Lee, Brenda

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{{Infobox musical artist
 
{{Infobox musical artist
 
|Name            = Brenda Lee
 
|Name            = Brenda Lee
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|Occupation      =  
 
|Occupation      =  
 
|Years_active    = 1957-Present
 
|Years_active    = 1957-Present
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|Associated_acts = [[Connie Francis]], [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Patsy Cline]], [[Ricky Nelson]], [[Lesley Gore]], [[Red Foley]]
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|Associated_acts = [[Connie Francis]], [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Patsy Cline]], [[Ricky Nelson]], [[Lesley Gore]], [[Red Foley]], [[George Jones]]
 
|Label        = [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[MCA Nashville Records|MCA Nashville]]
 
|Label        = [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[MCA Nashville Records|MCA Nashville]]
 
|URL            = [http://www.brendalee.com/ Brenda Lee Official Website]
 
|URL            = [http://www.brendalee.com/ Brenda Lee Official Website]
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''Brenda Lee''' (born December 11, 1944) is an [[United States|American]] [[Country music|country]]-[[Pop music|pop]] [[singer]], who was immensely popular during the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s, she had more charted hits than any other woman, and only three male singers/groups ([[Elvis Presley]], [[Ray Charles]], and [[The Beatles]]) outpaced her. She was one of the earliest pop stars to have a major contemporary international following.
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'''Brenda Lee''' (born December 11, 1944) is an [[United States|American]] [[Country music|country]]-[[Pop music|pop]] [[singer]], who was immensely popular during the 1950s and 60s. In the 60s, she had more charted hits than any other woman, and only three male acts ([[Elvis Presley]], [[Ray Charles]], and [[The Beatles]]) outpaced her. She was also one of the earliest pop stars to have a major international following.
  
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She was given the nickname '''Little Miss Dynamite''' after recording ''[[Dynamite (song)|Dynamite]]'' in 1957; the explosive strength of the sound pouring out of her small frame amazed audiences and promoters. Her general popularity faded as her voice suffered damage and matured in the late 1960s, but she successfully continued her recording career by returning to her roots as a [[Country music|country]] singer. She was able to chart in Billboard's [[CW]] top ten twice in 1980.
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Lee was given the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording ''[[Dynamite (song)|Dynamite]],'' as the explosive sound pouring out of her diminutive, pre-teenage frame amazed audiences and promoters alike. Hits like "Sweet Nothin's," "I'm Sorry," and "All Alone Am I" followed. Her general popularity faded as her voice matured in the late 1960s, but she successfully continued her recording career by returning to her roots as a [[Country music|country]] singer.
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{{toc}}
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Lee's song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," is a perennial favorite that has sold more than five million copies. She has been inducted into both the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]].  
  
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She enjoys one distinction unique among successful American singers; her opening act on a [[UK]] tour in the early 1960s was a little-known [[beat group]] from [[Liverpool]], [[England]]: [[The Beatles]].
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==Early years==
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Lee's father, Ruben Tarpley, was the son of a farmer in Georgia's red-clay belt who spent 11 years in the [[U.S. Army]] playing [[baseball]]. Her mother, Annie Grayce Yarbrough came from a working-class family in [[Greene County, Georgia]], and had a [[Cherokee]] great-grandparent.
  
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==Early Years==
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Brenda was born in the charity ward of [[Grady Hospital]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], on December 11, 1944, weighing four pounds, 11 ounces at birth. She attended grade schools wherever her father found work, primarily in the corridor between Atlanta and Augusta. Her family was poor, and she shared a bed with her two siblings in a series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered around her parents' finding work, their extended family, and the [[Baptist Church]], where Brenda sang solos every Sunday.
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Lee's father, Ruben Tarpley, was born roughly halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia. He was the son of a hardscrabble farmer in Georgia's red-clay belt, which was devastated by soil depletion and the [[boll weevil]]. Although he stood only 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches), he was an excellent left-handed pitcher, and spent 11 years in the Army playing baseball. Her mother, Annie Grayce Yarbrough, had a similar background of an honest, uneducated working class family in [[Greene County, Georgia]], although she had the distinction of a [[Cherokee]] great-grandparent.
 
