Brenda Lee (born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a Pop singer, who was immensely popular during the 50s and 60s and is probably best known for the hit song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". She was also one of the first teen idols in music. She was given the nickname Little Miss Dynamite for her big voice and short body frame. In the 70s, she became a popular Country singer.
Early Years
Brenda sang in a big adult voice from childhood and began her recording career at age 11 on July 30 in 1956, with songs like "BIGELOW 6-200" (pronounced six two oh oh) and "Little Jonah". The song "Dynamite" coming out of a 4 ft 9 in (1.45 meter) frame led to her lifelong nickname, "Little Miss Dynamite".
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 hit the top of the charts with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Then, disc jockeys also dubbed her "Little Miss Razz Matazz" after her husky, pounding voice belted out her second big hit, "Sweet Nothin's".
The Height of Her Career
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 none of her best-known recordings from the 1960's were released to country radio. She would not have another country hit until 1969. Brenda Lee came to her biggest success on the Pop charts in the late 50s through the mid 60's with Rock and Roll styled hits. Her biggest hits during this time include "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "Sweet Nothins", "I Want to Be Wanted", "All Alone Am I" and "Fool #1". Her biggest hit and probably her signature song was the 1960 hit song "I'm Sorry". Her other best known hit was "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Brenda Lee became one of the few female Rock and Roll singers of the era. With this, she created a whole revolution of future rock singers to come.
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".
During the early 1970s, Lee established herself as a country music artist, and earned a string of Top 10 hits. Lee decided to trade in her big Pop career to a more Country type of career instead. The first came with 1973's "Nobody Wins," which reached the Top 5 that spring and also became her last Top 100 pop hit peaking at #70. The follow-up, "Sunday Sunrise", reached No. 6 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). 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.
Life Today
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 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. 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'." Although her songs have often centered on lost loves, and although she did lose her father at a young age, she has been married to her husband Ronnie since 1963. Together they have two daughters, Jolie and Julie (who was named for Patsy Cline's daughter) Brenda & Ronnie have 3 grand children.
Brenda Lee celebrates 50 years as a recording artist. 1956-2006
Brenda Lee was given the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by Source Nashville in September of 2006. She is the second recipient of the award with Jo Meador-Walker being the first to receive it.
Trivia
* During the late 1950's, Brenda Lee played a show and the promoter left her and her mother stranded when he ran off with the money. When Patsy Cline found out, Cline offered to let Lee and her mother ride with herself and her mother, Hilda. Cline reportedly told Brenda Lee: "Now don't you ever let that happen again, little sister!"
* Lee was first offered "Here You Come Again". She failed to act on it for several months, during which Dolly Parton recorded it. Lee did eventually record the song; but, by that time, Parton had already taken her own single to the top ten on the pop and country charts in 1977, relegating Lee's version to an album cut.
* Lee is the only female artist to be both in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame
Brenda Lee Discography
[edit] Selected Hit Singles
Year Single Album U.S. Pop U.S. Country U.S. A.C.
1957 "Dynamite" 72 - -
1957 "One Step At a Time" 43 15 -
1960 "I Want to Be Wanted" This Is Brenda #1 - -
1960 "I'm Sorry" Brenda Lee #1 - -
1960 "That's All You Gotta Do" Brenda Lee 6 - -
1961 "Dum Dum" All the Way 4 - -
1961 "Emotions" Emotions 7 - -
1961 "Fool #1" Brenda, That's All 3 - -
1961 "You Can Depend on Me" Brenda, That's All 6 - -
1962 "All Alone Am I" All Alone Am I 3 - #1
1962 "Break It to Me Gently" Let Me Sing 4 - -
1962 "Everybody Loves Me But You" 6 - 2
1962 "Heart in Hand" 15 - 4
1963 "Losing You" Let Me Sing 6 - 2
1963 "My Whole World Is Falling Down" By Request 24 - -
1963 "The Grass Is Greener" By Request 17 - 7
1964 "As Usual" By Request 12 - 5
1964 "Think" Too Many Rivers - - 4
1964 "This Time of the Year" Merry Christmas 12 - -
1965 "Too Many Rivers" Too Many Rivers 13 - 2
1966 "Coming On Strong" Coming On Strong 11 - -
1969 "Johnny One Time" Johnny One Time 41 50 3
1973 "Nobody Wins" Brenda 70 5 -
1974 "Big Four Poster Bed" New Sunrise - 4 -
1975 "Rock On Baby" Sincerely, Brenda Lee - 6 -
1979 "Tell Me What It's Like" Even Better - 8 -
1980 "Broken Trust" Take Me Back - 9 -
1998 "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Merry Christmas - - 16
Selected Albums
Year Album
1959 Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang!
1960 Brenda Lee
1960 This Is Brenda
1961 Emotions
1961 All the Way
1962 Sincerely
1962 Brenda, That's All
1963 All Alone, Am I
1963 Let Me Sing
1964 By Request
1964 Merry Christmas From Brenda Lee
1965 Top Teen Hits
1965 The Versatile Brenda Lee
1965 Too Many Rivers
1966 Bye Bye Blues
1966 10 Golden Years
1966 Coming On Strong
1968 For the First Time, Brenda and Pete (with Pete Fountain)
1969 Johnny One Time
1972 Brenda
1973 The Brenda Lee Story: Her Greatest Hits
1974 New Sunrise
1975 Sincerely, Brenda Lee
1976 L.A. Sessions
1980 Even Better
1980 Take Me Back
1981 Only When I Laugh
1982 Greatest Country Hits
1983 Kris, Willie, Dolly & Brenda...the Winning Hand (with Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson)
1991 Brenda Lee (Warner Bros.) |
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