Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in South Gate, California) is an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴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".

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. 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 black jack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.

Career

In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nev., 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.

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, Tenn., 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, Tenn., and Gatlinburg, Tenn., which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.

Amazing Grace
Lee Greenwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I`m found.
Was blind, but now I see.

`Twas grace that taught my heart to feel
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

When we`ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We`ve no less days to sing God`s praise
Then when we first begun.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I`m found.
Was blind, but now I see.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lee Greenwood's version of Amazing Grace depict the transformative power of grace in the life of a person who was once lost and blind, but is now found and able to see. The singer acknowledges their own unworthiness as a "wretch," but recognizes that they have been saved by grace, which has not only taught their heart to feel but has also relieved their fears. The singer then looks forward to eternity in heaven, where they will continue to praise God with no end in sight.

Line by Line Meaning

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
The grace of God is truly amazing, and its sweetness can be felt in one's soul

That saved a wretch like me.
God's grace has the power to save even the most undeserving person, like myself

I once was lost, but now I`m found.
Before I experienced God's grace, I wandered aimlessly through life, but now I have been found and have direction and purpose

Was blind, but now I see.
Just as a blind person cannot see physical things, I was once spiritually blind, but God's grace opened my eyes and allowed me to truly see

`Twas grace that taught my heart to feel
God's grace is what taught me to love and feel compassion for others

And grace my fears relieved.
God's grace has the power to remove all fear and anxiety, replacing them with peace and security

How precious did that grace appear
God's grace is so valuable and precious, and I treasure it deeply

The hour I first believed.
The moment I truly believed in God's grace was a life-changing experience that I will never forget

When we`ve been there ten thousand years
In heaven, time will no longer be a concern, and we will be able to spend eternity in the presence of God

Bright shining as the sun,
Our souls will shine with the bright, eternal light of God's glory

We`ve no less days to sing God`s praise
In heaven, we will have an endless amount of time to praise and worship God

Then when we first begun.
Our praise and worship of God will be just as fresh and new in the eternity of heaven as it was when we first began our journey with Him

Lyrics © Public Domain
Written by: John Newton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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