  
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Brenda was born '''Brenda Mae Tarpley''' in the charity ward of [[Grady Hospital]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], on December 11, 1944. She weighed 2126 g (4 pounds 11 ounces) at birth. She attended grade schools wherever her father found work, primarily in the corridor between Atlanta and Augusta. Her family was poor, living hand-to-mouth; she shared a bed with her two siblings in a series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered around her parents' finding work, their extended family, and the Baptist Church (where she sang solos every Sunday).<ref> Lee remembers the church as not being truly "Primitive Baptist," but the congregation did engage in foot-washing and performed baptisms in a river.</ref>
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The family had a battery-powered table radio that fascinated Brenda as a baby. By the time she was two, she could reportedly hear songs on the [[radio]] once and be able to [[whistle]] the complete tune. By the time she was three, she would earn free treats or coins for singing at the local candy store.
  
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She was a musical prodigy. Although her family did not have indoor plumbing until after her father's death, they had a battery-powered table radio that fascinated Brenda as a baby. By the time she was two, she would hear songs on the radio once and be able to whistle the complete tune.<ref>Oral remembrance of Grayce Rainwater, recounted in ''Little Miss Dynamite''.</ref> Both her mother and sister remember taking her repeatedly to a local candy store before she turned three; one of them would stand her on the counter and she would earn free candy or small coins for singing.
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Brenda's voice, pretty face, and complete absence of stage fright won her wider attention from the time she was five. At six, she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. The reward was a live appearance on an Atlanta radio show, ''Starmakers Revue.''
  
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Her voice, pretty face, and complete absence of stage fright won her wider attention from the time she was five years old. At age 6, she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. The reward was a live appearance on an Atlanta radio show, "Starmakers Revue."
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Benda's father died in 1953, and by the time she turned ten, she had become the primary breadwinner of her family by singing at events and on local radio and television shows. Her break into big-time show business came when an Augusta DJ convinced [[Red Foley]] to hear her sing before a show. Foley was transfixed by the huge voice coming from the tiny girl and immediately agreed to let her perform the [[Hank Williams]] standard ''[[Jambalaya]]'' on stage that night, unrehearsed. The audience erupted in applause and refused to let her leave the stage until she had sung three more songs.  
  
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Her father died in 1953. By the time she turned ten, she had become the primary breadwinner of her family by singing at events and on local radio and television shows.
+
Less than two months later, on July 30, 1956, [[Decca Records]] offered her a recording contract. She began her recording career at age 11 with [[rockabilly]] songs like "BIGELOW 6-200" (a telephone number), "Little Jonah," and "Dynamite," which led to her lifelong [[nickname]], "Little Miss Dynamite." He first hit was "One Step at Time" (1957).
  
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Her break into big-time show business came when she turned down paid employment—$30 to sing on a local television station in Atlanta—in order to hear [[Red Foley]] and the [[Ozark Jubilee]] in [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]]. An Augusta DJ convinced Foley to hear her sing before the show. Foley was as transfixed as everyone else who heard the huge voice coming from the tiny girl and immediately agreed to let her to perform the [[Hank Williams]] standard ''[[Jambalaya]]'' on stage that night, unrehearsed. Foley later recounted the moments following her introduction:
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==The height of her career==
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Although Brenda began as a country country, Decca's management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist. The result was that none of her best-known recordings from the 1960s was released to country radio stations. Despite her obvious country sound, she would not have another country hit until 1969.  
  
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<blockquote>I still get cold chills thinking about the first time I heard that voice. One foot started patting rhythm as though she was stomping out a prairie fire but not another muscle in that little body even as much as twitched. And when she did that trick of breaking her voice, it jarred me out of my trance enough to realize I'd forgotten to get off the stage. There I stood, after 26 years of supposedly learning how to conduct myself in front of an audience, with my mouth open two miles wide and a glassy stare in my eyes.</blockquote>
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Brenda achieved her greatest success on the pop charts in the late 50s through the mid 60s. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," the sexy [[R & B]] tune "Sweet Nothin's," and the Nashville-style ballads "I'm Sorry," "I Want to Be Wanted," "All Alone Am I," and "Fool #1."
  
