\nA 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.\n
Born Brenda Mae Tarpley in Atlanta\u2019s 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 \u201cTake Me Out to the Ball Game.\u201d 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.\n
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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\u2019s producer decided the name Tarpley was too hard to remember, so he shortened it and christened her Brenda Lee.\n
With the help of a local DJ, Lee was introduced to Red Foley in February 1956. Foley was so impressed with Lee\u2019s talent that shortly thereafter, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri, so Lee could become a regular performer on Foley\u2019s 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\u2019s manager, became Lee\u2019s personal manager in 1956 and remained in that position throughout her formative years.\n
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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 \u201cOne Step at a Time,\u201d 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.\n
Lee started hitting the pop charts with regularity in 1959 with the release of the rocking \u201cSweet Nothin\u2019s\u201d (#4 pop). Owen Bradley changed her course for her follow-up hit and recorded the heartache ballad \u201cI\u2019m Sorry\u201d (#1 pop). The recording\u2019s use of strings not only bridged the gap between country and pop music but became one of the hallmarks of Lee\u2019s sound through the 1960s.\n
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 \u201cI Want to Be Wanted\u201d (#1, 1960), \u201cFool #1\u201d (#3, 1961), \u201cBreak It to Me Gently\u201d (#4, 1962), \u201cAll Alone Am I\u201d (#3, 1962), \u201cToo Many Rivers\u201d (#13, 1965), \u201cComing on Strong\u201d (#11, 1966), and the Christmas classic \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d (#14, 1960).\n
Brenda Lee Celebrates Another Major Milestone As Her Record-Breaking Christmas Classic Hits 1 Billion Streams
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Brenda Lee\u2019s \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d is a holiday staple. Every year, the classic song soundtracks parties, drives around town to see lights, and other holiday events. Last year, the song broke several records when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. This year, the honorary Queen of Christmas is celebrating another major milestone with the song.\n
Yesterday (December 10), \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d broke 1 billion streams on Spotify. It is the only holiday song by a female country artist to reach the streaming milestone. Additionally, the recently received its seventh Platinum certification from the RIAA. That made it the second-highest certified holiday song behind Mariah Carey\u2019s \u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You.\u201d\n
Lee spoke to People about her iconic song\u2019s latest milestone in a recent interview.\n
Brenda Lee on \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d Reaching 1 Billion Streams
\n\u201cI was dumbfounded,\u201d Brenda Lee said about her holiday hit reaching 1 billion streams. \u201cI can\u2019t even think that high, much less say it,\u201d she added.\n
Lee has spent much of her life in the spotlight, landing her first hit when she was just 12 years old. \u201cI always somehow knew that\u2019s what I was going to do because I loved it so much,\u201d she said of her long career. \u201cI mean, I would have done it for nothing! I would have sang no matter what. But I never dreamed that my legacy would be a Christmas song,\u201d she added.\n
\u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d hit 1 billion streams at the perfect time. Today is Lee\u2019s 80th birthday. As a result, she\u2019ll be able to celebrate the new career milestone along with her new personal milestone. \u201cI think the label is having a birthday party for me,\u201d she said of how she plans to celebrate. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to that. They say there\u2019ll be some surprises. I can\u2019t wait,\u201d she added.\n
\u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d holds the record for the longest run to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Lee released it in 1958 and it topped the charts in 2023, 65 years later.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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