Lee Greenwood's intricate, ornate, often majestic songs have earned the Californian a sturdy reputation in Nashville and a following among country fans. In the 1970s, Greenwood paid his dues, playing saxophone for Del Reeves and working in a Dixieland jazz band at Disneyland. In 1981, he scored the hit "It Turns Me Out." It would prove the first of a long string of them, including the pop crossover ballad "I.O.U." and the original version of "Wind Beneath My Wings." However, it is the swelling, patriotic "God Bless the U.S.A.," a Top Ten country hit in 1994, a Top 40 pop hit in 2001 in the wake of 9/11, and a mainstay at conservative political rallies, parades, and sporting events, for which Greenwood will always be remembered. Growing up on a Sacramento farm, Greenwood was musical at a very early age, teaching himself how to play saxophone when he was nine. In his preadolescence, he played in a western dance band called My Moondreams. At 13, he moved with his recently remarried mother to Anaheim, California, but three years later he returned to Sacramento to live with his grandparents. Between the two moves, he played in a variety of country and Dixieland bands. Upon his return to Sacramento, Greenwood joined Chester Smith's band, which raised his profile within California. Soon, Del Reeves hired Greenwood to play saxophone, and while he was with the singer, Lee learned how to become a showman. In 1962, he formed his own band, a pop combo named Apollo, and the group moved to Las Vegas. Within five years, the group was renamed the Lee Greenwood Affair and relocated to Los Angeles, where they made a handful of records for Paramount. Once the record label went out of business, Greenwood was asked to join the fledgling Rascals by Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli, but he declined. Instead, he moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as an arranger, backup vocalist, and lounge pianist, and accompanied strippers by playing organ. By 1973, he became the lead singer and bassist in the Bare Touch of Vegas revue, while he continued to work as a blackjack dealer at the Tropicana. He held down both jobs for much of the mid-'70s. By the end of the '70s, he was singing in lounges in Reno, where he met Larry McFaden, who was then leading Mel Tillis' touring band. Greenwood was initially reluctant to record, but he eventually traveled to Nashville and recorded a set of demos. Shortly afterward, McFaden became his manager and helped the singer sign a deal with MCA Records in June of 1981. Four months later, his first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out," climbed into the country Top 20. Greenwood's initial success was helped enormously by the similarity between his husky voice -- toughened up by years of working in smoky casinos -- and that of Kenny Rogers. In March of 1982, his second single, "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands," climbed into the Top Ten, beginning a streak of 19 Top Ten singles that ran virtually uninterrupted for the next six years. During that time, he racked up no less than seven number-one hits: "Somebody's Gonna Love You" (1983), "Going, Going, Gone" (1984), "Dixie Road" (1985), "I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)" (1985), "Don't Underestimate My Love for You" (1986), "Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love)" (1986), and "Mornin' Ride" (1986). In addition to his solo hits, Greenwood had several hit duets with Barbara Mandrell, including the number three hit "To Me" (1984). None of Greenwood's music was close to pure country -- it was adult contemporary country-pop in the vein of Rogers. Unlike Rogers, however, Greenwood rarely crossed over into the pop charts, and when he did, it was only in 1983, when slickly produced country-pop could make inroads on adult contemporary radio. His popularity was at its peak during the mid-'80s, when his conservative music and neo-conservative lyrics managed to capture the imagination of the nation; though "God Bless the U.S.A." only peaked at number seven on the country charts in 1984, it became a recurring theme song for several Republican political campaigns during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Furthermore, Greenwood won many popularity polls and awards from various country music magazines and associations. Greenwood switched labels in 1990, signing to Capitol Records. His initial singles for the label, "Holdin' a Good Hand" and "We've Got It Made," were successful, but his audience steadily declined during the first half of the decade. Though he tried to retain his audience through patriotic work during the 1991 Gulf War -- even earning the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Patriot Award and a Points of Light Foundation Award -- he couldn't successfully battle the onslaught of harder-edged, contemporary country artists that overtook country radio in the early '90s. By the middle of the decade, he was no longer charting singles, and he had begun re-recording his biggest hits for a variety of labels; he also continued to tour and give concerts. In 2000 he attempted a comeback with his new album, Same River...Different Bridge and returned to the country charts later that year with Good Old Country, and again in 2001 with the holiday-themed Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. "God Bless the U.S.A." became popular again during the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections as President Donald Trump's rally introduction track. ~ Tom Roland & Jason Thurston, Rovi

McDowell Country Music Roundup 2024

Lee Greenwood

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