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 276-300 of 394 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 12956 6/13/1964 Silver bells-4 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, bells  
Decca NA 12957 6/13/1964 Winter wonderland-2, 3 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, flute  
Decca NA 12958 6/13/1964 Santa Claus is comin' to town-1, 2, 3 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet, flute  
Decca NA 12959 6/13/1964 Frosty the snowman-1, 2 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet, flute  
Decca NA 12978 6/23/1964 Jingle bell rock-2 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, bells  
Decca NA 12979 6/23/1964 The angel and the little blue bell Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12980 6/23/1964 Christmas will be just another lonely day-1 Brenda Lee vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 12985 6/24/1964 When you loved me Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12986 6/24/1964 He's sure to remember me-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12987 6/24/1964 Maybe Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12988 6/25/1964 You'll never walk alone Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 12989 6/25/1964 My heart keeps hangin' on Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13039 8/17/1964 Is it true? Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13040 8/17/1964 What'd I say Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13146 10/23/1964 Tell me one more time for me Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13147 10/23/1964 Snap your fingers-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13148 10/23/1964 Dancing in the street-1,2 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13149 10/23/1964 Wishin' and hopin'-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13154 10/24/1964 Funny how time slips away-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13155 10/24/1964 (You don't know) How glad I am Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13156 10/24/1964 The crying game-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13157 10/24/1964 Truer than true Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13158 10/26/1964 Let it be me-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13159 10/26/1964 Love letters Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 13160 10/26/1964 Don't blame me Brenda Lee vocalist  
(Results 276-300 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.