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 76-100 of 394 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 14651 9/19/1967 Night and day Pete Fountain ; Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca L 14652 9/20/1967 Where's the melody? Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca L 14653 9/20/1967 Fantasy Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca L 14654 9/20/1967 That's all right Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca L 14655 9/20/1967 Each day is a rainbow Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9461 7/30/1956 Jambalaya (On the bayou) Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9462 7/30/1956 Bigelow 6-200 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9463 7/30/1956 Some people Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9464 7/30/1956 Cheatin' heart Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9469 7/31/1956 Doodle bug rag Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9470 7/31/1956 Christy Christmas Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9471 7/31/1956 I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9773 4/12/1957 Dynamite-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9774 4/12/1957 Ain't that love-1, 3 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9775 4/12/1957 Love you 'till I die Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 9776 4/12/1957 One teenager to another-1, 2 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10014 11/29/1957 Rock-a-bye baby blues Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10015 11/29/1957 Rock the bop Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10266 5/8/1958 Ring-a-my phone-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10267 5/8/1958 The golden key Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10268 5/8/1958 Little Jonah (Rock on your steel guitar)-2 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10269 5/8/1958 My baby likes Western guys Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10419 10/19/1958 Papa Noel-3, 4 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10420 10/19/1958 Rockin' around the Christmas tree-1, 4 Brenda Lee vocalist  
Decca NA 10421 10/19/1958 Bill Bailey won't you please come home-1 Brenda Lee vocalist  
(Results 76-100 of 394 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lee, Brenda," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.

Lee, Brenda. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.

"Lee, Brenda." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 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.