Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Brenda Lee
American singer (born 1944) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944),[1] known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country, and Christmas music, she achieved her first Billboard hit at age 12 in 1957, and was given the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite". Some of Lee's most successful songs include "Sweet Nothin's", "I'm Sorry", "I Want to Be Wanted", "Speak to Me Pretty", "All Alone Am I", and "Losing You". Her festive song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", recorded in 1958, topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the chart and breaking several chart records.[2]
 |
Having sold over 100 million records globally, Lee is one of the most successful American artists of the 20th century. Lee was the second woman ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 (after Connie Francis) when her song “I’m Sorry” reached number one in 1960. Her U.S. success in the 1960s earned her recognition as Billboard's Top Female Artist of the Decade and one of the four artists who charted the most singles, behind Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Ray Charles. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, four NARM Awards, three NME Awards, and five Edison Awards.[3] She is the first woman to be inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time.[4]
Remove ads
Early life
Summarize
Perspective
Brenda Mae Tarpley was born on December 11, 1944, at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.[5] She was the second of four children born to Annie Grayce Yarbrough and Ruben Lindsey Tarpley.[6] Her father served in the United States Army for 11 years and then worked various labor jobs, including carpentry, factory work, and construction. Her mother also found factory work in cotton mills.[7] When Tarpley was born, she was one month premature and weighed four pounds, 11 ounces. She was given the name, Brenda, by her mother and was nicknamed "Bootie Mae" by her father.[8]
The family rented various three-room homes around the Metro Atlanta area as Ruben found carpentry work and survived on roughly $20 per week. After Ruben broke his arm in 1951, he was temporarily unemployed and the family lived on a tenant farm in Conyers, Georgia. Tarpley then attended Conyers Elementary School in 1951. After Ruben's recovery, the family moved to a clapboard house in Lithonia, Georgia, where Tarpley slept on one bed with her siblings.[9] Most her childhood toys were made by her father and her grandmother made many of her dresses.[10]
Tarpley began singing along to the radio as early as eight months old and won her first talent contest at age five singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".[11] She then entered a talent contest at Conyers Elementary School where she sang "Too Young" and "Slow Poke", but ultimately lost to an 18-month-old infant.[12] She continued entering talent shows singing songs by Hank Williams and Peggy Lee.[13] In 1952, she appeared at the Sports Arena venue in Atlanta with the Wranglers and debuted on local television the same year on Atlanta's TV Ranch singing Williams's "Hey, Good Lookin'".[14]
In 1953, Tarpley's father was working a construction job when a hammer fell off a scaffold and struck him on the head. Knocked unconscious, he was brought to a hospital, where doctors performed brain surgery.[15] He died shortly afterward and the family was left "penniless",[13] leaving Tarpley to help provide for the family through her singing gigs.[11] Without a car, they traveled by bus from Lithonia to Atlanta on a weekly basis so Tarpley could perform.[16] A local television producer during this time suggested a stage name because "Brenda Tarpley" was hard to remember. Soon, she adopted the stage name "Brenda Lee".[5] Her mother then remarried and her family briefly located to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Augusta, Georgia.[16] In Augusta, she attended North Augusta Elementary School and later attended junior high school there, as well. Her stepfather became her manager in 1955 and booked shows around the Atlanta area.[17]
Remove ads
Career
Summarize
Perspective
1955–1958: National TV exposure and early rock recordings
Lee's breakthrough came in February 1955, when she turned down $30[18] to appear on a Georgia radio station to see Red Foley and a touring promotional unit of his ABC-TV program Ozark Jubilee in Augusta. An Augusta disc jockey persuaded Foley to hear her sing before the show. Foley did and agreed to let her perform "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" on stage that night.[19] At age 11,[13] Foley signed her as a regular cast member of the Ozark Jubilee in 1956.[6] Lee and her mother then traveled by bus to Springfield, Missouri, where she made her debut on the program, singing Williams's "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)".[20] Lee's new manager, Lou Black, and her stepfather attempted to get her a recording contract, but were turned down by every label. According to Lee, many companies were hesitant about signing a child performer. Foley then coaxed his Nashville record label to watch Lee perform.[21] Lee was then signed by his company, Decca Records, in May 1956.[5]
