3 weeks ago
In a compelling on-camera question and reply pinch Fox News Digital this week, state prima and Grammy-winning artist Lee Greenwood discussed his unwavering committedness to America's veterans and his efforts to thief supply caller homes for those who served this state pinch favoritism and honor. He besides revealed really others tin help.
"This is nan 40th day of maine penning my opus ‘God Bless nan USA' — truthful that was nan inspiration to person nan number 40 represented successful this philharmonic presentation," he said of "An All-Star Salute to Lee Greenwood," a performance that was filmed successful Huntsville, Alabama.
The DVD goes connected waste Friday, May 3, for $25, astatine leegreenwood.com — pinch proceeds going to thief America's veterans.
He wrote "God Bless nan USA" successful 1983 — and it became a deed successful 1984. It has been voted nan astir recognizable patriotic opus successful America.
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"There are 40 different singers we invited to movie this DVD. And these performances were a one-time thing. We had each of these group gathered for conscionable 1 event, and it was very important to maine that we were capable to springiness distant two homes to 2 veterans — 2 of America's wounded warriors — during nan filming."
Those veterans are coming surviving successful those caller homes.
Now, he said, he's putting nan DVD connected waste "so that if we could waste 50,000 of them — and of people we could waste overmuch much than that — past [we'd have] nan opportunity to build different location for different deserving veteran."
Country prima and Grammy-winning creator Lee Greenwood has been progressive for galore years successful helping America's wounded warriors, done Helping a Hero (helpingahero.org) and different organizations. Now, income of his caller DVD will support nan building of much homes for America's veterans. (Lee Greenwood)
Among nan performers included successful nan DVD of nan performance are Michael W. Smith, Big & Rich, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sam Moore and Gavin DeGraw.
Greenwood said his liking successful helping those who person served is "just small heart for me," he said.
"When I was a drum awesome for my precocious schoolhouse band, I would march successful nan parades and I would either beryllium successful beforehand of aliases adjacent nan National Guard that would beryllium marching, aliases nan United States Marines … My begetter served in nan U.S. Navy. I did not service successful nan subject and I wanted to do thing for our military.
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"I person a batch of friends who are of [Vietnam-era veteran] age. And I ever say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ It's conscionable been a passion of mine. And now, of course, the War connected Terror has delivered truthful galore of our soldiers location [who person been] wounded desperately.
"I wanted to do thing for our military."
— Lee Greenwood to Fox News Digital"And truthful we've taken inaugural complete nan past 15 years to build homes for wounded warriors. We've built complete 220 homes, by nan way, successful 15 years. And truthful pinch this caller DVD coming out," he added, "it's an first task of excavation to get [more] homes built for veterans."
Greenwood perchance will beryllium included successful nan Guinness Book of World Records arsenic nan oldest surviving state vocalist to person a existent Gold album, depending connected nan income of this DVD, his squad noted.
‘Blessed to beryllium singing’
"I've been blessed pinch youth," Greenwood said.
"I was an jock increasing up — and into my 40s and 50s, I was still playing hoops and racquetball. So I've ever been trim and [in shape]. So erstwhile personification says, 'You're nan oldest surviving state prima to person a Gold record,' I'm like, 'How aged americium I? Oh yeah, that's right, I'm 81.'"
Lee Greenwood has agelong helped America's veterans — and said that today, he is proud and "blessed to still beryllium singing" and performing. (Lee Greenwood)
He went on, "And that's fine. You know, I'm blessed to beryllium still singing and to person that benignant of accolade. And that trophy, for me, is simply a awesome milestone successful my career."
‘Proud to beryllium an American’
Fox News Digital asked Greenwood, "What does being an American mean to you?"
He replied, "As I wrote [in ‘God Bless nan USA’], I'm proud to beryllium an American."
"It really gives maine grant to opportunity that I'm proud to beryllium an American."
He said that erstwhile group say, "'Well, you know, I'm an Italian American. I'm proud of my heritage.' Or, ‘I’m African American. I'm proud of my heritage.' Wait — we're each Americans. And truthful it really gives maine grant to opportunity that I'm proud to beryllium an American.
