Brenda Lee was just 14 years old when the above song “Sweet Nothin’s” was recorded and released in 1959. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending December 26, 1959 and #12 on The Hot R&B Sides for the week ending April 11, 1960. It was her first big hit song on the Hot 100.

Brenda Lee (Brenda Mae Tarpley) was born December 11, 1944. She grew up in a very poor family living in 3 room houses and sharing a bed with two siblings. She won her first talent contest at age 5, her father died at age 8 and by age 10 she was supporting her family financially.

Her debut was a cover of Hank Williams 1952 song “Jambalaya” recorded and released in 1956 and just 11 years old (not 9 as the record shows). She really gave the song a fresh and upbeat feel.

By this time Brenda toured with the Country Stars of the day and she had looked up to Patsy Cline as a ‘big sister’ until her untimely death in 1963 at age 30.

Lee would chart her first song in 1957 at just 12 years old. She was billed as a Rockabilly singer. By definition I’d have to say it was not Rockabilly, she recorded of that style but with an orchestra and a chorus on this song. Lee would soon be backed by the Nashville A-Team with musicians such as Bob Moore, Buddy Harmon, Ray Edenton, Hank Garland, Grady Martin, Floyd Cramer, and Boots Randolph. Not your typical Rockabilly three or four piece band. Truth is they did not know how to categorize her.

Whatever the genre it is her incredibly strong vocals and singing style that would blow anyone away and make no mistake, she could really rock-out. Brenda Lee is quite simply-phenomenal. You have to see this video clip (below) of her singing “One Step at a Time“. The song was written by Hugh Ashley and of note the talented session musician (writer, arranger and more) Al Caiola played guitar on the record. Think of any singer or musicians that had a hit in the 1950’s and 60’s from Buddy Holly’s “True Love Ways” to Tony Bennett or Mahalia Jackson. And he played on a hundred or more songs.

Her performance of the song “Dynamite” in 1957 earned her the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” that has followed her throughout her 70 plus year career. At 4′ 9″ Lee has never been one to be pushed around, even from such an early age. Brenda’s Producer Paul Cohen moved on as they were banging heads over which songs she would record. Her Sound Engineer and sometimes piano player Owen Bradley would step in.

Lee’s first #1 hit was ‘technically’ “I Want to be Wanted”, released in 1960. But it was actually the B side “I’m Sorry” that got on the attention. The song, unlike other B side smash hits like “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, was not re-released as an A side (except in the UK). The chart rankings were not really designed to handle the B side as a bigger hit than the A side. Not that it would solve this dilemma but the concept of a double A side would not come along until 1965. “I Want to be Wanted” has a sort of ‘adjusted’ chart position at #14.

Brenda Lee was still just a child but had actually been worried about her songs not charting that well, so now at the ripe old age of 15 she finally had a #1 hit. She was the youngest female ever to do so at the time only to be edged out (by a few months) by Little Peggy March (age 15 years and 50 days) when her song “I Will Follow Him” reached #1 on April 27, 1963. That Billboard record still holds today.

Brenda Lee would have to wait 63 years for her next #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 when “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” topped the chart in 2023 and then again on Jan. 6, 2024. Released in 1958 when she was 13 years old with that incredible voice. The song did not chart until 1960, reaching #14. The record has sold over 15 million copies and it’s the fourth most downloaded Christmas song.

To my knowledge she is the only recording artist to have once held the record for the youngest female to reach #1 and now the oldest when she was age 79 (and 26 days). She also held the record until 2000 for the youngest person to have a hit record on the Country Chart with the songs I mentioned above “One Step at a Time” and “Jambalaya” (1957), at 12 years old.

Brenda married Ronnie Shacklett on April 24, 1963, they were both 18 years old. To my knowledge they are still quite happy together and live in Nashville. They had two daughter’s and have several grandchildren.

She has placed 90 songs on Billboard and is the fourth most charting artist of the 20th Century behind; The Beatles, Elvis, and Ray Charles. To date she has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide. She has been inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll and Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Nominated three times, Brenda did not get one with one of her songs, but in 2009 she was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lee is a versatile artist, in 1966 she and Pete Fountain released an album called For the First Time, it contains several great cover songs such as “Basin Street Blues“.

By 1970 she had moved back to the Country charts almost exclusively. In 1973 she was the first to cover “Nobody Wins” by Kris Kristofferson. With that song she hit #1 in Canada and #5 in the US.

Brenda Lee has had 62 of her original songs covered, none of which she wrote. She has covered over 300 songs. There may be more but she has one co-writing song credit that I am aware of for “The Kind of Fool Love Makes” released by Wynonna in 1997.

Brenda is the first one to record the song “Always On My Mind” in 1971 and not released until June of 1972 and charted #45 on the US Country Chart, #40 in Canada. It was actually first released as a single by Gwen McCrae in 1972. The song is written by Johnny Christopher, Wayne Carson and Mark James. “Always On My Mind” became a hit for the first time for Elvis late in 1972, then Willie Nelson in 1982 and The Pet Shop Boys in 1987.

Last month I posted about “Radar Love” by Golden Earring. The clip below is the Brenda Lee song “Coming on Strong” that is referenced in the lyrics. Brenda released it in 1966 and hit #11 on the Hot 100. It was written by Country singer/songwriter Little David Wilkins.

Brenda Lee, still “coming on strong”.