Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country, and Christmas music, she achieved her first Billboard hit at age 12 in 1957, and was given the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite". Some of Lee's most successful songs include "Sweet Nothin's", "I'm Sorry", "I Want to Be Wanted", "Speak to Me Pretty", "All Alone Am I", and "Losing You". Her festive 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. Having sold over 100 million records globally, Lee is one of the most successful American artists of the 20th century. Lee was the second woman ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 (after Connie Francis) when her song “I'm Sorry” reached number one in 1960. Her U.S. success in the 1960s earned her recognition as Billboard's Top Female Artist of the Decade and one of the four artists who charted the most singles, behind Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Ray Charles. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, four NARM Awards, three NME Awards, and five Edison Awards. In 2023, she was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Grady Memorial Hospital (hospital in Georgia, United States)
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 1-25 of 394 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 101242 | 1/3/1957 | Fairytale land-2 | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 101243 | 1/3/1957 | One step at a time-1 | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111412 | 11/30/1961 | Geh' am gluck nicht vorbei (Fool number one) (German) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111413 | 11/30/1961 | La premiere fois (Fool number one) (French) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111414 | 11/30/1961 | Sono sciocca (Fool number one) (Italian) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111415 | 11/30/1961 | Darling bye bye (Anybody but me) (German) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111416 | 1/1/1961 | Pourquoi jamais moi (Anybody but me) (French) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 111417 | 1/1/1961 | Nulla di me (Anybody but me) (Italian) | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 113267 | 2/25/1963 or 2/26/1963 | Am strand von Hawaii | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 113268 | 2/25/1963 or 2/26/1963 | Ein meinen träumen | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 113269 | 2/25/1963 or 2/26/1963 | Wo und wann, fängt die liebe an | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 113270 | 2/25/1963 or 2/26/1963 | Darling, was ist lost mir dir | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114462 | 6/22/1967 | Champagne and tears | Pete Fountain ; Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114689 | 3/26/1964* | Ich will immer auf Dich warten | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114690 | 3/26/1964* | Drei rote rosen blüh'n | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114691 | 3/26/1964* | No my boy | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114692 | 3/26/1964* | Ohne dich | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114693 | 3/26/1964* | Wiedersehn ist wunderschön | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114694 | 3/26/1964* | Kansas City | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 115718 | 2/17/1965 | Willow weep for me | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 115719 | 2/17/1965 | Almost there | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 115720 | 2/17/1965 | Yesterday's gone | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 115721 | 2/17/1965 | The birds and the bees | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 117811 | 8/15/1966 | Endless love | Brenda Lee | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 117812 | 8/15/1966 | Anasaka after dark | Brenda Lee | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lee, Brenda," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.
Lee, Brenda. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205729.
"Lee, Brenda." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Brenda Lee
Discogs: Brenda Lee
Allmusic: Brenda Lee
Apple Music: Brenda Lee
Grove: Brenda Lee
IMDb: Brenda Lee
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Lee, Brenda, 1944- - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80053563
Wikidata: Brenda Lee - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q230925
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/84599498
MusicBrainz: Brenda Lee - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6ca4886a-8f77-4133-b404-46fb3908e24a
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/54371 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/54371
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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