Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today we have a very special episode with

guests who talk about the importance of God and country. Lee Greenwood is a

Grammy-winning singer, author, writer, and musician with numerous number one hits.

His self-penned song, titled, God Bless the USA, has been voted the most recognizable patriotic

song in America. We caught up with Lee by phone to talk

about his faith, his career, and the song that became one of our country's

most beloved anthems. This is Lee Greenwood, author, entertainer, writer, singer, musician, live in Nashville, Tennessee, and a country

touring artist.

I sang in the First Baptist Church probably from the age of 10 to about 14, 15.

I also loved singing a church.

I think I gained great ear training for my harmonies and I left going on Wednesday night instead of Sundays

because Saturday nights I was usually working very late even in high school and

Wednesdays I would have the fellowship at BYU so it was it was kind of cool.

My grandmother had said to me when I was about 12 or 13 when she realized I was being creative in writing music if I was to proceed and

have a career in music and we didn't know at that time if I would it was just I was working musician and she said if you ever

going to be known for something make sure it's something that you're proud of so my

career when it started in Nashville at mCA, we were signed with Barbara Mandrell and

Reba McIntyre, George Strait, and the Oakridge Boys. We all had interesting careers that expanded in different ways.

I took the avenue, I guess, that they gave me and that was I felt that my delivery of a song was sincere and they gave me these songs. I mean Jerry Kreshfield, my producer and I picked them all out over the

18 years I was there that really lend itself best to the quality of my voice and how I could

deliver them and they were generally about relationships and hardships and crisis and things that people believe because of the way that I delivered them.

I never thought along the way that there would be some song I just wrote because I felt I needed to would become the lasting song of my career.

...