Brenda Lee

Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944),<ref name=Dynamite>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="TheMessengerEntertainment">Template:Cite web</ref>

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 BillboardTemplate:'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.<ref name=Rockabilly>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, she was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time.<ref name=Rolling-Stone />

Early life

Brenda Mae Tarpley was born on December 11, 1944, at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref name="Hall of Fame">Template:Cite web</ref> She was the second of four children born to Annie Grayce Yarbrough and Ruben Lindsey Tarpley.<ref name="Georgia Encyclopedia">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> 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.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn Most of her childhood toys were made by her father and her grandmother made many of her dresses.Template:Sfn

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".Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn She continued entering talent shows singing songs by Hank Williams and Peggy Lee.<ref name=Bernstein>Template:Cite web</ref> 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'".<ref name="PBS Timeline">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.Template:Sfn He died shortly afterward and the family was left "penniless",<ref name="Bernstein"/> leaving Tarpley to help provide for the family through her singing gigs.Template:Sfn Without a car, they traveled by bus from Lithonia to Atlanta on a weekly basis so Tarpley could perform.Template:Sfn 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".<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> Her mother then remarried and her family briefly moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Augusta, Georgia.Template:Sfn In Augusta, she attended North Augusta Elementary School and junior high school. Her stepfather became her manager in 1955 and booked shows around the Atlanta area.Template:Sfn

Career

1955–1958: National TV exposure and early rock recordings

File:Brenda Lee with Elvis Presley in 1957.webp

Lee poses with Elvis Presley, 1957.

Lee's breakthrough came in February 1955, when she turned down $30<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.Template:Sfn At age 11,<ref name="Bernstein"/> Foley signed her as a regular cast member of the Ozark Jubilee in 1956.<ref name="Georgia Encyclopedia"/> 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)".Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn Lee was then signed by his company, Decca Records, in May 1956.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/>

Despite being 11 years old, Decca issued her debut single, "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", under the title Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Decca's second single also featured Lee billed under that title. Both the A-side and B-side were novelty Christmas tunes: "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" and "Christy Christmas".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her initial releases identified Lee with the rock and roll market.Template:Sfn During this time, her Ozark Jubilee performances were seen by New York columnist Jack O'Brien, who wrote an article about her. That led to Lee being booked on The Perry Como Show, The Steve Allen Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a performance at the Nashville Disc Jockey Convention, Lou Black died of a heart attack. She was connected to Dub Albritten,Template:Sfn who became her personal manager the same year and remained in that position for many years.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> Among the first gigs Albritten booked for Lee was at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in December 1956.Template:Sfn

Lee then went to New York City to record her third Decca release with producer Milt Gabler, "One Step at a Time". Released in 1957, it became her first US charting single,<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> rising to number 43 on the Hot 100<ref name="Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine

• Template:Cite book</ref> and number 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart.<ref name="Country Songs">Template:Cite magazine
• Template:Cite book</ref> Its followup, "Dynamite", rose to number 72 on the US Hot 100<ref name="Hot 100"/> and gave her the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite".<ref name="Bernstein"/> Lee also credited Steve Allen for the nickname after he said it on the air in 1956.Template:Sfn With her new success, Lee brought in an annual income of $36,000,<ref name="Ozark Jubilee">Template:Cite book</ref> but according to Lee, the money could not be accessed by her mother because Tennessee state law protected child entertainers. The family went before a court judgeTemplate:Sfn 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.<ref name="Ozark Jubilee"/>

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).Template:Sfn In 1958, Lee's production was taken over by Owen Bradley, who served in the role over the next 10 years.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> The same year and at age 13, she recorded a new Christmas tune called "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree",<ref name="Bernstein"/> which eventually became a top-15 US single in 1960.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/>

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 toward pop.<ref name="Bernstein"/> He brought Lee to France in 1959 after noticing her records' popularity there,<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> 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 as a success with audiences.Template:Sfn The same year, Lee's recording of "Let's Jump the Broomstick" reached the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="UK">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="UK"/>

