NASHVILLE, Tenn. – “God Bless The U.S.A.”, the iconic and beloved patriotic anthem originally recorded by Lee Greenwood and covered countless times over by music industry icons such as Beyonce, and Dolly Parton, is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary with a never-before-heard twist – Lee Greenwood, at age 82, has teamed up with young viral country artist Drew Jacobs to record a brand new soaring Rock version of the iconic song, further ensuring the anthem remains as important to today’s youngest generation of Country music fans as it has for the many generations of the past.
The song, which has been used for military retirement ceremonies, naturalization ceremonies, USO and military deployment events, fireworks displays and more, was written in 1983 in the back of a tour bus by Lee Greenwood. In 1984, the song was released and did not initially top the charts nor win any awards. However, that same year, it was adopted by then-Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan to be used for his Presidential campaign and the rest is history!
Now 40 years later, Drew Jacobs who is renowned across social media by his millions of followers and fans for taking beloved Country hits and successfully transforming them into Billboard chart-topping Rock versions is destined to do the same with his collaborative rendition of “God Bless The U.S.A.,” featuring Lee Greenwood on co-lead vocals. Previous Rock renditions released by Jacobs include, “The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks, “God’s Country” by Blake Shelton, “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss and many more.
“This is a big year for God Bless The USA. I have not recorded the song with many people, ever, as I felt like it would be passing the baton to someone else to sing my signature song,” says Greenwood. “However, this rock-version is not something that I would have done on my own. So, I am excited to have fans and fellow patriots hear it, share it, and add it to their playlists.”
Pre-save “God Bless The U.S.A.” (rock version) today, available everywhere November 1st:
Jacobs’ burst onto the scene with his debut album, ‘Got Me Like Whoa,’ debuting at No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart, propelling him to the heights of independent Country music. Charting no. 1 on 5 different Billboard Rock and sales charts, Jacobs continues to garner hundreds of millions of views and streams across the globe.
ABOUT LEE GREENWOOD
Throughout his expansive career, international country music icon Lee Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a Grammy Award for Top Male Vocal Performance on “I.O.U.” in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious awards nominations. His discography includes twenty-two studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits, and thirty-eight singles including songs like “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hands,” “She’s Lyin’,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose,” “Dixie Road,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Going Going Gone,” “You Got A Good Love Comin’,” among others. His stand-out hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001, and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart shortly after 9/11. Known for his stand-out patriotism and support of the U.S. military, Greenwood has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s National Patriot’s Award and entertained troops on more than 30 USO Tours. For more information, visit leegreenwood.com.
