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Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee's Genre:

Early Pop/Rock, Rockabilly, Country-Pop, Rock & Roll, AM Pop, Country, Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan

Biography

One of the biggest pop stars of the early '60s, Brenda Lee hasn't attracted as much critical respect as she deserves. She is sometimes inaccurately characterized as one of the few female teen idols. More crucially, the credit for achieving success with pop-country crossovers usually goes to Patsy Cline, although Lee's efforts in this era were arguably of equal importance. While she made few recordings of note after the mid-'60s, the best of her first decade is fine indeed, encompassing not just the pop ballads that were her biggest hits, but straight country and some surprisingly fierce rockabilly.

Lee was a child prodigy, appearing on national television by the age of ten, and making her first recordings for Decca the following year (1956). Her first few Decca singles, in fact, make a pretty fair bid for the best preteen rock & roll performances this side of Michael Jackson. "BIGELOW 6-200," "Dynamite," and "Little Jonah" are all exceptionally powerful rockabilly performances, with robust vocals and white-hot backing from the cream of Nashville's session musicians (including Owen Bradley, Grady Martin, Hank Garland, and Floyd Cramer). Lee would not have her first big hits until 1960, when she tempered the rockabilly with teen idol pop on "Sweet Nothin's," which went to the Top Five.

The comparison between Lee and Cline is to be expected, given that both singers were produced by Owen Bradley in the early '60s. Naturally, many of the same session musicians and backup vocalists were employed. Brenda, however, had a bigger in with the pop audience, not just because she was still a teenager, but because her material was more pop than Cline's, and not as country. Between 1960 and 1962, she had a stunning series of huge hits: "I'm Sorry," "I Want to Be Wanted," "Emotions," "You Can Depend on Me," "Dum Dum," "Fool #1," "Break It to Me Gently," and "All Alone Am I" all made the Top Ten. Their crossover appeal is no mystery. While these were ballads, they were delivered with enough lovesick yearning to appeal to adolescents, and enough maturity for the adults. The first-class melodic songwriting and professional orchestral production guaranteed that they would not be ghettoized in the country market.

Lee's last Top Ten pop hit was in 1963, with "Losing You." While she still had hits through the mid-'60s, these became smaller and less frequent with the rise of the British Invasion (although she remained very popular overseas). The best of her later hits, "Is It True?," was a surprisingly hard-rocking performance, recorded in 1964 in London with Jimmy Page on guitar. 1966's "Coming on Strong," however, would prove to be her last Top 20 entry.

In the early '70s, Lee reunited with Owen Bradley and, like so many early white rock & roll stars, returned to country music. For a time she was fairly successful in this field, making the country Top Ten half-a-dozen times in 1973-1974. Although she remained active as a recording and touring artist, for the last couple of decades she's been little more than a living legend, directing her intermittent artistic efforts to the country audience. ~ Richie Unterberger

AOL Radio Stations Brenda Lee is Featured on (10)

Cocktail Madness

In celebration of the return of Mad Men, Slacker unleashes a round of "Cocktail Madness." Loosen that tie, light up a Lucky Strike and indulge in a smooth concoction of metropolitan sounds. From Sinatra and Dusty Springfield to the swinging' rock'n roll stars that got their kicks in black and white to tasty tunes from today that were inspired by the classics. This is musical mixology at its finest.

Holiday Party

Holiday Party on Slacker Radio is the perfect way to celebrate the Holiday Season. Enjoy your festivities with upbeat holiday songs from classic crooners and soul legends to jazzy jingles, rock tunes and contemporary favorites. Get the holiday fun started with the festive sounds of Andy Williams, Dean Martin, Ella Fitgerald, Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, U2 and many more.

Country Christmas

Get in the spirit of the season with Country Christmas on Slacker Radio. You'll hear all the holiday standards and new seasonal releases from today's biggest country stars including Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Rascal Flatts--plus classic artists like Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Gene Autry and Merle Haggard.

Rock The Halls

Get the edgier side of holiday music with a great mix of holiday favorites from Rock, Alternative and Indie artists. Hear a wide range of holiday tunes from Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, U2, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Death Cab for Cutie, Sufjan Stevens and many more.

Top Christmas Hits

Top Christmas Hits on Slacker Radio is the perfect soundtrack for your holiday festivities. Enjoy classic songs from Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives and Johnny Mathis as well as contemporary artists like Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé and the cast of Glee.

Yuletide Classics

Yuletide Classics on Slacker Radio includes all the traditional holiday favorites of the season. Hear timeless classics from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and many more.

