Brenda Mae Tarpley, known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first Billboard hit aged 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.
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952. It is Williams' most recorded song. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous recordings and has since achieved popularity in several different music genres.
"I'm Sorry" is a 1960 hit song by 15-year-old American singer Brenda Lee. The song was written by Dub Allbritten and Ronnie Self. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in July 1960. On the UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at No.12. AllMusic guide wrote that it is the pop star's "definitive song", and one of the "finest teen pop songs of its era". In 1999, the 1960 recording by Lee on Decca Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Ronnie Self was an American rockabilly singer and songwriter. His solo career was unsuccessful, despite being signed to contracts with Columbia and then Decca from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. His only charted single was "Bop-A-Lena"; recorded in 1957 and released in 1958, it reached No. 68 on the Billboard charts. His boastful country anthem "Ain't I'm a Dog" was a regional hit in the South, but failed to score nationally. It reached #31 in Australia and Bop-A-Lena #25.
By Request is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on May 18, 1964 via Decca Records and contained 12 tracks. A majority of the album featured covers of songs first made popular by other recording artists of the era. Of its new recordings were three singles: "I Wonder", "The Grass Is Greener" and "As Usual". The singles reached top ten and top 20 positions on record charts throughout the world. By Request was met with mixed reviews upon its release.
Before I'm Over You is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on June 22, 1964 via Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Lynn's second studio album issued in her recording career and contained a total of 12 tracks. Two songs from the record were released as a singles and became major hits on the Billboard country chart: the title track and "Wine, Women and Song." The album received positive reception from music publications after its release.
The albums discography of American singer Brenda Lee contains 36 studio albums, two live albums, 62 compilation albums, two video albums, two box sets, 69 extended plays (EP's) and nine additional album appearances. In August 1959, Decca Records released Lee's debut studio album titled Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang!. Her second studio album Brenda Lee (1960) was the first to make the US Billboard 200 chart, climbing to number five. In October 1960, This Is...Brenda reached number four in the US and was her highest-charting album there. Lee's fifth album All the Way (1961) was her first to make the UK albums chart, rising to number 20. All Alone Am I (1963) was Lee's highest-charting UK album, rising to number eight in 1962. The Decca and Brunswick labels also issued a series of EP's by Lee during the 1950s and 1960s. Although none of them made charting positions both labels issued 66 EP's by 1967.
Sweet Nothin's is a 1959 song by Brenda Lee written by Ronnie Self. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 on the Hot R&B Sides chart, in 1960. The song also charted on the UK Singles Chart in 1960, peaking at No. 4, marking Lee's first appearance on the UK chart.
This Is...Brenda is the third studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on October 10, 1960, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The release was Brenda Lee's second studio album released during 1960 and contained the single "I Want to Be Wanted", which became a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Emotions is the fourth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on April 3, 1961 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was one of two studio albums released by Lee in 1961 and its title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.
All the Way is the fifth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released August 7, 1961, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the second of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1961 and spawned the single "Dum Dum", which became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and a UK single "Speak to Me Pretty", which reached No.3 on the UK singles chart.
Brenda, That's All is the seventh studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released October 15, 1962 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the second of two studio albums released in 1962 and included two Top 10 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1963.
All Alone Am I is the eighth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released February 18, 1963, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was the first of two studio albums released in 1963 and the album's title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
..."Let Me Sing" is the ninth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released December 9, 1963, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was the second and final album studio album released by Brenda Lee in 1963.
Jan Howard Sings Evil on Your Mind is a studio album by American country artist, Jan Howard. It was released in July 1966 via Decca Records and contained 12 tracks. It was the second studio album of Howard's music career and her first with the Decca label. The disc combined new recordings with cover tunes. Among its songs was the title track, which was one of the four singles included on the album. It became top five single on the American country chart in 1966 while the album itself reached the top ten of the American country albums chart around the same time.
The singles discography of American singer Brenda Lee contains 90 as a lead artist, four as a collaborative and featured artist, nine released in foreign languages, 21 promotional singles, 19 other charting songs and two music videos. Lee's debut single was released by Decca Records in 1956 called "Jambalaya ". The 1957 single "One Step at a Time" was her first to make the US charts. The 1958 release of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" did not chart until Lee had further charting singles in 1960. Originally the US Hot 100 top 20, it would later top the same chart 65 years later in 2023. In recent years, it has also made chart positions in several other countries.
Bye Bye Blues is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on March 14, 1966, via Decca Records and was her sixteenth studio album. The project consisted of 12 tracks, most of which were cover tunes recorded originally by other artists. A new song was also included called "Rusty Bells", which was the album's only single. The song made the US top 40 and the US adult contemporary top ten in 1965.
10 Golden Years is a compilation album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on May 23, 1966, by Decca Records and consisted of ten tracks. The album was meant as a celebration of Lee's ten years as a recording artist for the Decca label. It featured ten tracks recorded between 1956 and 1965, many of which were her most popular singles from her career up to that point.
Coming on Strong is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on November 28, 1966, via Decca Records and was her seventeenth studio project. The album consisted of ten tracks, many of which were covers of songs recorded by other artists. The album's title track was the only single included. It reached the top 20 on the US record chart and the top ten of the Canadian record chart. The album itself also made the US chart following its release. Coming Strong received mixed reviews from critics following its release.
For the First Time is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee and American instrumentalist Pete Fountain. Credited under the names "Brenda and Pete", For the First Time was released by Decca Records on March 15, 1968, and featured 11 tracks. The recordings featured Lee performing lead vocals while Fountain provided instrumentation solos on his clarinet. The album was met with positive reviews from critics following its release. It also made the US albums chart in 1968.