File:Brenda Lee - Cash Box 1960.jpg

Lee presented with a gold record for "I'm Sorry" in 1960

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 it, theorizing that the song was too mature for Lee to record.Template:Sfn Instead, "I'm Sorry" was issued as the B-side to the rock tune "That's All You Gotta Do".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Sfn The A-side reached the top 10 in the US and Australia,<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="Kent Music Report">Template:Cite book</ref> while "I'm Sorry" became Lee's first US number one single,<ref name="Hot 100"/> spending three weeks at top spot.<ref name="Georgia Encyclopedia"/> Bradley then found the Italian ballad "Per Tutta la Vita", which was translated into "I Want to Be Wanted".Template:Sfn It became her second number-one song in the US,<ref name="Hot 100"/> second Australian top ten single,<ref name="Kent Music Report"/> and first (and only) top ten US R&B single.<ref name="randb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> A third ballad, "Emotions", reached the US and Belgian top-10 charts in late 1960.<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="Belgium">Template:Cite web</ref> Her hit recordings were then included on corresponding LPs, two of which made the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 chart: Brenda Lee and This Is...Brenda (both 1960).<ref name="Billboard 200">Template:Cite book</ref>

Lee was among pop music's best-selling artists during the early 1960s. Her ballads appealed to teenagers and adults alike.<ref name="Bernstein"/><ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Allmusicbio">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Rockin 60s">Template:Cite book</ref> Between 1961 and 1963, nine of Lee's ballads made the top 10 in 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".<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="Kent Music Report"/><ref name="UK"/> The singles appeared in several of Lee's studio LPs, including two that made the US Billboard top 20: All the Way (1961) and Brenda, That's All (1962).<ref name="Billboard 200"/> Her 1963 album All Alone Am I reached number eight in the UK.<ref name="UK"/>

Decca and her manager further marketed Lee toward straight pop as she neared adulthood, having her appear in supper clubs and record standards.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Bernstein"/> Studio LPs like 1962's Sincerely, Brenda Lee targeted adult audiences by centering completely on American standard tunes.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lee and her touring band (The Casuals)Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn A 1963 review by Billboard magazine compared her nightclub routine to that of early 20th-century performer Sophie Tucker.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lee also found work in Europe, including a 1962 Hamburg, Germany, performance that featured The Beatles.<ref name="Bernstein"/> Lee also continued her education, hiring a tutor to accompany her on tour.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn

1964–1970: International success and musical expansion

By 1964, Lee's musical career had expanded beyond English-speaking countries. She began recording her most popular songs in Spanish, German, IItalian and French.Template:Sfn The 1964 German singles "Wiedersehn ist Wunderschön" and "Ich Will Immer Auf Dich Warten" made the top 40 on its pop chart.<ref name="Germany">Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, Mickie Most produced a single originally intended for the UK market, "Is It True".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It later reached number 17 in both the US and the UK.<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="UK"/> 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.Template:Sfn In November 1964, she joined Bob Newhart and Lena Horne in the "Royal Variety Show", where she performed for Queen Elizabeth II of England.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Albritten also wanted Lee to record for the Japanese market because he believed it was "largely untapped" by US performers.Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="Japan">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lee recorded several more albums of Japanese material over the next decade and toured there over the next 25 years.Template:Sfn

File:Brenda Lee.png

Lee promotional photo, 1965

Meanwhile, Lee was brought back to Nashville to continue recording for her main market.Template:Sfn Decca issued two 1964 studio albums of Lee's material that made the US LP chart: By Request and Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee.<ref name="Billboard 200"/> Included on the albums were the US top 20 singles "The Grass Is Greener", "As Usual", and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".<ref name="Hot 100"/> In between two UK tours, Lee recorded the 1965 studio album Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits. The album targeted the teen market and featured her singing popular youth hits of the period.Template:Sfn As the music of the British Invasion overtook radio airwaves, Lee's singles made progressively lower positions on the popularity charts, with some exceptions.<ref name="Allmusicbio"/> Two exceptions were "Too Many Rivers" (1965) and "Coming on Strong" (1966), with both made the US top 20.<ref name="Hot 100"/> 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.<ref name="AC Songs">Template:Cite magazine

• Template:Cite book</ref>

With declining radio airplay, Owen Bradley and Lee made attempts at expanding her musical style.Template:Sfn In 1967, he brought in the Hollywood String Quartet to play on her blues-inspired project Reflections in Blue.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.Template:Sfn But both received critical acclaim for showcasing Lee's music in new forms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.Template:Sfn

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 went into the studio with Berniker to record the track.Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="AC Songs"/> Its corresponding album of the same name made a brief appearance on the US LP's chart in 1969.<ref name="Billboard 200"/> For her next album, Lee traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to record with Chips Moman on a soul-inspired project, Memphis Portrait.Template:Sfn Its lead single, "I Think I Love You Again", only reached number 97 in the US in 1970.<ref name="Hot 100"/>