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The audience erupted in applause and refused to let her leave the stage until she had sung three more songs. She was eleven years old and well under five feet tall. (As an adult, she was variously reported to stand between 140 and 145 cm tall: 4' 7" and 4' 9".)
+
"I'm Sorry" (1960) was Brenda's signature song. It hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Although not released as a country song, it was the first big hit to use what was to become the new "Nashville Sound"—a string orchestra and ''[[legato]]'' harmonized background vocals.
  
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Less than two months later—on July 30, 1956—[[Decca Records]] offered her a recording contract. She began her recording career at age 11 with [[rockabilly]] songs like "BIGELOW 6-200" (a telephone number with the numerals pronounced six two oh oh) and "Little Jonah." The song "Dynamite," coming out of a 145-cm frame (4 foot 9 inch), led to her lifelong [[nickname]], "Little Miss Dynamite."
+
The overall biggest selling track of Lee's career, however, is a Christmas song. In 1958, when she was 13, [[Owen Bradley]] asked her to record a new song written by [[Johnny Marks]], who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]" ([[Gene Autry]]) and "[[A Holly, Jolly Christmas]]" ([[Burl Ives]]). Lee recorded the song, "[[Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree]]" in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by [[Hank Garland]]. Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies. It did not do much better when it was released again in 1959, but eventually became a perennial favorite and sold over 5 million copies.
  
−
Along with [[Connie Francis]], she was one of the first female idols, achieving huge popularity with a long string of hits. At [[Christmas]] 1958, she released "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," which sold only 5,000 copies during its initial release. However, it would eventually sell over five million copies. Disc jockeys also dubbed her "Little Miss Razz Matazz" after her husky, pounding voice belted out her first [[United States|U.S.]] Top 10 hit, "Sweet Nothin's," in late 1959.
+
Touring in England in 1959, Lee's 1961 rockabilly release "Let's Jump the Broomstick" did not chart in the U.S., but went to number 12 in the UK. She also had two Top-10 hits in the UK that were not released as singles in her native country: "Speak To Me Pretty" peaked at number three in early 1962, followed by "Here Comes That Feeling." Her last Top-10 single on the U.S. pop charts was 1963's "Losing You." She continued to have other minor hits such as her 1966 song "Coming On Strong" and "Is It True?" in 1964.
  
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==The Height of Her Career==
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==Country comeback==
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Brenda Lee first attracted attention performing in [[country music]] venues, and her first single, 1957's "One Step at a Time," was a country hit. However, her label and management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist, the result being that none of her best-known recordings from the 1960s were released to country radio, and despite her obvious country sound, she would not have another country hit until 1969.  
+
During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a [[country music]] artist and earned a string of Top-10 hits on the country charts. The first of these was 1973's "Nobody Wins," which reached the Top 5 that spring and also became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at number 70. The follow-up, the [[Mark James (songwriter)|Mark James]] composition "Sunday Sunrise," reached number six on [[Billboard magazine]]'s Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major country hits for Lee included "Wrong Ideas" and "Big Four Poster Bed" (1974); and "Rock On Baby" and "He's My Rock" (1975). After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the Top 10 with 1979's "Tell Me What It's Like." Two follow-ups also reached the country Top 10 in 1980: "The Cowboy and the Dandy" and "Broken Trust" (the latter featuring vocal backing by [[The Oak Ridge Boys]]). A 1982 album, ''[[The Winning Hand]],'' featuring reissues of a number of Lee's 1960s [[Monument]] hits, as well as that of [[Dolly Parton]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], and [[Willie Nelson]], was a surprise hit, reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. country-albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1985's "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," a duet with [[George Jones]].
  
