Lee Greenwood’s contemporary anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been performed in honor of our government, our military, and our country. But there were days this heartfelt tribute to America’s war dead with its reminder that this country stands for right and all that is good would not have been embraced so readily. Lee Greenwood lived through those days and felt the angry confused mood of the people of America.
Between the writing of the lyrics of a protest song called “America” in the late sixties and the award-winning “God Bless the U.S.A.” there were a series of historical and political events that influenced Greenwood’s life. With the help of longtime friend Gwen Ford McLin, he writes about changes in his life that inspired his songwriting to evolve from dark, disturbing doubt to symbolizing a rebirth of American pride.
This biography of Greenwood and his song begins with the younger days of the singer’s life in California and ends with his overwhelming popularity after the Gulf War. Inspiring in its message, God Bless the U.S.A.: Biography of a Song is the story of a man and his music as they grow from the wild, carefree spirit of a rebellious teenager to the respect of a duty-bound patriot.