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"And that's nan measurement I speak it and singing it for each those who are proud arsenic well."
He said that erstwhile caller immigrants taken portion successful nan ineligible process of becoming Americans, galore of them perceive his opus "God Bless nan USA." And "when they perceive my opus ‘God Bless nan USA,’ they understand what it intends to beryllium an American. And that's what it intends to maine arsenic well."
‘Beacon of hope’
Greenwood said, "We're a beacon of dream for nan remainder of nan world. There are different countries that clasp freedom, but nary different state has nan expertise to protect it, to spell aft those who would conclusion it and destruct it."
"There are different countries that clasp freedom, but nary different state has nan expertise to protect it, to spell aft those who would conclusion it and destruct it," arsenic America does, Greenwood told Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)
"We person immoderate conflict wrong our borders, and we person group moving crossed our borders who shouldn't be," he added.
"But I still judge that if America continues to unrecorded by nan doctrines we started pinch — and that's nan Declaration of Independence, nan Constitution and nan Bill of Rights — if we unrecorded by those documents, nary matter if nan management changes aliases not, past we tin move connected arsenic an American public. And I person awesome religion successful it."
‘Conservative Christian’
Fox News Digital asked Greenwood if he would beryllium progressive this twelvemonth successful immoderate statesmanlike campaigns if asked to return part.
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"I'm a blimpish Christian," he responded. "And if nan doctrines and level of nan existent moving president does not entreaty to maine and yet nan up-and-coming challenger [and his platform] does [appeal], I will support that challenger."
He said that he "leans much to nan blimpish values than anything. So I will support that candidate."
Has ‘tabled’ nan thought of retiring correct now
Greenwood told Fox News Digital that "unequivocally, no," he is not retiring this twelvemonth from performing and touring.
That, he said, would return spot astatine immoderate clip successful nan early — but not now.
Greenwood's caller movie, now connected waste arsenic a caller DVD, features dozens of different state euphony artists who execute successful nan performance tribute. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
"I mean, it's a tunnel, and I tin spot nan extremity of nan tunnel."
But considering that he's successful "good health," and considering nan existent governmental scenery successful this country, he said he has "tabled" nan thought of retiring this year.
"With President Trump moving — and if he was to beryllium elected — I judge that I would guidelines by him."
"With President Trump moving — and if he was to beryllium elected — I judge that I would guidelines by him and I would spell up and activity nan adjacent 4 years arsenic an artist, arsenic a touring artist. I person a awesome band. I don't deliberation there's immoderate logic to deliberation that I should extremity my profession astatine this point."
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Greenwood successful nan past has performed astatine Trump's rallies.
"It's communal knowledge that nan erstwhile president and I person worked together astatine rather a fewer events, and he does usage my opus astatine his rallies. And I did singing astatine his inauguration astatine nan Lincoln Memorial erstwhile he was elected."
President Donald Trump stands pinch vocalist Lee Greenwood during a rally astatine Rupp Arena successful Lexington, Kentucky, connected Nov. 4, 2019. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
In position of his philharmonic career, "I'd for illustration to discontinue erstwhile I'm patient and erstwhile I determine to quit, but not astatine a constituent wherever I get sick and I have to quit."
He said that erstwhile each of nan singers who "supported maine for my caller 40-year salute … and [so] galore much who each came retired to thief maine pinch this task — erstwhile they were each location singing astatine nan extremity pinch ‘God Bless nan U.S.A.’ down maine arsenic I'm singing it connected stage, which is connected this DVD, my bosom was conscionable exploding pinch gratitude, and emotion for nan country."
"I emotion to beryllium a musician, a vocalist — and I will proceed to do truthful arsenic agelong arsenic I can."
Every 1 of those artists, he said, astatine 1 clip aliases different successful their careers, "have filled up arenas, each 1 of them. And truthful that's a that's rather a [group of] alumni."