−
Brenda Lee came to her biggest success on the Pop charts in the late 1950s through the mid 1960s with [[rockabilly]] and [[rock and roll]] styled songs. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," "Sweet Nothin's" (written by the country musician [[Ronnie Self]]), "I Want to Be Wanted," "All Alone Am I," and "Fool #1."
+
Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. In 1992, Lee recorded a duet ("You’ll Never Know") with [[Willy DeVille]], on his album ''[[Loup Garou]]''.
−
 
 
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The overall biggest selling track of Lee's career is, oddly enough, a Christmas song. In 1958, when she was 13, [[Owen Bradley]] asked her to record a new song written by [[Johnny Marks]], who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]" ([[Gene Autry]]) and "[[A Holly, Jolly Christmas]]" ([[Burl Ives]]). Lee recorded the song, "[[Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree]]" in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by [[Hank Garland]]. Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies, and did not do much better when it was released again in 1959.
 
−
 
 
−
In 1960, she recorded her signature song, "[[I'm Sorry (Brenda Lee song)|I'm Sorry]]," which hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Even though it was not released as a country song, it was the first big hit to use what was to become the new "Nashville Sound"—a string orchestra and legato harmonized background vocals. ([[Ray Charles]] used the same sound that year on the huge pop hit, ''[[Georgia on My Mind]]''.) "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" got noticed in its third release a few months later, and sales snowballed; the song remains a perennial radio favorite each December and is probably the record with which she is most identified by contemporary audiences.
 
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Lee was popular in the UK very early in her career. She toured the UK in 1959, before she had achieved much pop recognition in the US. Her 1961 rockabilly release "Let's Jump the Broomstick" did not chart in the US, but went to #12 in the UK. She then had two top 10 hits in the UK that were not released as singles in her native country: "Speak To Me Pretty" peaked at number three in early 1962, followed by "Here Comes That Feeling."
 
−
 
 
−
Her last top-10 single on the pop charts was 1963's "Losing You," while she continued to have other chart songs such as her 1966 song "Coming On Strong" and "Is It True?" in 1964. The latter was her only hit single recorded in London, England, and was produced by [[Mickie Most]], who at the time was producing hits for [[The Animals]] and [[Herman's Hermits]].
 
−
 
 
−
During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist, and earned a string of Top 10 hits on the country charts. Th first of these was 1973's "Nobody Wins," which reached the Top 5 that spring and also became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at number 70. The follow-up, the [[Mark James (songwriter)|Mark James]] composition "Sunday Sunrise," reached number six on [[Billboard magazine]]'s Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major hits included "Wrong Ideas" and "Big Four Poster Bed" (1974); and "Rock On Baby" and "He's My Rock" (both 1975). After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the Top 10 with 1979's "Tell Me What It's Like." Two follow-ups also reached the Top 10 in 1980: "The Cowboy and the Dandy" and "Broken Trust" (the latter featuring vocal backing by [[The Oak Ridge Boys]]). A 1982 album, ''[[The Winning Hand]]'', featuring reissues of a number of Lee's 1960s [[Monument]] hits, as well as that of [[Dolly Parton]], [[Kris Kristofferson]] and [[Willie Nelson]], was a surprise hit, reaching the top-ten on the U.S. country albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1985's "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," a duet with [[George Jones]]. Today, she continues to perform and tour as a country singer.
 
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
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Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. She is a member of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]], the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]], and the [[Hit Parade Hall of Fame]].
+
Along with [[Connie Francis]], Brenda was one of the first female singing idols, achieving huge popularity with a long string of hits. Many of her hits from the 50s and 60s are classics and her holiday song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," is a perennial favorite.
  
−
In 1992, Lee recorded a duet ("You’ll Never Know") with [[Willy DeVille]], on his album ''[[Loup Garou]]''.
+
Brenda's marriage to Ronnie Shacklett in 1963 was a successful one, and he has been credited with ensuring her long-term financial success. They have two daughters, Jolie and Julie, and three grandchildren.
  
