Latest news with #LeeGreenwood
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Fallen heroes' Local police, sheriff's offices post for Memorial Day
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Multiple local law enforcement offices posted Monday in observance of Memorial Day. 'Today, we pause to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day – a day of remembrance for the courageous men and women who have laid down their lives in service to our country,' the Knox County Sheriff's Office wrote. 'Their valor and selflessness have paved the way for the freedoms we enjoy today.' Families and volunteers place flags to honor veterans on Memorial Day weekend The Madisonville Police Department, meanwhile, asked people to never forget the country's 'fallen heroes,' while other groups posted graphics like the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office which shared an image of marching soldiers and a graveyard of white crosses beneath the words 'Always Remember…' The Cocke County Sheriff's Office posted a quote from the popular song 'God Bless the U.S.A.' by Lee Greenwood: 'And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.' Gold Star Father shares about his veteran son while taking the last Smoky Mountain Thunder Memorial Ride 'Today, we remember and honor all who served and currently serve, as well as those who paid the ultimate sacrifice,' the University of Tennessee Police Department wrote. 'From our family to yours, we hope you have a safe and healthy Memorial Day.' 'Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Their courage, dedication, and selflessness have secured the freedoms we cherish every day.' Anderson County Sheriff's Office Many other law enforcement groups posted as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Lee Greenwood on Music, Patriotism, and the Power of Lyrics
In today's episode, we sit down with legendary singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood for an intimate conversation about the origins of his iconic anthem, his musical journey, and the deeper meaning behind 'God Bless the USA.' Greenwood reflects on growing up with humble beginnings, working nightclubs at age 15, and eventually building a remarkable career spanning decades. 'Music was my foundation, but it wasn't until my 20s that I found my voice,' he shares. He opens up about writing 'God Bless the USA,' the conscious decision to put faith and country at the heart of the lyrics, and how the song became a rallying cry for generations during moments of national crisis. 'Putting God first was never a question,' he says. Beyond the music, Greenwood discusses faith, family, his collaboration with Drew Jacobs that took the anthem to the rock charts, and his role with the Kennedy Center and the National Council on the Arts. He also shares stories from recent performances, including the 2024 GOP convention, and his creation of the 'God Bless the USA Bible.' Join us for a heartfelt and inspiring conversation with one of America's most enduring voices—one that reminds us what patriotism, perseverance, and purpose truly mean. Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Related Stories 1/15/2025 8/7/2021
Epoch Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Lee Greenwood Says There Was ‘No Doubt' About Putting God First When Writing Song
Country music singer and songwriter Lee Greenwood said putting God first was a 'conscious thought' with 'no doubt about it' when he wrote the lyrics to his iconic patriotic song 'God Bless the USA.' ''God Bless the USA' represented for me my love of the country,' Greenwood said in a recent He said his belief in the military, as well as his belief that he was a Christian and needed to express that, both played an important part in writing the song. The song was originally released in 1984. That same year, he He said the song took on its own life after it became song of the year in 1985 for the Country Music Association. He sang it Related Stories 4/17/2025 1/15/2025 He said it later lifted up America during the Gulf War and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York in 2001. Then it was picked up by President Donald Trump as his walk-out It wasn't always smooth sailing for Greenwood, though, who came from humble beginnings and was raised on a farm. 'I didn't have much, but I didn't know that I didn't have much,' he said. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, Greenwood's father joined the Navy, leaving his mother to raise him and his sister, Greenwood said. He said his mother decided to divorce his father because of that and moved the family to his grandparents' farm in Sacramento, California. 'You've got to remember that during World War II, everybody sacrificed. … My grandparents were not any exception to that,' he said. 'Being sharecroppers, we didn't have a lot of land, so there wasn't a lot of money to go around.' But there was a small piano in his family's trailer that he would play at night for fun. With that, 'I had all I needed, and music came easy,' he said. Soon, he was able to play songs from the radio. 'I'm talking 9, 10, 11 years old, and we only had a very small radio that I could get a couple of stations on,' he said. Greenwood said his grandparents, who were his guardians, sent him to the First Baptist Church in North Sacramento when he was around nine years old. There, he sang in the choir. 'I remember my first song that I ever sang in church was O Holy Night, and I was scared to death because the pastor was all full of brim and fire,' he said. He said he enjoyed having faith while singing in the choir and that it gave him a great deal of spirit and harmony, but it wasn't until later that singing became his focus. 'I didn't really become what you would call a commercial singer and stand out in front of the band to sing until I was probably in my 20s,' he said. He said after his mother remarried, he spent a year in Orange County with her and attended Anaheim High School, where he started to learn other instruments. Then he moved back to Sacramento to finish high school at Norte del Rio. He was the drum major for the marching band and played the saxophone in the dance band. 'I worked in nightclubs at 15 years old,' he said, 'because in those days every quartet had a saxophone player, and I was the only one in Sacramento they wanted.' After high school, he got his own band together and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, because that's where the money was, and he ended up staying 20 years, he said. 'I don't believe I had a lot of faith in Nevada; I was chasing my career so very hard,' he said. 