Portrait of Lee Greenwood

Birthday profile

Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood, American singer-songwriter

Born
October 27, 1942
Age in 2026
84
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1942

About Lee Greenwood

Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Award and has had 33 singles chart on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching No. 1. He has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. Greenwood is known for his signature song "God Bless the U.S.A.”, which was originally released in the spring of 1984 and became a popular song. In the summer of 1984, it was included in a film about President Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee and incumbent, which was shown at the 1984 Republican National Convention. "God Bless the U.S.A." gained prominence during the 1988 United States presidential election campaign, when Greenwood performed the song at the 1988 Republican National Convention and at rallies for the Republican nominee, George H. W. Bush. The song was also featured in television advertisements for Bush. It later became popular again during the Gulf War, after the September 11 attacks (becoming his highest charting pop hit and reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100), and during the 2016, 2020 and 2024 United States presidential elections as Donald Trump's rally introduction track. His seven number-ones on the U.S. Hot Country Songs list in his career are "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 No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. Greenwood founded his first band, The Apollos, in 1962. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Lee Greenwood timeline

  1. Greenwood founded his first band, The Apollos, in 1962.
  2. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one.
  3. Greenwood is known for his signature song "God Bless the U.S.A.," which was originally released in the spring of 1984 and became a popular song.

The world when Lee Greenwood was born

Lee Greenwood was born in 1942. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1942

  • #1 song"White Christmas" – Bing Crosby
  • Top movieCasablanca
  • Best-selling bookThe Song of Bernadette – Franz Werfel

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst Negro League World Series
  • Top headlineBattle of Midway becomes turning point of WWII in the Pacific
  • Technology milestoneEnrico Fermi achieves first nuclear chain reaction
  • Defining fadRationing and war bonds
  • Notable inventionNapalm
  • World population2.35 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championSt. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
  • U.S. population134.9M

1942 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Lee Greenwood's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19422026
Gas$0.20$3.45/gal
Average home$5,600$435,000
Average income$3,800$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.27$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population134.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.