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[[Chuck Berry]] wrote a song about Brenda Lee on the album [[St. Louis to Liverpool]]. She was also immortalized in the hit [[Golden Earring]] song "[[Radar Love]]": "Radio's playing some forgotten song / Brenda Lee's 'Coming on Strong'." She was also remembered as a heroine to [[Burton Cummings]] on his self-titled 70's album in the song "Dream of a Child," including the closing line, "I love Brenda Lee / Brenda Lee loves me / yeah..."
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Celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, Brenda Lee was given the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by Source Nashville in September 2006. Lee is a member of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]], the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]], and the [[Hit Parade Hall of Fame]].
  
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Although her songs have often centered on lost loves, and although she did lose her father at a young age, her marriage to Ronnie Shacklett in 1963 was a success. He was able to deal with the notoriously rapacious music industry, which had exploited her badly, and is credited with ensuring her long-term financial success. They have two daughters, Jolie and Julie (who was named for [[Patsy Cline]]'s daughter) and three grandchildren.
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==Brenda Lee discography==
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Celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, Brenda Lee was given the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by Source Nashville in September 2006. She is the second recipient of the award, Jo Meador-Walker being the first.
 
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==Brenda Lee Discography==
 
 
===Singles===
 
===Singles===
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====Top Twenty Hits====
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====Top-20 hits====
 
The following Brenda Lee singles made the Top 20 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], [[Hot Country Singles & Tracks|Country]], or [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|AC]] chart in the U.S. or in the U.K.
 
The following Brenda Lee singles made the Top 20 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], [[Hot Country Singles & Tracks|Country]], or [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|AC]] chart in the U.S. or in the U.K.
  
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Notes:
 
Notes:
 
* "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" spent a total of 25 weeks on Billboard's Christmas singles chart, charting every year from 1963 to 1969 and again in 1973, 1983, and 1984. In 1997, it charted number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Its highest position of number three on the Christmas chart was reached during the 1965 Christmas season.
 
* "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" spent a total of 25 weeks on Billboard's Christmas singles chart, charting every year from 1963 to 1969 and again in 1973, 1983, and 1984. In 1997, it charted number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Its highest position of number three on the Christmas chart was reached during the 1965 Christmas season.
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* Other Brenda Lee singles which made the Billboard Christmas chart include: "[[Jingle Bell Rock]]" (1964, 1967), "This Time of the Year" (1964), and "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day" (1964).
 
  
 
===Selected albums===
 
===Selected albums===
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| 1982 || ''Greatest Country Hits'' || align="center" | -
 
| 1982 || ''Greatest Country Hits'' || align="center" | -
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1983 || ''Kris, Willie, Dolly & Brenda...the Winning Hand'' <small>(with [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Dolly Parton]] and [[Willie Nelson]]) || align="center" | -
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| 1983 || ''Kris, Willie, Dolly & Brenda...the Winning Hand'' <small>(with [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Dolly Parton]], and [[Willie Nelson]]) || align="center" | -
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 1983 || ''25th Anniversary'' <small>(#65 UK) || align="center" | -
 
| 1983 || ''25th Anniversary'' <small>(#65 UK) || align="center" | -
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| 2007 || ''Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends'' <small>(with [[Vince Gill]], [[Huey Lewis]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Kix Brooks]], [[Ronnie Dunn]],<br/>[[Martina McBride]], [[George Jones]], [[Alison Krauss]], [[Pam Tillis]], [[Emmylou Harris]], and [[Charlie Daniels]]) || align="center" | -
 
| 2007 || ''Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends'' <small>(with [[Vince Gill]], [[Huey Lewis]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Kix Brooks]], [[Ronnie Dunn]],<br/>[[Martina McBride]], [[George Jones]], [[Alison Krauss]], [[Pam Tillis]], [[Emmylou Harris]], and [[Charlie Daniels]]) || align="center" | -
 
