Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Known for her musical versaility, she had commercial success with recordings in the genres of pop, country, rock and roll and gospel. She was also one of the best-selling music artists of the 1960s with songs that appealed to various age groups. Her Christmas 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. Her diverse career has led to inductions in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lee was considered a child prodigy for her ability to sing from a young age. She gained notoriety after making appearances on 1950s television programs, which led to a recording contract with Decca Records (later named MCA) at age 11. Her earliest recordings were rock and roll, first acheiving a commercial breakthrough with the 1959 top-five single, "Sweet Nothin's". Her music shifted towards pop after topping US chart with "I'm Sorry" in 1960. That year, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was re-released and became a commercial success for the first time. This new style appealed to teens and adults. Through 1963, Lee had a series of top-10 hits in multiple countries including "Fool No. 1", "Break It to Me Gently", "All Alone Am I" and "Losing You". In the mid-decade she started recording in various foreign languages, including Japanese beginning with the top-10 Japanese single "One Rainy Night in Tokyo".
Lee then experimented with different musical styles, including an album of New Orleans music titled For the First Time (1968) and a soul-inspired project titled Memphis Portrait (1970). After several personal challenges, Lee was reinvented as a country music artist in adulthood. This began with the 1973 top-10 country song, "Nobody Wins". She had six top-10 US and Canadian country singles during the 1970s including "Sunday Sunrise", "Big Four Poster Bed" and "Rock on Baby". A failed pop album in the mid decade reverted Lee back to the country genre again in 1979. That year, she had another top-10 country hit with "Tell Me What It's Like". She had two more top-10 country songs through 1981 and recorded country-flavored albums until leaving MCA in 1986.
Warner Bros. signed Lee to a new contract and released an eponymous album (1991), which failed to become a commercial success. It was followed the same year by a Christmas collection. During this time, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" received another revival when it was featured in the film Home Alone. Since then, it has continued to garner radio airplay yearly during the holiday season. Lee recorded and performed with less frequencey during the 1990s and 2000s. Among her new material was a collection of gospel material titled Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends (2007). In 2023, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped US chart and Lee issued a music video to promote the track.
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