Despite being 11 years old, Decca issued her debut single, "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", under the title Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old).[22] Decca's second single also featured Lee billed under the same title. Both the A-side and B-side were novelty Christmas tunes: "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" and "Christy Christmas".[23] Her initial releases identified Lee with the rock and roll market.[11] During this time, Lee's Ozark Jubilee performances were seen by New York columnist, Jack O'Brien, who wrote an article about her. His exposure led to Lee being booked on The Perry Como Show, The Steve Allen Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.[24] Following a performance at the Nashville Disc Jockey Convention, Lou Black died of a heart attack. She was connected to Dub Albritten,[25] who became her personal manager the same year and remained in that position for many years.[5] Among the first gigs Albritten booked for Lee was at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in December 1956.[26]
Lee then went to New York City to record her third Decca release with producer Milt Gabler, titled "One Step at a Time". Released in 1957, it became her first US charting single,[5] rising to number 43 on the Hot 100[27] and number 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[28] Its follow-up, "Dynamite", rose to number 72 on the US Hot 100[27] and provided her the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite",[13] which Lee also credited Steve Allen with the nickname after he said on the air in 1956.[29] With her new success, Lee brought in an annual income of $36,000,[30] but according to Lee, the money could not be accessed by her mother due to Tennessee state law protecting child entertainers. The family went before a court judge[31] and was appointed a legal guardian named Charlie Mosley (a friend of Albritten's). The judge granted her family a $75 allowance while the remaining amount went into a trust fund that Lee could not access until age 21.[30]
Lee then was booked for a series of rock and roll package tours in 1957, in which she performed alongside Ricky Nelson, Bill Haley & His Comets, George Hamilton IV, and Patsy Cline (who became a good friend).[32] In 1958, Lee's production was taken over by Owen Bradley, who served in the role over the next 10 years.[5] The same year and at age 13, she recorded a new Christmas tune called "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree",[13] which eventually became a top-15 US single in 1960.[5]
1959–1963: Rock and pop music breakthrough
Despite Lee's popularity with teen audiences through rock and roll, Albritten believed the music was a "fad" and morphed her style towards the pop field.[13] He brought Lee to France in 1959 after noticing the popularity of her records there,[5] and billed her with French pop performer Gilbert Becaud. According to Lee, Albritten tried to generate hype about her visit by telling French press that she was a "32-year-old midget". Despite the unwarranted press, Lee recalled her French shows being a success with audiences.[33] The same year, Lee's recording of "Let's Jump the Broomstick" reached the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart.[34] She returned to Nashville that summer to record the rock and roll tune "Sweet Nothin's" with Owen Bradley. The song became her first top-10 single in the US and the UK, peaking at number four in both countries.[27][34]
In 1960, Albritten brought Bradley the pop ballad, "I'm Sorry", for Lee to record. After recording, Bradley believed the song to be a hit, but Decca Records rejected the idea, theorizing that the song was too mature for Lee to record.[35] Instead, "I'm Sorry" was issued as the B-side to the rock tune, "That's All You Gotta Do".[36][35] The A-side reached the top 10 in the US and Australia,[27][37] while "I'm Sorry" became Lee's first US number one single,[27] spending three weeks at top spot.[6] Bradley then found the Italian ballad "Per Tutta la Vita", which was translated into "I Want to Be Wanted".[38] It became her second number-one song in the US,[27] second Australian top ten single[37] and her first (and only) top ten US R&B single.[39] A third ballad titled "Emotions" reached the US and Belgian top-10 charts in late 1960.[27][40] Her hit recordings were then included on corresponding LP's, two of which made the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 chart: Brenda Lee (1960) and This Is...Brenda (1960).[41]