|}
 
|}
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==Notes==
 
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{{reflist}}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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*Daniels, Charlie. ''Growing Up Country: What Makes Country Life Country''. New York: Flying Dolphin Press/Broadway Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0385518468   
+
* Daniels, Charlie. ''Growing Up Country: What Makes Country Life Country''. New York: Flying Dolphin Press/Broadway Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0385518468.  
−
*Kingsbury, Paul (editor). ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0195176087  
+
* Kingsbury, Paul (ed.). ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0195176087.
−
*Lee, Brenda; Oermann, Robert K.; and Clay, Julie. ''Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee''. New York: Hyperion, 2002. ISBN 978-0786866441
+
* Lee, Brenda, Robert K. Oermann, and Julie Clay. ''Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee''. New York: Hyperion, 2002. ISBN 978-0786866441.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[http://www.brendalee.com/ Brenda Lee Official Website]
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All links retrieved November 20, 2023.
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*[http://www.geocities.com/brendaleefan Brenda Lee-A Fan's Tribute]
+
 
 
*[http://www.brendalee.co.uk/ Brenda Lee-A Living Legend]
 
*[http://www.brendalee.co.uk/ Brenda Lee-A Living Legend]
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*[http://www.countryhome.de/interviews/interview_eng_2007/brenda_lee_2007.htm Interview Brenda Lee]
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Brenda}}
 
  
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[[Category:Living people]]
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[[category:art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
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[[category:music]]
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[[category:musicians]]
 
[[Category:biography]]
 
[[Category:biography]]
 
{{Credit|209720523}}
 
{{Credit|209720523}}

Latest revision as of 22:58, 20 November 2023

Brenda Lee
Birth name Brenda Mae Tarpley
Born December 11 1944 (1944-12-11) (age 79)
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre(s) Pop Music, Country Music
Years active 1957-Present
Label(s) Decca, MCA Nashville
Associated acts Connie Francis, Skeeter Davis, Patsy Cline, Ricky Nelson, Lesley Gore, Red Foley, George Jones
Website Brenda Lee Official Website

Brenda Lee (born December 11, 1944) is an American country-pop singer, who was immensely popular during the 1950s and 60s. In the 60s, she had more charted hits than any other woman, and only three male acts (Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and The Beatles) outpaced her. She was also one of the earliest pop stars to have a major international following.

Lee was given the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording Dynamite, as the explosive sound pouring out of her diminutive, pre-teenage frame amazed audiences and promoters alike. Hits like "Sweet Nothin's," "I'm Sorry," and "All Alone Am I" followed. Her general popularity faded as her voice matured in the late 1960s, but she successfully continued her recording career by returning to her roots as a country singer.

Lee's song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," is a perennial favorite that has sold more than five million copies. She has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early years

Lee's father, Ruben Tarpley, was the son of a farmer in Georgia's red-clay belt who spent 11 years in the U.S. Army playing baseball. Her mother, Annie Grayce Yarbrough came from a working-class family in Greene County, Georgia, and had a Cherokee great-grandparent.

Brenda was born in the charity ward of Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 11, 1944, weighing four pounds, 11 ounces at birth. She attended grade schools wherever her father found work, primarily in the corridor between Atlanta and Augusta. Her family was poor, and she shared a bed with her two siblings in a series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered around her parents' finding work, their extended family, and the Baptist Church, where Brenda sang solos every Sunday.

The family had a battery-powered table radio that fascinated Brenda as a baby. By the time she was two, she could reportedly hear songs on the radio once and be able to whistle the complete tune. By the time she was three, she would earn free treats or coins for singing at the local candy store.

Brenda's voice, pretty face, and complete absence of stage fright won her wider attention from the time she was five. At six, she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. The reward was a live appearance on an Atlanta radio show, Starmakers Revue.

Benda's father died in 1953, and by the time she turned ten, she had become the primary breadwinner of her family by singing at events and on local radio and television shows. Her break into big-time show business came when an Augusta DJ convinced Red Foley to hear her sing before a show. Foley was transfixed by the huge voice coming from the tiny girl and immediately agreed to let her perform the Hank Williams standard Jambalaya on stage that night, unrehearsed. The audience erupted in applause and refused to let her leave the stage until she had sung three more songs.

