAA Certification	US Country	Billboard Top 200
1982	Inside Out	Gold	63	-
1983	Somebody's Gonna Love You	Gold	3	73
1984	You've Got a Good Love Comin'	Gold	6	195
1985	Greatest Hits	Platinum	4	163
1985	Streamline	-	1	-
1985	Christmas to Christmas	-	29	-
1986	Love Will Find Its Way to You	-	1	-
1987	If There's Any Justice	-	38	-
1988	Greatest Hits, Volume 2	-	27	-
1988	This Is My Country	-	25	-
1989	If Only for One Night	-	66	-
1990	Holdin' a Good Hand	-	69	-
1991	A Perfect 10	-	38	-
1992	American Patriot	Platinum	68	-
1993	The Best of Lee Greenwood	-	-	-
1998	Wounded Heart	-	-	-
2000	Same River Different Bridge	-	-	-
2000	Good Old Country	-	66	-
2000	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	-	35	-
2000	God Bless the USA: The Best of Lee Greenwood	-	-	-
2003	Stronger Than Time	-	-	-
2004	MCA Definitive Collection	-	-	-

[edit] References

• Wood, Gerry (1998). "Lee Greenwood". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 212-3.

[edit] External links

• Official website

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Greenwood"