Lee was among pop music's best-selling artists during the early 1960s whose ballads identified with teenagers and adults alike.[13][5][42][43] Between 1961 and 1963, nine of Lee's ballads made the top 10 in either the US, UK, or Australia: "You Can Depend on Me", "Dum Dum", "Fool No. 1", "Break It to Me Gently", "Speak to Me Pretty", "Everybody Loves Me But You", "Here Comes That Feeling", "All Alone Am I", and "Losing You".[27][37][34] The singles appeared in several of Lee's studio LP's, including two that made the US Billboard top 20: All the Way (1961) and Brenda, That's All (1962).[41] Her 1963 album, All Alone Am I, reached number eight in the UK.[34]
Decca and her manager further marketed Lee towards straight pop as she neared adulthood, having her appear in supper clubs and record standards.[5][13] Studio LP's like 1962's Sincerely, Brenda Lee targeted adult audiences by centering completely on American standard tunes.[44] Lee and her touring band (The Casuals)[45] regularly appeared in club venues across New York, Boston and Las Vegas. They were often backed by full orchestras complete with comedy sketches and Great American Songbook medleys.[46] A 1963 review by Billboard magazine compared her nightclub routine to that of early 20th-century performer Sophie Tucker.[47] Lee also found work in Europe, including a 1962 Hamburg, Germany performance that featured an upcoming group called The Beatles.[13] Lee also continued her education, hiring a tutor to accompany her while on tour.[45] Albritten later moved her out of Nashville's public schools into Los Angeles's Hollywood Professional School where she had classes with Peggy Lipton and Connie Stevens.[48]
1964–1970: International success and musical expansion
By 1964, Lee's musical career had expanded beyond English-speaking countries and into foreign language nations. She began recording her most popular songs in Spanish, German, Italian and French.[49] The 1964 German singles, "Wiedersehn ist Wunderschön" and "Ich Will Immer Auf Dich Warten", made the top 40 on its pop chart.[50] The same year, Mickie Most produced a single originally intended for the UK market called "Is It True".[51] It later reached number 17 in both the US and the UK.[27][34] The popularity of her various discs led to longer international tours. In her autobiography, Lee recalled appearing overseas more frequently in 1964 than in her home country.[52] In November 1964, she joined Bob Newhart and Lena Horne in the "Royal Variety Show", where she performed for Queen Elizabeth II of England.[53] Albritten also wanted Lee to record for the Japanese market because he believed it was "largely untapped" by US performers.[54] In July 1965, "One Rainy Night in Tokyo" (recorded mostly in Japanese) rose into the top ten on the Japanese national chart. Lee then embarked on a 12-day tour of Japan, which attracted audiences of more than 5,000 per concert.[55] Lee recorded several more albums of Japanese material over the next decade and toured there over the next 25 years.[56]
Meanwhile in the US, Lee was brought back to Nashville during this time to continue recording for her main market.[57] Decca issued two 1964 studio albums of Lee's material that made the US LP's chart: By Request and Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee.[41] Included on the albums were the US top 20 singles "The Grass Is Greener", "As Usual" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".[27] In between two UK tours, Lee recorded the 1965 studio album, Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits. The album was targeted towards the teen market and featured her singing popular youth hits of the period.[58] As the music of the British Invasion overtook radio airwaves, Lee's singles made progressively lower positions on the popularity charts, with some exceptions.[42] Two exceptions were "Too Many Rivers" (1965) and "Coming on Strong" (1966), with both made the US top 20.[27] These singles also made the US Adult Contemporary chart. Between 1962 and 1965, 13 of Lee's songs made the top ten of the chart.[59]
With an increasing lack of radio airplay, Owen Bradley and Lee made attempts at expanding her musical style.[60] In 1967, he brought in the Hollywood String Quartet to play on her blues-inspired project called Reflections in Blue.[61] She then experimented with New Orleans music on the 1968 Pete Fountain collaboration, For the First Time. Lee remembered that both albums failed to gain attention from the public.[60] Yet, both LP's received critical acclaim for showcasing Lee's music in new forms.[62][63] Due to disappointing record sales and several failed attempts at success, Bradley temporarily stopped working with Lee. He helped her find Mike Berniker and Lee went to New York City to make her next album with him.[60]