Less than two months later, on July 30, 1956, Decca Records offered her a recording contract. She began her recording career at age 11 with rockabilly songs like "BIGELOW 6-200" (a telephone number), "Little Jonah," and "Dynamite," which led to her lifelong nickname, "Little Miss Dynamite." He first hit was "One Step at Time" (1957).

The height of her career

Although Brenda began as a country country, Decca's management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist. The result was that none of her best-known recordings from the 1960s was released to country radio stations. Despite her obvious country sound, she would not have another country hit until 1969.

Brenda achieved her greatest success on the pop charts in the late 50s through the mid 60s. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," the sexy R & B tune "Sweet Nothin's," and the Nashville-style ballads "I'm Sorry," "I Want to Be Wanted," "All Alone Am I," and "Fool #1."

"I'm Sorry" (1960) was Brenda's signature song. It hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Although not released as a country song, it was the first big hit to use what was to become the new "Nashville Sound"—a string orchestra and legato harmonized background vocals.

The overall biggest selling track of Lee's career, however, is a Christmas song. In 1958, when she was 13, Owen Bradley asked her to record a new song written by Johnny Marks, who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Gene Autry) and "A Holly, Jolly Christmas" (Burl Ives). Lee recorded the song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by Hank Garland. Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies. It did not do much better when it was released again in 1959, but eventually became a perennial favorite and sold over 5 million copies.

Touring in England in 1959, Lee's 1961 rockabilly release "Let's Jump the Broomstick" did not chart in the U.S., but went to number 12 in the UK. She also had two Top-10 hits in the UK that were not released as singles in her native country: "Speak To Me Pretty" peaked at number three in early 1962, followed by "Here Comes That Feeling." Her last Top-10 single on the U.S. pop charts was 1963's "Losing You." She continued to have other minor hits such as her 1966 song "Coming On Strong" and "Is It True?" in 1964.

Country comeback

During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist and earned a string of Top-10 hits on the country charts. The first of these was 1973's "Nobody Wins," which reached the Top 5 that spring and also became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at number 70. The follow-up, the Mark James composition "Sunday Sunrise," reached number six on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major country hits for Lee included "Wrong Ideas" and "Big Four Poster Bed" (1974); and "Rock On Baby" and "He's My Rock" (1975). After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the Top 10 with 1979's "Tell Me What It's Like." Two follow-ups also reached the country Top 10 in 1980: "The Cowboy and the Dandy" and "Broken Trust" (the latter featuring vocal backing by The Oak Ridge Boys). A 1982 album, The Winning Hand, featuring reissues of a number of Lee's 1960s Monument hits, as well as that of Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, was a surprise hit, reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. country-albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1985's "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," a duet with George Jones.

Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. In 1992, Lee recorded a duet ("You’ll Never Know") with Willy DeVille, on his album Loup Garou.

Legacy

Along with Connie Francis, Brenda was one of the first female singing idols, achieving huge popularity with a long string of hits. Many of her hits from the 50s and 60s are classics and her holiday song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," is a perennial favorite.

Brenda's marriage to Ronnie Shacklett in 1963 was a successful one, and he has been credited with ensuring her long-term financial success. They have two daughters, Jolie and Julie, and three grandchildren.

Celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, Brenda Lee was given the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by Source Nashville in September 2006. Lee is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Brenda Lee discography

Singles

Top-20 hits

The following Brenda Lee singles made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, Country, or AC chart in the U.S. or in the U.K.

