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What is Lee Greenwood’s Net Worth?
Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist who has a net worth of $5 million. Lee Greenwood is best known for the single “God Bless the USA,” which has become his signature song. He has been active in the music scene since 1962 and has released over 20 albums and had over 35 singles reach the Billboard country music charts. “God Bless the USA” was released in 1984 and reached #16 after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Greenwood has had seven #1 hits, including “Going, Going, Gone,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love Me,” “Dixie Road,” “Don’t Underestimate My Love For You,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns (If You’re the Rose),” “Hearts Aren’t Made to Break (They’re Made to Love),” and “Mornin’ Ride.” Greenwood was appointed to a six-year term to the National Council of the Arts by President George W. Bush in 2008. He built the Lee Greenwood Theater which opened in 1996 for five seasons. Lee is married to former Miss Tennessee USA Kimberly Payne.
Early Life
Lee Greenwood was born on October 27, 1942, in South Gate, California, but grew up in Sacramento on a farm with his grandparents. Greenwood started singing in church at seven years old.
Music Career
In 1962, he founded The Apollos (later named Lee Greenwood Affair), his first band. The band played mostly pop music. They appeared in casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1969, he moved on to the Chester Smith Band, where he found his first bit of success, landing him his first television appearance. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas. In Vegas, he worked as a blackjack dealer by day and a singer by night.
In 1979, Larry McFaden, bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis, saw Greenwood playing at a club in Reno, Nevada. McFaden was intrigued by Greenwood’s style and had him make several demo tapes. This ultimately led to Greenwood being signed in 1981 by the MCA label (Nashville division) with McFaden as his manager. The first single, “It Turns Me Inside Out,” made it to the Top 20 of the country chart in 1981.
Greenwood rose to prominence during this time for releasing the classic “God Bless the U.S.A.” Later, he released the well-known “God Bless You Canada.” These hits, especially the former, became a symbol of patriotism and were later used in presidential campaigns.
For instance, God Bless the U.S.A.” was used by Donald Trump as one of his campaign songs during the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections.
The day before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Greenwood performed his famous song at the Make America Great! Welcome Celebration. It was used again during the 2020 presidential election.
On May 19, 2018, Lee Greenwood was inducted into the MMP Hall of Fame by Commander Joseph W. Clark.
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Political Involvement
In 2008, President George W. Bush nominated Greenwood for a six-year term on the National Council on the Arts. Greenwood’s term unexpectedly lasted until 2022. This 14-year term is due to the Senate’s block on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Esperanza Spalding. When Spalding did not land the spot, Greenwood continued serving through both former Presidents Barack Obama’s and Donald Trump’s terms until, in 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Kamilah Forbes for the position. Forbes was confirmed on February 17, 2022.
This caused controversy among Lee Greenwood supporters and the Republican Party. In September 2021, Greenwood told “Fox and Friends” that the Biden administration sent him an email informing him that he was to be replaced by Forbes. He expressed his disappointment at being replaced without a formal conversation.
In May 2021, in honor of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, Greenwood published the “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible.” This special edition of the Bible combines patriotism with Christianity. The book has the U.S. flag on its cover and has passages from the Bible interspersed with lines of historic U.S. texts such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Pledge of Allegiance. In honor of himself, Greenwood also included lines from “God Bless the U.S.A.” (in Greenwood’s handwriting) throughout the book. The “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible” created controversy in 2024. Former President Donald Trump promoted a new edition of this Bible for business ventures and his presidential campaign.
Theater
In 1995, Greenwood decided to step away from touring to spend more time with family. To keep himself occupied, he set out to build a theater in Sevierville, Tennessee. In April 1996, the Lee Greenwood Theater opened its doors. Through this theater, Greenwood was able to perform daily shows while spending ample time with his family. The theater operated for five seasons and closed when Greenwood decided to continue touring. The former theater building is now used as a church.
Personal Life
Greenwood has been married four times, the first two of them to Edna Greenwood. They first eloped in 1960 in Reno, Nevada. The two divorced, remarried, and divorced again.
Greenwood is now married to former Miss Tennessee USA Kimberly Payne, his fourth wife and fifth marriage. Kimberly Payne is 25 years younger than Lee. They married in 1992. They have two sons, Dalton and Parker Greenwood. He has four children from his earlier marriages.
Real Estate
In 2004, Lee paid $867,000 for an 8,500-square-foot mansion in Franklin, Tennessee. He gave Open House TV a tour of the home in 2015:
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