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He added, "I deliberation group recognize that I americium still of philharmonic persuasion. I emotion to beryllium a musician, a vocalist — and I will proceed to do arsenic agelong arsenic I can."
‘My woman is an inspiration for me’
Greenwood said he stays truthful affirmative and motivated successful his life because of his family.
"My woman and I person been joined 32 years now. Kimberly was a erstwhile Miss Tennessee USA, and she is simply a pageant head for Miss Universe successful 3 states successful nan South. We person 2 awesome sons."
Greenwood and his woman Kimberly Payne person 2 sons, Dalton and Parker. "We return capable clip for each other. That's nan inspiration for me," he told Fox News Digital astir his family. (Jason Davis)
"Dalton, our older son, sewage joined past twelvemonth and lives successful Chicago now. He's a Vanderbilt postgraduate pinch a PhD, and he is simply a biotech analyst. Our younger boy is simply a superb musician and he is astatine nan University of Miami. And he is pursuing his profession and master's successful philharmonic engineering and producing."
Added Greenwood, "We each walk arsenic overmuch clip arsenic we tin together now that we're each benignant of successful different places. I've sewage 1 [son] successful Chicago, 1 successful Miami, and we unrecorded successful Nashville. And so, we return capable clip for each other. That's nan inspiration for me.
"My woman surely is an inspiration for me. She's my champion advocator and friend. And she's a superb practice of a woman, of womanhood. And she was a double awesome successful assemblage successful English and connection and helps me. And so, each of that keeps maine affirmative and it keeps my power flowing."
‘I for illustration to beryllium positive’
He added, "And of course, I americium people quick. I was an athlete. I was a shooting defender successful hoops and really quick, and [played] racketball, and my crippled was shot erstwhile I was very young. So I deliberation each of those things conscionable make my mind activity really quickly. And I for illustration to beryllium positive.
Greenwood, champion known for his song, "God Bless nan USA," told Fox News Digital that "all nan group that I meet daily, erstwhile we person conversations astir world events aliases nationalist events, it usually turns to family — and that's nan champion thing." (Jared C. Tilton)
"I spell successful nan greeting and meet group down by nan station agency erstwhile I'm location gathering nan mail, and everybody goes, ‘Hey, Lee, really are you doing?'
He continued, "I've ne'er been controversial. I don't deliberation I've been."
"If your bosom is pinch your family, that's your location nary matter wherever you live."
He said that "even erstwhile I support a president," group understand that it's his prime to do so.
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"That's not their choice. I don't deliberation group condemn maine for that, nor do they knock me. I deliberation because my euphony is not arguable — and all of nan lyrics successful my songs are either romanticist aliases very positive. Happy, if you will.
"And each nan group that I meet daily, erstwhile we person conversations astir world events aliases nationalist events, it usually turns to family — and that's nan champion thing.
Lee Greenwood is shown speaking astatine a location uncover for an American veteran. "We tin ne'er do capable for our veterans." (Lee Greenwood)
"Because your bosom is wherever your location is. And if your bosom is pinch your family, that's your location nary matter wherever you live."
Note to veterans: ‘America believes successful what you person done’
Fox News Digital asked Greenwood what lasting connection he'd for illustration to stock pinch America's veterans.
He said he often thinks "of our wounded warriors, and I've go friends pinch galore of them. And we talk almost weekly, astir their struggles, you cognize — and they tin beryllium very positive."
All of them, he said, "would spell backmost to warfare if they had to [in bid to protect this country]."
He added, "But, you ne'er know, successful nan acheronian moments, erstwhile they laic down to spell to sleep, what gremlin mightiness beryllium successful their head.
"So my encouragement to veterans is conscionable cognize this. I've toured this state now for 40 years, and each of America believes successful what you person done. You person worn and are wearing nan azygous of America. We are each proud of our veterans."
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As he useful to build homes for much deserving veterans done nan waste of his caller DVD, Greenwood noted, "We tin ne'er do capable for our veterans."
Anyone tin spell to leegreenwood.com for much information.
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Maureen Mackey is managing editor of manner for Fox News Digital.
