Essential Recordings

Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1960's. She sang Rockabilly, Pop and Country music, and had 47 US chart hits during the 1960's, and is ranked fourth in that decade surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles.[1] She is best known for her 1960 hit "I'm Sorry", and 1958's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", a United States holiday standard for more than 50 years. At 4 ft 9 inches tall (approximately 145 cm), she received the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording the song "Dynamite"; and was one of the earliest Pop stars to have a major contemporary international following. Lee's popularity faded in the late 1960's as her voice matured, but she continued a successful recording career by returning to her roots as a Country Singer with a string of hits through the 1970's and 1980's. 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.