'60s Hits

It was the decade that defined a generation. The Gulf of Tonkin, Neil Armstrong, Spiderman, Little Deuce Coupe, Mustang Sally, Get Smart, Twiggy, and We Shall Overcome. Yeah, yeah, yeah...it was fab, gear, groovy and boss. Turn on, tune in, and drop out with '60s Hits on Slacker Radio.

SWAMI SOUND SYSTEM

Join the Swami and plummet into the abyss of primal punk, raw funk, scathing soul scorchers, lysergic psychedelic excursions, blown out reggae and dub and a vast assortment of exotic sounds from around the globe. Overlooked gems from the past and current underground noise collide as the Swami hurls song after song at your ears from the safety of his well soiled semi-magic carpet. He is the reverend of the irreverent and he welcomes you to take part in this celebration of feedback, tape hiss and reverb. The Swami Sound System will expose you to the most reckless songs ever created.

Vocal Standards

For decades, the world of popular music belonged to the singers and songwriters. From romantic ballads to swinging standards, Vocal Standards on Slacker Radio shines the spotlight on the best classic and modern crooners, singers, and swingers ever heard.

Brenda Lee

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, The Ronettes, Rick Nelson, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin, The Drifters, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and more.

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Brenda Lee's Selected Discography (50)

Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends

(P) 2007 Reunion RecordsCOMPILATION200711 Songs

The Definitive Collection

(C)(P) 2006 MCA NashvilleCOMPILATION200628 Songs

Best of Brenda Lee; The 20th Masters Christmas Collection Album Cover

Artists Related to Brenda Lee (50)