During this period, she heard Willie Nelson singing "Johnny One Time" on the radio and had the idea to record it from a woman's perspective. She then went into the studio with Berniker to record the track.[64] Lee's version of "Johnny One Time" rose to number 41 on the US Hot 100 and number three on the US adult contemporary chart in 1969, becoming her highest-peaking single in several years.[27][59] Its corresponding album of the same name made a brief appearance on the US LP's chart in 1969.[41] For her next album, Lee traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to record with Chips Moman on a soul-inspired project called Memphis Portrait.[65] Yet, its lead single, "I Think I Love You Again", only reached number 97 in the US in 1970.[27]
1971–1978: Country music comeback and more career shifts
Lee experienced several personal and professional challenges during the early 1970s.[66] In 1971, Albritten died,[67] and according to Lee, he was supposed to leave her money following his death. However, the money was never found and she only had $40,000 in her account. Albritten's estate lawyers also believed she owed $250,000 from her Decca contract. In her autobiography, Lee considered taking his estate to court but ultimately agreed to pay $20,000 over the course of five years.[68] In addition, she experienced several health problems including vocal chord damage and abdominal issues.[5][13] She also felt professionally stuck after many production shifts,[69] leading to a reunification Bradley as her producer in 1971.[70] Song publisher, Bob Beckham, then brought Lee a Kris Kristofferson-penned tune called "Nobody Wins" and she agreed to record it.[71] for the newly-renamed MCA Records.[72] The song rose to number five on the US country chart[28] and number one on Canada's Country Tracks chart in 1973,[73] which ultimately redefined Lee as a country music artist.[5] It appeared on Lee's first country-focused LP titled, Brenda,[74] which made the US country albums top ten in 1973.[75]
Lee remained identified with the mainstream country genre over the next several years.[74][5] She made appearances on country-themed television shows such as Hee Haw (1972),[76] presented a country accolade at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards (1973).[77] and had five more top ten country singles between 1973 and 1975.[13] She followed "Nobody Wins" with the number six US country songs, "Sunday Sunrise" and "Wrong Ideas".[28] The latter was penned by poet and songwriter, Shel Silverstein, who became a friend of Lee's and wrote more of her music. He would pen 1974's "Big Four Poster Bed",[78] which rose into the US and Canadian country top five in 1974. Both of her next two singles, "Rock on Baby" and "He's My Rock", rose into the US or Canadian country top five.[28][73] The hits were included on Lee's next three country-focused studio LP's: the US country top ten New Sunrise (1973), Brenda Lee Now (1974) and the US country top 25 Sincerely, Brenda Lee (1975).[74][75] Critics compared them to her 1960s LP's due to their use of cover tunes and having a similar track layout to those recordings.[79][80]
Through 1976, the singles "Bringing It Back" and "Find Yourself Another Puppet" made the US and Canadian country top 40 charts.[28][73] She also campaigned for future US President, Jimmy Carter at his 1976 Nashville birthday event.[81] During this time, Bradley retired from the music industry and MCA pressured Lee into being produced by Los Angeles-based, Snuff Garrett.[82] The resulting album was 1976's L. A. Sessions, which aimed at rebranding her as 1970s pop recording artist.[83] Its two singles failed to make the pop chart and instead made the US country chart but peaked outside the top 40[28] leaving Lee disappointed in the album's lack of success. She then traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record a disco-oriented project that was ultimately shelved.[84] Her latest manager, David Skepner, helped her secure a new recording contract with Elektra Records in 1978,[85] which released the single "Left Over Love".[86]
1979–2016: Autobiography and Country Music Hall of Fame
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 Cowgirl and the Dandy" and "Broken Trust" (the latter featuring vocal backing by the Oak Ridge Boys). A 1982 album, The Winning Hand, featuring Lee along with Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, was a surprise hit, reaching the top 10 on the U.S. country albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1984's "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" in duet with George Jones (Lee sang this song individually before and released it in 1960 on This Is...Brenda).
