Brenda Lee Artistfacts

December 11, 1944
Brenda Lee is an American singer of rockabilly, pop, and country music. She is known as "Little Miss Dynamite" because of her energetic stage presence, powerful voice, and small stature (Lee is 4 ft 9 inches tall). Also, one of her first singles was titled "Dynamite."
She was born Brenda Mae Tarpley in the charity ward of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, to Annie Grayce and carpenter and semi-professional baseball player Ruben Lindsey Tarpley. She weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.
After winning a talent show at age 5, Brenda Lee became a regular on local Atlanta radio and television. When Lee was 8, her father died in a construction accident and she became the primary source of income for her family.
Her big break came on March 31, 1956, when she made her network debut, joining country star Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee, the first nationally televised country music show. These performances led to appearances on network TV shows hosted by Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan and Perry Como.
Lee signed with the Decca Records label before her 12th birthday. Her third single, "One Step at a Time," became her first chart record (#15 country, #43 pop, 1957). She went on to record such landmark hits as "Losing You," "I'm Sorry" and "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree."
In 1962, while touring West Germany, Lee appeared at the famous Star-Club, Hamburg with the Beatles as the opening act. The lads from Liverpool became good friends with the Southern belle from Atlanta.
Lee churned out country hits such as "Nobody Wins" and "Big Four Poster Bed" and continued to have country hits into the '80s, including "Broken Trust" with The Oak Ridge Boys.
Lee was the first woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Hall of Fames, and she is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.
She met her husband Ronnie Shacklett in 1962 during a Jackie Wilson concert at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. They married on April 24, 1963 and have two daughters, Julie (born in 1964) and Jolie (born in 1969).
She is a philanthropist who has supported many charities, including The Kidney Foundation, American Cancer Society, the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In 1990, the American Rose Society named a miniature rose for the singer. The "Brenda Lee" rose is yellow with pink to red edges depending on the amount of sun it receives. It is described as, "A Little Beauty That Is Exceptionally Hearty, Smaller Than Other Miniature Roses, And An All-Round Winner!"
When "One Step At A Time reached #15 on the country chart in 1957, Brenda Lee became the youngest person to have a song on Billboard's country singles chart. Her record lasted until 2000 when Billy Gilman's debut single "One Voice" entered the listing a few days after his 12th birthday.

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