Brenda Lee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brenda Lee | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Brenda Mae Tarpley | |
| Born | December 11, 1944 (age 62) | |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Genre(s) | Pop Music | |
| Years active | 1957-Present | |
| Label(s) | Decca Records | |
| Associated acts |
Connie Francis, Skeeter Davis, Patsy Cline, Ricky Nelson, Lesley Gore | |
| Website | Brenda Lee Offical Website | |
Brenda Lee (born December 11, 1944) is an American pop singer, who was immensely popular during the 1950s and 1960s.
Lee is probably best-known for her hit song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." She was also one of music's first teen idols. She was given the nickname Little Miss Dynamite for her big voice and short body frame. In the 1970s, she became a popular country singer.
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[edit] Early Years
Born Brenda Mae Tarpley in Atlanta, Georgia, she sang in a big adult voice from childhood and began her recording career at age 11 on July 30, 1956, with songs like "BIGELOW 6-200" (pronounced six two oh oh) and "Little Jonah." The song "Dynamite," coming out of a 4 foot 9 inch (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 released "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," which sold only 5,000 copies during its initial release. However, it would eventually go on to sell over five million copies. Then, disc jockeys also dubbed her "Little Miss Razz Matazz" after her husky, pounding voice belted out her first U.S. Top 10 hit, "Sweet Nothin's," in late 1959.
[edit] 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 1950s through the mid 1960s 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" (her second gold single, along with "I'm Sorry"). 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.
The biggest hit by Lee in the UK was with a single never released in the U.S. "Speak To Me Pretty" peaked at #3 in early 1962, followed by another Top 10 monster that same year with "Here Comes That Feeling," to make sure Lee was seldom far away from the UK charts.
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, which was her only hit single recorded in London, England, and produced by the late Mickie Most, who at the time was producing hits for the Animals and Herman's Hermits.
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.
[edit] 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'." She was also remembered as a heroine to David Forman 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..."
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. They have two daughters, Jolie and Julie (who was named for Patsy Cline's daughter) 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. She is the second recipient of the award, Jo Meador-Walker being the first.
[edit] Trivia
- During the late 1950s, 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 her and her mother, Hilda. Cline reportedly told Brenda Lee: "Now don't you ever let that happen again, little sister!"
- The Dutch rock group Golden Earring refer to Brenda's late 1966 hit "Coming On Strong", when they sing "Brenda Lee's comin' on strong" in their 1974 song "Radar Love."
- Lee was first offered "Here You Come Again". She failed to act on it for several months, during which time Dolly Parton recorded it. By the time Lee got round to recording the song Parton had already taken her version 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 in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame
[edit] Brenda Lee Discography
[edit] Singles
[edit] Top Twenty 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) US Pop #43, US C&W #15
- Sweet Nothin's (1960) US Pop #4 / UK #4
- I'm Sorry (1960) US Pop #1 / UK #12
- That's All You Gotta Do (1960) US Pop #6
- I Want to Be Wanted (1960) US Pop #1 / UK #31
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (1960) US Pop #14 / UK #6
- Emotions (1961) US Pop #7 / UK #45
- You Can Depend On Me (1961) US Pop #6
- Dum Dum (1961) US Pop #4 / UK #22
- Fool #1 (1961) US Pop #3 / UK #38
- Let's Jump the Broomstick (1961) UK #12
- Break It to Me Gently (1962) US Pop #2 / UK #46
- Everybody Loves Me But You (1962) US Pop #6, US AC #2
- All Alone Am I (1962) US Pop #3, US AC #1 / UK #7
- Heart In Hand (1962) US Pop #15, US AC #4
- It Started All Over Again (1962) US Pop #29 / UK #15
- Here Comes That Feelin' (1962) US Pop #89 / UK #5
- Speak to Me Pretty (1962) UK #3
- Your Used to Be (1963) US Pop #28, US AC #12
- I Wonder (1963) US Pop #25, US AC #9
- Losing You (1963) US Pop #6, US AC #2 / UK #10
- My Whole World Is Falling Down (1963) US Pop #24, US AC #8
- The Grass Is Greener (1963) US Pop #17, US AC #7
- Alone With You (1964) US Pop #48, US AC #8
- As Usual (1964) US Pop #12, US AC #5 / UK #5
- Is It True? (1964) US Pop #17 / UK #17
- Think (1964) US Pop #25, US AC #4 / UK #26
- When You Loved Me (1964) US Pop #47, US AC #8
- Rusty Bells (1965) US Pop #33, US AC #8
- Too Many Rivers (1965) US Pop #13, US AC #2 / UK #22
- Truly, Truly True (1965) US Pop #54, US AC #9
- Coming On Strong (1966) US Pop #11
- Johnny One Time (1969) US Pop #41, US C&W #50, US AC #3
- Nobody Wins (1973) US Pop #70, US C&W #5
- Sunday Sunrise (1973) US C&W #6
- Wrong Ideas (1974) US C & W #6
- Big Four Poster Bed (1974) US C&W #4
- Rock On Baby (1975) US C&W #6
- He's My Rock (1975) US C&W #8
- Tell Me What It's Like (1979) US C&W #8
- The Cowgirl And The Dandy (1980) US C&W #10
- Broken Trust (1980) US C&W #9
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. Its highest position of #3 on the Christmas chart was reached during the 1965 Christmas season.
- Other Brenda Lee singles which made the Billboard Christmas chart include: "Jingle Bell Rock" (#10 in 1964 and #8 in 1967), "This Time of the Year" (#12 in 1964), and "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day" (#24 in 1964).
[edit] 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 | - |
| 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, 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 (Muskateer) | - |
[edit] See also
- Best selling music artists — World's top-selling music artists chart.
- Always On My Mind — Always On My Mind (Original Artist of)
