Brenda Lee

Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she 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 known for her 1960 hit "I'm Sorry" and 1958's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", which has become a Christmas standard.

At 4 ft 9 inches tall (approximately 145 cm), she received the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite" in 1957, after recording the song "Dynamite" when she was 12. She is one of the first pop music stars to have a major international following. In 1969, Lee returned to the charts with her recording "Johnny One Time" penned by A. L. "Doodle" Owens and Dallas Frazier. The song reached #3 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also earned Lee her second Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal. Later success came with a return to her roots as a country singer, with a string of hits through the 1970s and 1980s.

Lee has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. 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. Lee is the first woman to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 11, 1944 (Grady Memorial Hospital)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1956 - 1972

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, flute, piano, bells, trumpet

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 251-275 of 394 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 12673 9/23/1963 Blue velvet Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12674 9/24/1963 I love you because Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12675 9/24/1963 Tammy Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12676 9/24/1963 Why don't you believe me? Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12677 9/24/1963 I'm confessin' (that I love you)-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12715 10/25/1963 You keep coming back to me Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12716 10/25/1963 Just behind the rainbow Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12717 10/25/1963 As usual-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12718 10/25/1963 Alone with you Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12782 1/18/1964 Don't get around much anymore Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12783 1/18/1964 Step aside Mister Gloom Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12784 1/19/1964 Upon a hill Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12785 1/19/1964 Leaving, crying Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12786 1/19/1964 My dreams Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12804 1/29/1964 The waiting game Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12805 1/29/1964 Too many rivers Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12806 1/29/1964 It's happening all over again Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12807 1/29/1964 Think Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12808 1/31/1964 Run to my arms Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12809 1/31/1964 I'm your toy Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12810 1/31/1964 Save me for a rainy day Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12952 6/12/1964 This time of the year Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12953 6/12/1964 A marshmallow world Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12954 6/12/1964 Strawberry snow Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12955 6/12/1964 Blue Christmas-1 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 251-275 of 394 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lee, Brenda," accessed April 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.

Lee, Brenda. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.

"Lee, Brenda." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.