1971–1978: Country music comeback and pop experimentation

Lee experienced several personal and professional challenges during the early 1970s.Template:Sfn In 1971, Albritten died,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and according to Lee, he was supposed to leave her money, but 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 five years.Template:Sfn In addition, she experienced several health problems including vocal cord damage and abdominal issues.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Bernstein"/> She also felt professionally stuck after many production shifts,Template:Sfn leading to a reunification with Bradley as her producer in 1971.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Song publisher Bob Beckham then brought Lee the Kris Kristofferson-penned tune "Nobody Wins" and she agreed to record itTemplate:Sfn for the newly renamed MCA Records.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The song rose to number five on the US country chart<ref name="Country Songs"/> and number one on Canada's Country Tracks chart in 1973,<ref name="RPM Country Songs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> redefining Lee as a country music artist.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> It appeared on Lee's first country-focused LP, Brenda,<ref name="Five Musical Genres">Template:Cite web</ref> which made the US country albums top ten in 1973.<ref name="Country Albums">Template:Cite book</ref>

Lee remained identified with the mainstream country genre over the next several years.<ref name="Five Musical Genres"/><ref name="Hall of Fame"/> She made appearances on country-themed television shows such as Hee Haw (1972),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> presented a country accolade at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards (1973).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and had five more top ten country singles between 1973 and 1975.<ref name="Bernstein"/> She followed "Nobody Wins" with the number six US country songs "Sunday Sunrise" and "Wrong Ideas".<ref name="Country Songs"/> The latter was by poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein, who became a friend of Lee's and wrote more of her music. He wrote 1974's "Big Four Poster Bed",Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> They 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).<ref name="Five Musical Genres"/><ref name="Country Albums"/> Critics compared them to her 1960s LP's due to their use of cover tunes and similar track layouts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Brenda Lee 1977.JPG

A promotional photograph of Lee in 1977

Through 1976, the singles "Bringing It Back" and "Find Yourself Another Puppet" made the US and Canadian country top 40 charts.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> Lee also campaigned for Jimmy Carter at his 1976 Nashville birthday event.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> During this time, Bradley retired from the music industry and MCA pressured Lee into being produced by Los Angeles-based Snuff Garrett.Template:Sfn The resulting album was 1976's L. A. Sessions, which aimed to rebrand her as a 1970s pop recording artist.<ref name="Star News">Template:Cite news</ref> Its two singles failed to make the pop chart and instead made the US country chart but peaked outside the top 40,<ref name="Country Songs"/> 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.Template:Sfn Her latest manager, David Skepner, helped her secure a new recording contract with Elektra Records in 1978,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which released the single "Left Over Love".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

1979–1989: Second country comeback

In 1979, Jim Foglesong re-signed Lee to MCA Records.<ref name="Session">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He teamed her with producer, Ron Chancey, and the pair had instant musical chemistry, according to Lee. Chancey brought in soul music elements to update her soundTemplate:Sfn on the country single "Tell Me What It's Like".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Reaching number eight on the US country chart, it became her first top-ten single in nearly five years<ref name="Country Songs"/> and received a nomination from the Grammy Awards the next year.<ref name="Grammys">Template:Cite web</ref> The country comeback<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> made Lee one of several 1970s female artists who made successful returns to country music, including Dottie West and Billie Jo Spears.Template:Sfn Her next single, "The Cowgirl and the Dandy", was a reworking of Bobby Goldsboro's "The Cowboy and the Lady" that had first been recorded by Dolly Parton.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lee's version reached the top ten of both the US and Canadian country charts in 1980,<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> leading to the release of 1980's Even Better, which featured both songs.<ref name="Pittsburgh">Template:Cite news</ref> Critics praised Lee's "powerful" and "torchy" vocals on the LP and highlighted its new and modern sound.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1980, Lee also made an acting appearance and performed in the soundtrack for the film Smokey and the Bandit II.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> MCA coaxed her back into the studio to make a followup to Even Better, Take Me Back (1980).Template:Sfn The LP was her first in four years to make the US country chart, rising to number 30.<ref name="Country Albums"/> It was critically acclaimed for its use of string instrumentation and was positively compared to Anne Murray.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its lead single, "Broken Trust", featured The Oak Ridge Boys and rose into the US country top ten in 1981.<ref name="Country Songs" /> Lee then agreed to be part of the soundtrack for Neil Simon's film Only When I Laugh.Template:Sfn She recorded the movie's title tune, which was ultimately not included in the film but was featured in the soundtrack.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The single version rose into the US country top 40 in 1981<ref name="Country Songs"/> and was the lead release of Lee's 1981 album of the same name.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Lee hosted her own radio show in 1982, Brenda Lee's Country Profile, which featured in-depth interviews with country artists and found airtime on 25 US radio stations.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In an effort to save Monument Records from bankruptcy, Lee joined Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton to record the 1982 compilation The Winning Hand. The album featured new and previously recorded tracks by all four artists, along with solo and duet tracks.<ref name="Winning Hand">Template:Cite book</ref> Lee and Nelson's duet "You're Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning" made the US country top 50 in 1983,<ref name="Country Songs"/> while the album made the US country top ten.<ref name="Country Albums"/> The four performers then promoted the project in a two-hour television special in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lee said she was never paid for recording The Winning Hand due to Monument Records' downfall after its release.Template:Sfn

