Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee (born December 11, 1944) was an American teen idol and country singer, from Lithonia, Georgia.
She sang in a big adult voice from childhood and began her recording career at age 12 in 1956, with songs like "BIGELOW 6-2000" and "Little Jonah. Along with Connie Francis, she was one of the first female idols, achieving huge popularity with a long string of hits. At Christmas, 1958 she hit the top of the charts with Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. Then, disc-jockeys dubbed her "Little Miss Raze Matazz" after her husky, pounding voice belted out received second big hit "Sweet Nothin's" in 1959.
Her last top-10 single was 1963's "Losing You", although she continued to have moderate success which lasted until her 1966 song "Coming On Strong". She continued to record and perform all around the world, cutting records in four diffent languages.
In spite of a few minor hits in the late 1960s and a brief comeback in the 1970s in the country music market, Lee was never able to achieve widespread success again.
A few of Brenda Lee's better known hits:
- Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (1956)
- Rock-A-Bye Baby Blues (1957)
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (1958)
- Sweet Nothin's (1959)
- I'm sorry Brenda (1960)
- Break It To Me Gently (1962)
- All Alone Am I (1962)
Quotation
- "Radio's playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's 'Coming on Strong'"
- From "Radar Love" by Golden Earring