| Revision as of 10:41, 16 April 2009 edit204.52.215.14 (talk) Fact relevant to Greenwood's rhetoric.← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:46, 18 April 2009 edit undo128.59.171.155 (talk) →Military Service: Not relevant and unreferenced. Violation of WP:BLP.Next edit → | ||
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| ==Theater== | ==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 ], 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 ] and ] which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church. | 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 ], 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 ] and ] which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church. | ||
| ==Military Service== | |||
| Greenwood has no military service. | |||
| ==Discography== | ==Discography== | ||
Revision as of 19:46, 18 April 2009
For the Halifax rugby league player, see Lee Greenwood (rugby league). | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Lee Greenwood" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Lee Greenwood |
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Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in South Gate, California) is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than thirty-five singles on the Billboard country music charts.
Although he is best known for his single "God Bless the USA", Greenwood also has charted seven Number One hits 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 #53 on the Billboard Hot 100. A 2001 re-release of "God Bless the USA" became his highest charting pop hit, reaching #16 on the Hot 100.
Early life
 | This section needs expansion with: More biographical info. You can help by adding to it. (October 2008) |
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. He briefly battled a cocaine addiction and moved to Iceland to go to rehab. 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 blackjack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.
Career
| This section needs expansion with: More info on each album, critical reception. You can help by adding to it. (October 2008) |
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 division of the MCA label (who had recently absorbed the Paramount 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, Time on Her Hands" landed him in the country top 10. Each song was marketed heavily, particularly in the South Florida market by MCA Account Service Rep, Brad Fitzgerald, among others.
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.
In November 2008, President Bush appointed Greenwood to a 6 year term to the National Arts Council.
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 contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.
Discography
Main article: Lee Greenwood discographyReferences
- Wood, Gerry (1998). "Lee Greenwood". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 212–3.