Between 1982 and 1984, most of Lee's singles made progressively lower US country chart positions. Songs like "Fool Fool", "Enough for You" and "Just for the Moment" reached positions outside the top 40.<ref name="Country Songs"/> Believing she needed a production change, Lee teamed up with songwriter and producer Jerry Crutchfield in 1983. She filmed a music video for their first single together, "Didn't We Do It Good"Template:Sfn but the song only rose to number 75.<ref name="Country Songs"/> Their next release, "A Sweeter Love (I'll Never Know)", made the US country top 30 in 1984,<ref name="Country Songs"/> prompting Lee to cut an entire Crutchfield-produced LP.Template:Sfn But the project was shelved. Lee said that new MCA president Jimmy Bowen rejected its release. Fearing Bowen would drop her from MCA, in 1984 Lee found a new record producer, Emory Gordy Jr. Bowen gave the Gordy-produced project his blessingTemplate:Sfn and the resulting album, Feels So Right, was issued in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Its uptempo song selection was praised by music critics,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but its singles only rose into the US country top 60.<ref name="Country Songs"/> Lee believed that its lack of success resulted in her being dropped by MCA in 1986, along with several veteran country artists.Template:Sfn She sued MCA in 1988 for $20 million, citing years of unpaid royalties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She settled out-of-court in 1989.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1987–present: Later years "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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the Hot 100 chart dated December 21, 2019, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached a new peak of number three in the US with 37.1 million streams and 5,000 digital sales sold.<ref name="musiclover">Template:Cite web</ref> The next week it moved up to number 2,<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> where it remained for a second week.<ref name="auto" /> From 2019 to 2022, the song has re-peaked at number 2, blocked from the top position by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lee has also joined TikTok to promote the song, where she posts videos reminiscing about its history and success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 US, 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.<ref name="TheMessengerEntertainment"/> The next week, she held the number-one spot, which also meant she surpassed her own age record, having turned 79 during the week ending December 16.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> After two weeks off number one, on the week ending January 6, 2024, she returned to number one for an additional week.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Lee approved an AI-generated Spanish-language version, "Noche Buena y Navidad", that appeared on October 25, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2024, Spotify revealed that "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is among the top 10 most-streamed holiday songs of all time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with more than a billion streams.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Gold & Platinum – Brenda Lee". Recording Industry Association of America. December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Lee's 1966 song "Coming On Strong" is referenced as a "forgotten song" in the 1973 hit single "Radar Love" by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring from their ninth studio album Moontan.<ref>Radar Love - Golden Earring</ref>

On September 26, 1986, Lee was installed in the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 5th Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Radisson 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1997, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame<ref name=Rockabilly /> and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Lee 161st on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref name=Rolling-Stone>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Billboard ranked her 93rd on its 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Awards and nominations

Lee has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated for three others:

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
1961	Best Female Pop Vocal Performance	"I'm Sorry"	Template:Nom
1970		"Johnny One Time"	Template:Nom
1980	Best Female Country Vocal Performance	"Tell Me What It's Like"	Template:Nom
1999	Grammy Hall of Fame	"I'm Sorry"	Template:Won
2009	Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award	Brenda Lee	Template:Won
2019	Grammy Hall of Fame	"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"	Template:Won

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 on April 24, 1963.<ref name=Tennessean-JackieWilson-1952>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lee and Shacklett have two daughters and three grandchildren.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lee is the cousin-by-marriage (by way of her mother's second marriage) to singer Dave Rainwater from the New Christy Minstrels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:AllMusic
• Brenda Lee receiving Spotify award, December 2024
• Brenda Lee recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.