'I had a marriage and a divorce, another marriage and a divorce. I could not find the thing that would keep my feet on the ground.' It was when Greenwood moved to Nashville that he met his current wife, who helped bring him back to the faith that he had been missing, he said. He said they met in 1989 and were married in 1992, and at the time he had already written 'God Bless the USA' in a search for that faith, but it was his wife who embraced that part of his career and helped him to have the strongest faith he could possibly have. 'I believe she's the one that brought me back to the belief that I knew was there; I just was missing it,' he said. He said he's been told several times that the lyrics to 'God Bless the USA' are indelible, but Greenwood noted that he's not necessarily prophetic and that English was not his best subject. 'However, because in my early days I didn't make an awful lot of money and sometimes I had to write letters to people about expressing my sympathy for not paying bills on time, I got pretty good at letter writing,' he said. 'I got better at English because every time I didn't know how to spell a word, I got the dictionary and I looked it up.' He said when he wrote 'God Bless the USA,' he chose to mention various cities because his intent was to encompass the entire country. He said the song has been a major highlight for him because it's his best-known song, but it doesn't encompass his whole career. He has multiple country songs that went number one, with 36 studio albums as a country artist, and he has been employed by five different record companies. He shared about his experience at the RNC in Milwaukee on July 15 last year, The then-presidential candidate had just survived an attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, two days ago, where a bullet grazed his ear. One person in the audience was killed, and two others were critically injured during the incident. 'When I finished the first verse, I'm looking at the president walking in, walking very slow, very deliberately,' Greenwood said. 'I knew at that moment, 'I'm going to have to make this go longer.'' Fortuitously, he said, the Six Wire band that was playing with him had worked for him during the time when the song was new, and it had played USO tours with him. 'The band knew that I wanted to go longer. I didn't have to say it,' he said. The band kept playing until Trump got into the box, with JD Vance, who would later become vice president, standing next to him. 'Then I got eye contact with Trump Jr., and we were friends, and I noticed he had a very solemn look about him, not the jubilant look you would expect for the election now of his father. He was actually scanning the room looking for any possible threat, and I knew that that was the case. I too was a little nervous about that, because he'd just been shot, and so when I got eye contact with him, and he gave me sort of a nod, I knew that was the moment to finish the song. So before I did, I welcomed the president, and the place went crazy.' Greenwood said Trump is a very gentle spirit; he's shaken his hand many times, and he draws him in and gives him a bear hug. After Greenwood sang for Trump's entrance at a Madison Square Garden campaign rally last year, Trump gave him a slap on the back as he left the stage, 'which shows his friendship, his fellowship, his desire to be a friend,' Greenwood said. As a trustee at the Kennedy performing arts center, appointed by Trump, Greenwood said, 'I believe we're going to just go back the way it has always been, and that's inviting any wonderful act, any wonderful live performance, whether it's ballet or symphony or piano player or an athlete, somebody that presents wonderful entertainment for an audience that expects higher achievement.' Greenwood
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Semisonic band condemns White House's use of their 'Closing Time' song in deportation video
The band Semisonic made clear Monday that it did not "authorize or condone" a White House video using their song "Closing Time." The official White House and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) X accounts posted the video showing deportations to the famed '90s song, with the White House featuring the lyrics, "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here." "It's closing time. We are making America safe again," CBP said in its repost. 'God Bless The Usa' Singer Lee Greenwood Says It's A 'Privilege' To Perform His Hit Song For Trump In a statement posted hours later, Semisonic said that the band did not approve of the video and that the Trump administration had "missed the point" of the song. "We did not authorize or condone the White House's use of our song 'Closing Time' in any way. And no, they didn't ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely," Semisonic wrote on X. Read On The Fox News App Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained the video during Monday's press briefing, saying it "sums up our immigration policy pretty well: You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." "The White House and our entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president and we are unafraid to double down and to take responsibility and ownership of the serious decisions that are being made," Leavitt said. "The president was elected with an overwhelming mandate to launch the largest mass deportation campaign in American history. And that's exactly what he is doing." Kid Rock Defends Trump's Music Taste As 'Freakin' The Best' After Media Backlash Semisonic joins a lengthy list of famous bands and musicians, including Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Beyoncé and ABBA, who have complained about President Donald Trump using their songs during campaign or White House events. One notable exception is the Village People. After previously insisting Trump stop using their songs "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man," the band's founding member Victor Willis changed his mind in 2024 after complimenting Trump for "bringing so much joy to the American people" with his article source: Semisonic band condemns White House's use of their 'Closing Time' song in deportation video
Washington Post
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Oklahoma schools chief seeks donations to put Bibles in classrooms
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma's top education official said he's teaming with country music singer Lee Greenwood in seeking donations to get $59.99 leather-bound 'God Bless the USA' Bibles into classrooms throughout the state, after a legislative panel rejected his $3 million request to fund the effort. State Superintendent Ryan Walters said this week that he's partnering with Greenwood to help ensure the Bibles, which have been endorsed by President Donald Trump , get to Oklahoma schools.
