Grammy Award-winner Lee Greenwood will deliver a patriotic finish to Independence Day week, filling the Bankhead Theater with familiar country music such as his iconic song “God Bless the U.S.A.” Greenwood won his first Grammy Award for the sentimental ballad, “I.O.U.,” and earned a large and loyal audience for his appealing country sound with seven number one songs including “Ring On Her Finger, Time on Her Hands” and “Dixie Road.” Tickets for his single show in Livermore at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 6, 2018 start at $50 with $20 tickets available for students and active military personnel.
One of today’s most familiar American songs and the winner of the 1985 Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year, Greenwood’s hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has emerged as an unofficial anthem. Covered by many different artists, it has reached the top five on the country singles chart three times, the only song in any genre to do so, and crossed over to the pop charts in the wake of 9/11. The song has gone far further than Greenwood ever anticipated when he wrote it while riding in the back of his tour bus in 1983. According to Greenwood, his goal was to write something that could unite Americans from coast to coast and instill pride in the United States.
“The song represents my family, my community, and those men and women who have paid the price for the freedoms we all love and enjoy.”
Music has always been a part of Greenwood’s life. A native Californian, he started piano at seven and by the end of high school he could play most of the instruments in the orchestra and was Drum Major for the marching band. Choosing to pursue his passion for music, he passed on college sports and music scholarships and even opted out of his graduation ceremony to play at a casino in Reno Nevada, from where he eventually made the jump straight to Nashville.
With more than 30 albums to his credit, Greenwood has scored numerous country hits, as well as popular crossover tunes such as “Touch & Go Crazy,” “I.O.U.,” and his duet with Barbara Mandrell, “To Me.” His CD “American Patriot,” recorded and released in 1992, went Platinum in just three months. Greenwood was named Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 1983, won two Male Vocalist of the Year awards from the Country Music Association, as well as the Grammy Award for “I.O.U.” He released a book in 2012, "Does God Still Bless the USA?" and is a member of the National Endowment for the Arts Council, a Presidential appointment.
The Bankhead Theater is located at 2400 First Street in downtown Livermore. Tickets may be purchased at the box office online at www.bankheadtheagter.org or by calling 373-6800.