I.O.U. (I Owe You) Earned a GRAMMY Award for Greenwood 2

by

Arden Lambert

Updated

April 4, 2018

Updated

April 4, 2018

Updated

April 4, 2018

Lee Greenwood secured his place in music history with the powerful inspiring ballad, “God Bless the USA.” The song has been voted the most recognizable patriotic song in America. It is only one of the many hits that have propelled Lee’s successful career.

Soulful vocalists on country radio

Greenwood blossomed at a time when country radio made room for R&B-influenced vocalists, such as Ronnie Milsap, Con Hunley, and Razzy Bailey. For the California born-and-bred Greenwood, the style came naturally. He sang in a Baptist church growing up, then was a working musician in Las Vegas.

Music has always been a part of Greenwood’s life.

He started playing the piano when he was seven and the saxophone at 12. In junior high, he started his first group called the Moonbeams. His sister Patricia was the piano player in the band. By the time, he finished High School he played almost all the instruments in the orchestra and was the Drum Major for the marching band.

Greenwood was born in Los Angeles California & finished high school in Sacramento in June 1960. He passed on track & music scholarships to the College of the Pacific along with a professional baseball career to pursue his passion for music. He also elected to skip his high school graduation ceremony to begin work at the Golden Hotel & Casino in Reno Nevada with his own band, the “Apollos”. That turned out to be a great choice.

I.O.U. (I Owe You)

Even back in the early ’80s, Lee Greenwood was winning over the hearts of country music fans — but it was mostly the ladies who were swooning over his hit, I.O.U.

In addition to its success on the country singles chart (where it peaked at No. 6 — and at No. 4 in Canada), ‘I.O.U.’ also did quite well on the Adult Contemporary charts, reaching the Top 5. The tune is Greenwood’s second-biggest crossover hit next to ‘God Bless the USA,’ peaking at No. 53 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart.

Still on the road

Never one to rest, Greenwood continues to write and record with the same passion and integrity that has always fueled his stellar career. “I want my family to see what I do and not just what I did,” he says of sharing his passion for music with his wife Kim and their two sons, Dalton and Parker. “ I like the artistry of it. I could have been a carpenter or a farmer, but I love the spirit of music. That love still flows and I’m writing much more than I have in previous years. I want to create something new.”


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I.O.U, Lee Greenwood


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