  • "One Step At a Time" (1957)
  • "Sweet Nothin's" (1960)
  • "I'm Sorry" (1960)
  • "That's All You Gotta Do" (1960)
  • "I Want to Be Wanted" (1960)
  • "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1960)
  • "Emotions" (1961)
  • "You Can Depend On Me" (1961)
  • "Dum Dum" (1961)
  • "Fool #1" (1961)
  • "Let's Jump the Broomstick" (1961)
  • "Break It to Me Gently" (1962)
  • "Everybody Loves Me But You" (1962)
  • "All Alone Am I" (1962)
  • "Heart In Hand" (1962)
  • "It Started All Over Again" (1962)
  • "Here Comes That Feelin" (1962)
  • "Speak to Me Pretty" (1962)
  • "Your Used to Be" (1963)
  • "I Wonder" (1963)
  • "Losing You" (1963)
  • "My Whole World Is Falling Down" (1963)
  • "The Grass Is Greener" (1963)
  • "Alone With You" (1964)
  • "As Usual" (1964)
  • "Is It True?" (1964)
  • "Think" (1964)
  • "When You Loved Me" (1964)
  • "Rusty Bells" (1965)
  • "Too Many Rivers" (1965)
  • "Truly, Truly True" (1965)
  • "Coming On Strong" (1966)
  • "Johnny One Time" (1969)
  • "Nobody Wins" (1973)
  • "Sunday Sunrise" (1973)
  • "Wrong Ideas" (1974)
  • "Big Four Poster Bed" (1974)
  • "Rock On Baby" (1975)
  • "He's My Rock" (1975)
  • "Tell Me What It's Like" (1979)
  • "The Cowgirl And The Dandy" (1980)
  • "Broken Trust" (w/Oak Ridge Boys, 1980)
  • "Hallelujah, I Love You So" (w/George Jones, 1985)

Notes:

  • "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" spent a total of 25 weeks on Billboard's Christmas singles chart, charting every year from 1963 to 1969 and again in 1973, 1983, and 1984. In 1997, it charted number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Its highest position of number three on the Christmas chart was reached during the 1965 Christmas season.

Selected albums

Year Album US Pop Albums
1959 Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang! -
1960 Brenda Lee 5
1960 This Is... Brenda 4
1961 Emotions 24
1961 All the Way (#20 UK) 17
1962 Sincerely 29
1962 Brenda, That's All (#13 UK) 20
1963 All Alone, Am I (#8 UK) 25
1963 Let Me Sing 39
1964 By Request 90
1964 Merry Christmas From Brenda Lee 7
1965 Top Teen Hits -
1965 The Versatile Brenda Lee -
1965 Too Many Rivers 36
1966 Bye Bye Blues (#21 UK) 94
1966 10 Golden Years 70
1966 Coming On Strong 94
1967 For the First Time, Brenda and Pete (with Pete Fountain) 187
1968 Good Life -
1969 Reflections In Blue -
1969 The Show For Christmas Seals (with Tennessee Ernie Ford) -
1969 Johnny One Time 98
1970 Memphis Portrait -
1973 A Whole Lotta Love -
1973 The Brenda Lee Story: Her Greatest Hits -
1974 Brenda (Warner Bros.) -
1974 New Sunrise -
1975 Brenda Lee Now -
1975 Sincerely, Brenda Lee -
1976 L.A. Sessions -
1980 Even Better -
1980 Take Me Back -
1980 Little Miss Dynamite (#15 UK; Britain-only compilation) -
1981 Only When I Laugh -
1982 Greatest Country Hits -
1983 Kris, Willie, Dolly & Brenda...the Winning Hand (with Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson) -
1983 25th Anniversary (#65 UK) -
1984 The Very Best of Brenda Lee (#16 UK) -
1985 Feels So Right -
1991 Brenda Lee (Warner Bros.) -
1991 A Brenda Lee Christmas -
1992 Greatest Hits Live -
1994 The Very Best of Brenda Lee (#20 UK) -
1995 Coming On Strong -
2007 Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends (with Vince Gill, Huey Lewis, Dolly Parton, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn,
Martina McBride, George Jones, Alison Krauss, Pam Tillis, Emmylou Harris, and Charlie Daniels)		 -

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Daniels, Charlie. Growing Up Country: What Makes Country Life Country. New York: Flying Dolphin Press/Broadway Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0385518468.
  • Kingsbury, Paul (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0195176087.
  • Lee, Brenda, Robert K. Oermann, and Julie Clay. Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee. New York: Hyperion, 2002. ISBN 978-0786866441.

External links

All links retrieved November 20, 2023.

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