	Elvis Presley	Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent.
	Roy Orbison	Although he shared the same rockabilly roots as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison went on to pioneer an entirely different brand of country/pop-based rock & roll in the early '60s.
	The Everly Brothers	The Everly Brothers were not only among the most important and best early rock & roll stars, but also among the most influential rockers of any era.
	The Ronettes	The Ronettes weren't the most commercially successful girl group, but their music was some of the most groundbreaking in the field, thanks to their association with the legendary Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector.
	Rick Nelson	Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the '50s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats.
	Buddy Holly	Buddy Holly is perhaps the most anomalous legend of '50s rock & roll -- he had his share of hits, and he achieved major rock & roll stardom, but his importance transcends any sales figures or even the particulars of any one song (or group of songs) that he wrote or recorded.
	Bobby Darin	There's been considerable discussion about whether Bobby Darin should be classified as a rock & roll singer, a Vegas hipster cat, an interpreter of popular standards, or even a folk-rocker.
	The Drifters	The history of rhythm and blues is filled with vocal groups whose names -- the Orioles, the Cadillacs, the Crows, the Flamingos, the Moonglows, the Coasters, the Penguins -- are held in reverence by fanatics and devotees.
	The Beach Boys	Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community.
	Chuck Berry	Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry.
	Paul Anka	One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium.
	The Platters	The Platters started out as a Los Angeles-based doo wop group with little identity of their own to make them stand out from the pack.
	Bobby Vinton	Every era needs its crooner, and in the early '60s, it was Bobby Vinton. Vinton's sentimental balladeering and orchestral, middle-of-the-road arrangements were a throwback to a decade earlier, before rock & roll had found its mass market.
	Ritchie Valens	The first Hispanic rock star, Ritchie Valens will forever be known as one of the two musicians (along with the Big Bopper) who perished with Buddy Holly in 1959, when their private plane crashed in the midst of a Midwest tour.
	Dion	Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles.
	Frankie Avalon	Discussing Frankie Avalon's career as a mover and shaker in 1950s rock & roll with anyone who takes their rock & roll even halfway seriously is to court derision.
	The Four Seasons	The Four Seasons (or the 4 Seasons, as they were numerically billed in their heyday) were among the most successful pop singles artists of the rock era.
	Jerry Lee Lewis	Is there an early rock & roller who has a crazier reputation than the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis? His exploits as a piano-thumping, egocentric wild man with an unquenchable thirst for living have become the fodder for numerous biographies, film documentaries, and a full-length Hollywood movie.
	Patsy Cline	One of the greatest singers in the history of country music, Patsy Cline also helped blaze a trail for female singers to assert themselves as an integral part of the Nashville-dominated country music industry.
	Del Shannon	One of the best and most original rockers of the early '60s, Del Shannon was also one of the least typical.
	Connie Francis	Connie Francis is the prototype for the female pop singer of today. At the height of her chart popularity in the late '50s and early '60s, Francis was unique as a female recording artist, amassing record sales equal to or surpassing those of many of her male contemporaries.
	Dean Martin	Enjoying great success in music, film, television, and the stage, Dean Martin was less an entertainer than an icon, the eternal essence of cool.
	The Righteous Brothers	They weren't brothers, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (both born in 1940) were most definitely righteous, defining (and perhaps even inspiring) the term "blue-eyed soul" in the mid-'60s.
	Nat King Cole	For a mild-mannered man whose music was always easy on the ear, Nat King Cole managed to be a figure of considerable controversy during his 30 years as a professional musician.
	Ray Charles	Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country.
	Johnny Mathis	One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of the '60s and '70s.
	The Supremes	The most successful American performers of the 1960s, the Supremes for a time rivaled even the Beatles in terms of red-hot commercial appeal, reeling off five number one singles in a row at one point.
	Andy Williams	Easily the most solid and long-lasting vocalist of his era, Andy Williams' laid-back delivery and expansive voice charmed audiences for decades, from his first appearance with a brother quartet into his eighth decade of performance as the head of his own dinner theater in Branson, Missouri.
	Fats Domino	The most popular exponent of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, Fats Domino sold more records than any other black rock & roll star of the 1950s.
	Lesley Gore	The most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her very first release, "It's My Party," in 1963.
	Gene Pitney	One of the most interesting and difficult-to-categorize singers in '60s pop, Gene Pitney had a long run of hits distinguished by his pained, one-of-a-kind melodramatic wail.
	The Shirelles	The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock era, defining the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence.
	Frank Sinatra	Frank Sinatra was arguably the most important popular music figure of the 20th century, his only real rivals for the title being Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles.
	Bill Haley	Bill Haley is the neglected hero of early rock & roll. Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly are ensconced in the heavens, transformed into veritable constellations in the rock music firmament, their music respected by writers and scholars as well as the record-buying public, virtually every note of music they ever recorded theoretically eligible for release.
	Chubby Checker	Chubby Checker was the unrivaled king of the rock & roll dance craze; although most of the dances his records promoted -- the Pony, "the Fly," and the Hucklebuck, to cite just three -- have long since faded into obscurity, his most famous hit, "The Twist," remains the yardstick against which all subsequent dancefloor phenomena are measured.
	Perry Como	One of the most popular vocalists between the end of World War II and the rise of rock & roll in the mid-'50s, Perry Como perfected the post-big-band approach to pop music by lending his own irresistible, laid-back singing -- influenced by Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo -- to the popular hits of the day on radio, TV, and LP.
	Carpenters	With their light, airy melodies and meticulously crafted, clean arrangements, the Carpenters stood in direct contrast with the excessive, gaudy pop/rock of the '70s; yet they became one of the most popular artists of the decade, scoring 12 Top Ten hits, including three number one singles.
	Bing Crosby	Bing Crosby was, without doubt, the most popular and influential media star of the first half of the 20th century.
	The Coasters	The Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy.
	Bobby Vee	He launched his career as a fill-in for the recently deceased Buddy Holly, Bobby Vee scored several pop hits during the early '60s, that notorious period of popular music sandwiched between the birth of rock & roll and the rise of the British Invasion.
	Neil Sedaka	Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Sedaka enjoyed two distinct periods of commercial success in two slightly different styles of pop music: first, as a teen pop star in the late '50s and early '60s, then as a singer of more mature pop/rock in the '70s.
	Bobby Rydell	One of the most sought-after nightclub and concert acts in the country, Bobby Rydell's interest in show business began at the ripe age of four.
	Burl Ives	With his grandfatherly image, Burl Ives parlayed his talent as a folksinger into a wide-ranging career as a radio personality and stage and screen actor.
	The Big Bopper	Legendary as one of the three rock greats to die in the tragic 1959 Clear Lake, IA, plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper (born Jiles Perry Richardson) had just established himself as a rock hitmaker with the rollicking "Chantilly Lace.
	Frankie Valli	Pop singer Frankie Valli was permanently associated with the group for which he served as lead singer, the Four Seasons.
	Johnny Rivers	Johnny Rivers is a unique figure in the history of rock music. On the most obvious level, he was a rock star of the 1960s and a true rarity as a white American singer/guitarist who made a name for himself as a straight-ahead rock & roller during the middle of that decade.
	Johnny Cash	Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music.
	Jan & Dean	It's almost too easy to underestimate the importance of Jan & Dean in the history of rock & roll and its evolution into rock.
	Marty Robbins	No artist in the history of country music has had a more stylistically diverse career than Marty Robbins.
	Herman's Hermits	Herman's Hermits were one of those odd 1960's groups that accumulated millions of fans, but precious little respect.

All Related Artists

Top Songs by Brenda Lee (50)

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

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