My Journey to the American Dream

LEE GREENWOOD (NASHVILLE, TN) is a country music singer-songwriter of seven #1 songs & 25 charted singles. His country hits include: “It Turns Me Inside Out”, “Ring On Her Finger Time On Her Hands”, ”She’s Lying”, “I Don’t Mind the Thorns If You’re The Rose”, “Dixie Road”, “Somebody’s Gonna Love You”, “Going, Going, Gone”, “You Got A Good Love Comin”, “Fools Gold”, and “Mornin’ Ride” while he already garnered several crossover hits such as “Touch & Go Crazy”, “IOU”, and the duet with Barbara Mandrell, “To Me”. He has won numerous industry awards including, Male Vocalist of the Year from the Academy of Country Music in 1983, two Male Vocalist of the Year awards from the Country Music Association in 1983 & 1984 and a Grammy for Top Male Vocal Performance in 1985 for “I.O.U.”. The Country Music Associations also named “God Bless The U.S.A.” its Song of the Year in 1985.“God Bless the U.S.A.” went far beyond what Greenwood expected when he wrote it in the back of his tour bus in 1983. The song has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It was also #1 on the pop charts after 9/11/01. In addition, CBS News voted “God Bless The U.S.A.” the most recognizable patriotic song in America. In 2011, Beyonce offered her version of “God Bless the U.S.A.” as a download, with the proceeds going to the 9/11 firefighters fund in NYC. It has been performed by contestants on American Idol twice & was the winning song in the 2011 Dancing with the Stars competition on ABC. The song is performed at all military and patriotic events throughout the year all across America, has also been in several movies and is now part of the film shown by The Department of Homeland Security when new citizens are sworn in to the United States. And the God Bless The USA Bible, the King James Version (KJV) along with the founding father documents – The Pledge of Allegiance, The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence – was created for the purpose of bringing faith back into the United States.Greenwood recounts: “‘USA’ is the song I always felt the need to write. I wanted to have something that would unite Americans from coast to coast and to instill pride back in the United States. The song represents my family, my community and those men and women who have paid the price for the freedoms we all love and enjoy.” 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of “God Bless The U.S.A.”.President George W. Bush appointed Greenwood to serve on the National Endowment of the Arts Council and his appointment was U.S. Senate approved. That Presidential Appointment continued under President Obama and President Trump, and for one year under President Biden, who then appointed Greenwood to serve on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.Greenwood is the bestselling author of Does God Still Bless the U.S.A.?: A Plea for a Better America, and Proud To Be An American, an illustrated children’s book.Greenwood and his wife, Kimberly, a former Miss Tennessee, met in 1989 on a USO/DOD tour. They were married in Nashville in 1992 and have two sons, Dalton and Parker. Greenwood is a proud father of six and grandfather of many more!The author lives and works in the Nashville, TN metro area.LeeGreenwood.com