Brenda Lee is one resilient woman. The small vocalist rose to prominence
even before entering her teens, receiving praise for her singing abilities
and taking first place in regional competitions. By the time she was ten
years old, she was supporting her family financially. Red Foley, a country
music performer, noticed her and invited her to appear on his hit program
"Ozark Jubilee." She lived the rest of her life going by the moniker "Little
Miss Dynamite," which she received from that appearance.
Although the Atlanta-born Lee would go on to become the biggest-selling
female vocalist of those decades and rule the pop charts in the 1950s and
1960s with singles like "I'm Sorry," "Cry," "Losing You," "Is It True," and
"Coming on Strong," her early success captured the nation's attention. Lee
was a small girl at the time; she didn't merely appear like one. When Lee
first began delivering hits, she was only a little child. Her knowing
phrases and deep, husky rumble belonged to a wiser, older lady who had lived
a long life, yet her voice was emanating from a little teen girl's
body.
In one 1950s TV appearance, Lee performs her classic song "Rock the Bop."
Lee sounded quite polished and mature in the video. Lee had to growl and
rasp into the sultry, bluesy tune, and she did so effortlessly. We're
accustomed to seeing young performers on reality programs these days. But
there were no reality shows for young performers when Lee was around. In a
competitive industry, Lee faced forth against mature ladies. She not only
accomplished that, but she has also managed to stay in the public eye,
especially in light of her well-known Christmas classic, "Rockin' Around the
Christmas Tree." The 1960s saw Lee reach her zenith as fans flocked to her
rockabilly, pop, and country musical styles. Superstars Elvis Presley, The
Beatles, Connie Francis, and Ray Charles were the only ones to surpass her
amazing record of having 37 singles that decade that were ranked on the
Billboard Hot 100 lists. While Madonna in 1986 surpassed her record-breaking
nine straight top 10 Billboard Hot 100 successes from 1960 to 1962 for a
female solo artist, among of her most memorable songs from that era were
"Jambalaya," "All Alone I Am," "Emotions," and "As Usual."
Despite being a pop music sensation in the 1960s, she spent the most of the
1970s going back to her roots in country music with singles like "He's My
Rock," "Nobody Wins," "Wrong Ideas," and "Big Four Poster Bed."
Top organizations in the business have acknowledged Lee for her musical
achievements. She was elected into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002,
the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame
in 1986. However, Lee is best known for her Christmas song "Rockin' Around
the Christmas Tree," which was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy
Award in 2009 to commemorate its 50 years as a holiday classic. The song,
which was written by Johnny Marks and debuted in 1958 when Lee was just 13
years old, didn't do well on the charts at first, but over time, it became
difficult to recall a Christmas when the song wasn't played on the
radio.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is still a holiday staple that
consistently reaches the charts every year for almost six decades. It
reached an all-time high of No. 2 on the Billboard charts 61 years after its
premiere. It reached the top once more in 2022, peaking at No. 3 behind
Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Adele’s “Easy on Me.”
Third isn't a horrible place to be, according to Lee, who is 78 years old,
who told The Post, "If I have to be behind anybody, that's pretty good
company."
She went on to say that she fell in love with the song the moment she heard
it. "I really like it since it was a rocking tune as opposed to the
(traditional) songs. It was really fun for me to do. We probably needed two
attempts. She said, "It was in the summer, and (producer) Owen (Bradley) had
it all decked up like Christmas, and it was just adorable."
Additionally, Lee expressed her pride in having made history with the
rockabilly song to Hellenic News. "Getting a standard Christmas song is one
of the hardest things to do in the industry," the speaker stated. "I'm
fortunate enough to own one. It wasn't until the Christmas of 1960 that it
truly took off, even though we had recorded it back in 1958. Every year
since then, the original recording has been made available.
Lee said that she hasn't grown tired of hearing her song over the years and
that it's still a family favorite at home.
"I've now retired. On Christmas, however, we sing it during family
get-togethers. "Come on, sing a little bit of 'Rockin'," someone will
suggest. And, shockingly enough, I went caroling. Every year, I enjoy seeing
Carol," she remarked.
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