Brenda Lee
| Brenda Lee | |
|---|---|
Lee in 1977
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brenda Mae Tarpley |
| Born |
December 11, 1944 Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Genres | Rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, country, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Labels |
Decca (1959–1969) MCA Records (1970–1991) Warner Bros. Records (1991–1993) Telstar Records (1994–1996) Bear Family Records (1997–1998) MCA Nashville (1999–present) |
| Associated acts | Connie Francis, Skeeter Davis, Ricky Nelson, Lesley Gore, Red Foley, Muruga Booker, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline |
| Website | Brenda Lee.com |
Brenda Lee (born Brenda Mae Tarpley, December 11, 1944) is an American performer and the top-charting solo female vocalist of the 1960s. She sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s, and is ranked fourth in that decade surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles. She is perhaps best known in the United States for her 1960 hit "I'm Sorry", and 1958's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", a United States holiday standard for more than 50 years.
At 4 ft 9 inches tall (approximately 145 cm), she received the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording the song "Dynamite" and was one of the earliest pop stars to have a major contemporary international following.
Lee's popularity faded in the late 1960s as her voice matured, but she continued a successful recording career by returning to her roots as a country singer with a string of hits through the 1970s and 1980s. She is a member of the Rock and Roll, Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame. She is also a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Brenda currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Brenda Lee was born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944, to parents Annie Grace (née Yarbrough) and Reuben Lindsey Tarpley. Lee was born in the charity ward of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She weighed 4 pounds 11 ounces at birth. Lee attended grade schools wherever her father found work, primarily between Atlanta and Augusta. Her family was poor, often living hand-to-mouth. As a child, she shared a bed with her brother and sister in a series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered around her parents finding work, their family, and the Baptist church, where she began singing solos every Sunday.
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