In 1992, Lee recorded a duet ("You'll Never Know") with Willy DeVille on his album Loup Garou.[87] Lee's autobiography, Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee, was published by Hyperion in 2002 (ISBN 0-7868-6644-6).[1]
Lee's most recent album release was a gospel collection in 2007. She no longer tours and rarely performs. Since the millennium, she has been involved with her work for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. On October 4, 2000, Lee inducted fellow country music legends Faron Young and Charley Pride into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[citation needed] Lee is often called upon to announce the annual inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame and then officially present them with their membership medallions at a special ceremony every year. The most recent inductees announced by Lee were Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels, and Fred Foster in 2016.[87]
2019–present: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" 65th anniversary
Since Billboard modified its recurrent rules in 2012, Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has regularly returned to the Billboard Hot 100 since 2015.[88] On the Hot 100 chart dated December 21, 2019, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached a new peak of number three in the United States with 37.1 million streams and 5,000 digital sales sold.[89] The following week it moved up to #2,[90] where it remained for a second week.[90] From 2019 to 2022, the song has re-peaked at #2, blocked from the top position by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[91]
In November 2023, to celebrate the song's 65th anniversary, Lee released a music video featuring her lip-synching to the original recording at a house party with Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood.[92] Lee has also joined social media platform TikTok to promote the song, where she posts videos reminiscing about her song's history and success.[93]
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 9, 2023, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the Hot 100 for the first time in the United States, becoming Lee's third number one hit and first since her 1960 single, "I Want to Be Wanted". At 78, Lee became the oldest female artist and oldest artist overall to top the Hot 100, feats formerly held by Cher and Louis Armstrong, respectively.[2] The week following, she held the number-one spot, which also meant she surpassed her own age record, having turned 79 during the week ending December 16, 2023.[94] Following two few weeks off number one, on the week ending January 6, 2024, she returned to number one for an additional week.[95]
A Lee approved AI-generated Spanish-language version "Noche Buena y Navidad" appeared on October 25, 2024.[96]
In December 2024, Spotify revealed that "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is among the top 10 most-streamed holiday songs of all time,[97] reaching more than a billion streams.[98][99] The Recording Industry Association of America also certified "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" that month for 7× Platinum for US sales of 7 million copies of the digital single.[100]
Also in December 2024, Lee was honored at the Tennessee State Capitol, where the song was named the Official Holiday Song of Tennessee. Legislation recognizing the song in this way was filed by Tennessee House of Representatives member Jason Powell in December 2023. It passed the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee.[101]
Remove ads
Legacy
Summarize
Perspective
On September 26, 1986, Lee was installed in the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 5th Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Raddison Inn, Atlanta. She was named among many other recording artists including: Riley Puckett, Gid Tanner, Dan Hornsby, Clayton McMichen, and Boots Woodall. Lee reached the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and 2001 without success, but was finally voted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.[102][103]
Celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, in September 2006, she was the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by the Source Foundation in Nashville.[104] In 1997, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame[105] and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame[3] and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.[106]
In 2008, her recording of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" marked 50 years as a holiday standard, and in February 2009, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Lee a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.[107]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Lee at number 161 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[4] Billboard ranked her at number 93 on its 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list.[108]
Awards and nominations
Lee has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated for three others:
Remove ads
Personal life
Lee met Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Shacklett in November 1962 at a concert by Bo Diddley and Jackie Wilson hosted at Nashville's Fairgrounds Coliseum. They married less than six months later on April 24, 1963.[109][110] Lee and Shacklett have two daughters and three grandchildren.[111]
Lee is the cousin-by-marriage (by way of her mother's second marriage) to singer Dave Rainwater from the New Christy Minstrels.[112]
Remove ads
Discography
- Rock the Bop (1957)
- Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang! (1959)
- Brenda Lee (1960)
- This Is...Brenda (1960)
- Emotions (1961)
- All the Way (1961)
- Sincerely (1962)
- Brenda, That's All (1962)
- All Alone Am I (1963)
- ..."Let Me Sing" (1963)
- By Request (1964)
- Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee (1964)
- Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits (1965)
- The Versatile Brenda Lee (1965)
- Too Many Rivers (1965)
- One Rainy Night in Tokyo (1965)
- Bye Bye Blues (1966)
- Coming on Strong (1966)
- Reflections in Blue (1967)
- For the First Time (1968; with Pete Fountain)
- Johnny One Time (1969)
- Memphis Portrait (1970)
- Brenda (1973)
- New Sunrise (1973)
- Brenda Lee Now (1974)
- Sincerely, Brenda Lee (1975)
- L.A. Sessions (1976)
- Even Better (1980)
- Take Me Back (1980)
- Only When I Laugh (1981)
- The Winning Hand (1982; with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton)
- Feels So Right (1985)
- Brenda Lee (1991)
- A Brenda Lee Christmas (1991)
- Precious Memories (1997)
- Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends (2007)
Remove ads
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads