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Brenda
Lee

Brenda Lee recording on a microphone with sheet music in front of her
  • Inducted
    1997
  • Born
    December 11, 1944
  • Birthplace
    Atlanta, Georgia

A Born Singer

A professional singer by the age of six and a recording artist by the age of twelve, Brenda Lee has fashioned a career of uncommon durability that spans more than sixty years and transcended the musical boundaries of pop and country music.

Born Brenda Mae Tarpley in Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital, Lee grew up in the Atlanta area. Her musical talent blossomed early: by age three, she was able to sing songs after only hearing them twice. When she was five, her older sister entered her in a school talent contest, where she won first prize for belting out “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The audience was amazed at the big sound coming from such a little girl, and the performance led to regular appearances on local radio and television shows.

When Lee was nine, her father died following an accident at a construction site where he was working. After her mother remarried, the family relocated, first to Cincinnati and then to Augusta, Georgia. Soon, young Lee was a star on local television. During this time, the show’s producer decided the name Tarpley was too hard to remember, so he shortened it and christened her Brenda Lee.

With the help of a local DJ, Lee was introduced to Red Foley in February 1956. Foley was so impressed with Lee’s talent that shortly thereafter, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri, so Lee could become a regular performer on Foley’s TV show, Ozark Jubilee, which was carried nationally on ABC. These performances led to appearances on network TV shows hosted by Steve Allen, Perry Como, and Ed Sullivan. Dub Allbritten, Foley’s manager, became Lee’s personal manager in 1956 and remained in that position throughout her formative years.

In May 1956, Lee signed with Decca Records and two months later had her first recording session, supervised by Paul Cohen with the assistance of Owen Bradley. Her third single, the foot-stomping, handclapping “One Step at a Time,” produced in New York by Milt Gabler, became her first chart record (#15 country, #43 pop, 1957) but was her only song to appear on the country charts for the next twelve years.

Songs

One Step at a Time
Brenda Lee

00:00  /  00:00

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Brenda Lee

00:00  /  00:00

Sweet Nothin's
Brenda Lee

00:00  /  00:00

Pop Stardom

Owen Bradley took over as Lee’s sole producer in 1958 and supervised all her Nashville sessions through 1968. Except for the rock & roll number “Dynamite” (which gave her the enduring nickname “Little Miss Dynamite”), chart hits eluded Lee for the next couple years. However, during the interim, Allbritten discovered Lee’s records were selling in Europe, and she took the opportunity to tour France in February 1959. It was the beginning of international stardom for Lee: not only was her tour successful, but the following years would find her performing in South America, Australia, Japan, and all through Europe. During the 1960s, she recorded her hits in several languages.

Lee started hitting the pop charts with regularity in 1959 with the release of the rocking “Sweet Nothin’s” (#4 pop). Owen Bradley changed her course for her follow-up hit and recorded the heartache ballad “I’m Sorry” (#1 pop). The recording’s use of strings not only bridged the gap between country and pop music but became one of the hallmarks of Lee’s sound through the 1960s.

Lee became one of the best-selling female singers of the 1960s. She could rock with the best of them, but as her voice matured, she concentrated on singing heartfelt standards and newly written ballads. Between 1960 and 1973, she had fifty singles on the pop charts, including “I Want to Be Wanted” (#1, 1960), “Fool #1” (#3, 1961), “Break It to Me Gently” (#4, 1962), “All Alone Am I” (#3, 1962), “Too Many Rivers” (#13, 1965), “Coming on Strong” (#11, 1966), and the Christmas classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (#14, 1960).

Videos

“Hound Dog”

Ozark Jubilee, 1956

“I’m Sorry” with Edmonton Orchestra

live in concert, 1978

Image Gallery

  • Brenda Lee outside movie theater in Times Square 1956

    Brenda Lee outside a movie theatre in New York’s Times Square, 1956.

  • Brenda Lee onstage at Centennial Park

    Brenda Lee onstage for a performance at Nashville’s Centennial Park, c. 1960. Photo by Elmer Williams.

  • Brenda Lee laying on the floor with a record player and records

    Brenda Lee listening to records at home, c. 1960. Photo by Elmer Williams.

  • Brenda Lee at the Grand Ole Opry, 1960. Her backing band included Hank Garland on electric guitar (left) and Lightnin’ Chance on standup bass (right). Photo by Elmer Williams

    Brenda Lee at the Grand Ole Opry, 1960. Her backing band included Hank Garland on electric guitar (left) and Lightnin’ Chance on standup bass (right). Photo by Elmer Williams.

  • Brenda Lee recording in Bradley Studios for Decca. 1959... 1960

    Brenda Lee belting out a vocal take at producer Owen Bradley’s studio, 1959.

  • Brenda Lee with her newborn daughter Julie, April 1964. Photo by Walden S. Fabry

    Brenda Lee with her newborn daughter Julie, April 1964. Photo by Walden S. Fabry.

  • Brenda Lee on the porch of her Nashville home, 1975. Photo by Raeanne Rubenstein

    Brenda Lee on the porch of her Nashville home, 1975. Photo by Raeanne Rubenstein.

  • Brenda Lee on stage, 2003. Photo by Walden S. Fabry

    Brenda Lee onstage, 2003. Photo by Walden S. Fabry.

Going Country

During the 1970s, Lee began experiencing health problems. Along with damaged vocal cords, she had several serious abdominal operations, requiring her to take time off from touring. Even so, Lee had four country chart hits between 1969 and 1972. After teaming up again with Owen Bradley, she broke into the country Top Ten in early 1973 with “Nobody Wins” (#5). She continued with a string of country hits for the next twelve years with songs such as “Big Four Poster Bed” (#4, 1974), “He’s My Rock” (#8, 1975), and “Broken Trust” (#9, 1980).

In the 1980s Lee served as a television host for Willie Nelson’s benefit concert, Farm Aid, and as guest host on he Nashville Network’s prime-time talk show, Nashville Now. She starred in musical theater for three seasons at Opryland USA and served on the board of directors for the Country Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In addition, she recorded for Warner Bros. Records in the early 1990s.

Lee has continued to make personal appearances and perform. Truly a legend in her time, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2018, she received a star on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame.

—Don Roy

Adapted from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Encyclopedia of Country Music, published by Oxford University Press

Brenda Lee was one of the best-selling female singers of the 1960s. Between 1960 and 1973, she had fifty singles on the charts, including “I Want to Be Wanted,” “Fool #1,” “Break It to Me Gently,” and the classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

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