Właśc. Brenda Lee Tarpley. ur. 11.12.1944 r. w Lithonia w stanie Georgia, USA. Od wczesnej młodości obdarzona lekko zachrypniętym głosem, wyrażała nim na przemian rozterki serca, dwuznaczną senność oraz namiętne pożądanie; wszystko to z jednakową ekspresją cechującą jej największe przeboje z przełomu lal pięćdziesiątych i sześćdziesiątych: "Let's Jump The Broomstick", "Speak To Me Pretty" i wiele innych.Wylansowana została jako "mała Brenda Lee" przez lokalną radiostację, a później przez popularny na Południu radiowy program Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee. Jej pierwszy singel z wersją tematu Hanka Williamsa "Jambalaya" wszedł na amerykańską listę przebojów country. W 1957 r. piosenka "One Step A Time" znalazła się w Hot 100 tygodnika "Billboard".
Wyjątkowo młody wiek piosenkarki przyczynił się w niemałym stopniu do sukcesów jej kolejnych nagrań "Little Miss Dynamite", milionowego bestselleru "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" oraz całej serii rock'n'rollowych przebojów. W latach sześćdziesiątych Brenda rozszerzyła repertuar o dramatyczne, nastrojowe ballady ("I'm Sorry". "Thanks A Lot", "Too Many Rivers"), dyskontując popularność rolą w fantastycznym filmie dla dzieci "The Two Little Bears".
Rok 1963 był początkiem kariery pieśniarki w Wielkiej Brytanii. Do Top 20 trafił tytułowy temat z albumu All Alone Am I , single, "Losing You" (wykonywany po francusku), "I Wonder" i "As Usual". Wprawdzie rok 1964 zamknęły kolejne przeboje: "It's True" i "Christmas Will Be Just Another Day", późniejsze nagrania miały już znacznie niższe notowania. Wynikało to nie tyle ze zmiennych mód. co z przywiązania Brendy do życia rodzinnego i rezygnacji z koncertowych tras. Po roku 1966 nagrywała tylko sporadycznie, a tytuł albumu Bye Bye Blues jest pod tym względem symptomatyczny.
Słuchaczom przypomniała się w 1971 r. wielkim przebojem country, "Nobody Wins", autorstwa Krisa Kristoffersona. Singel uczynił z Brendy gwiazdę nurtu uważanego niestety wówczas za typową muzykę wapniaków. Dopiero w latach osiemdziesiątych zainteresowanie młodzieży stylem country spowodowało powrót do łask klasyków gatunku. a w ślad za tym wzrost akcji piosenkarki.
Wraz z Lorettą Lynn i Kitty Wells wystąpiła na trzecim albumie k. d. Lang Shadowland(z 1988 r.), którego producentem był Owen Bradley, reżyser wielu wczesnych nagrań Brendy. Jednak w Europie była już tylko wspomnieniem: zresztą dość miłym, czego dowiodły sukcesy rcedycji "Let's Jump The Broomstick", albumu Little Miss Dynamite prezentującego największe przeboje Brendy oraz starego szlagieru "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" w wersji duetu Mel & Kim (Mel Smith i Kim Wilde).
Piosenkarka ma zapewnione miejsce w historii rock'n'rolla dzięki obfitemu katalogowi przebojowych nagrań, a niezależnie od tego cieszy się wysokim prestiżem w kręgach miłośników country.
Single | ||||||
| Tytuł | Wykonawca | Data wydania | UK | US | Wytwórnia [US] | Komentarz |
| One step at a time/Fairyland | Brenda Lee | 03.1957 | - | 43[11] | Decca 30 198 | [written by Hugh Auhlen][15[1].Country Chart] |
| Dynamite/Love you ' till i die | Brenda Lee | 07.1957 | - | 72[7] | Decca 30 333/Brunswick 05685 | [with Anita Kerr Singers][written by Mort Garson, Tom Glazer] |
| Sweet nothin' s/Weep no more my baby | Brenda Lee | 12.1959 | 4[19][03.60] | 4[24] | Decca 30 967/Brunswick 05819 | [written by Ronnie Self][produced by Owen Bradley][12[9].R&B; Chart] |
| I' m sorry/That' s all you gotta do | Brenda Lee | 05.1960 | 12[16] | 1[3][23] side B:6[14] | Decca 31 093 | [gold-US][A:written by Dub Allbritten, Ronnie Self][side B written by Jerry Reed][produced by Owen Bradley][4[12].R&B; Chart][side B:19[2].R&B; Chart] |
| I want to be wanted/Just a little | Brenda Lee | 09.1960 | 31[6] | 1[1][15] side B:40[5] | Decca 31 149 | [A:written by Kim Gannon,Pino Spotti,Alberto Testa][side B written by Betty Logan Chotas][7[8].R&B; Chart][adaptacja włoskiej piosenki “Per tutta la vita”] |
| Rockin' around the Christmas tree/Papa Noel | Brenda Lee | 12.1960 | - | 14[4] | Decca 30 776 | [gold-US][written by Johnny Marks][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Emotions /I' m learning about love | Brenda Lee | 12.1960 | 45[1][04.61] | 7[12] side B:33[4] | Decca 31 195 | [A:written by Ramsey Kearney, Mel Tillis][B:written by Louis Innis, Grady Martin][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Let' s jump the broomstick | Brenda Lee | 01.1961 | 12[15] | - | Decca 30 885 | [written by Charles Robins][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| You can depend on me/It' s never too late | Brenda Lee | 03.1961 | - | 6[12] side B:101[1] | Decca 31 231 | [#4 hit Louisa Armstronga w 1932r][A:written by Charles Carpenter, Louis Dunlap, Earl Hines][produced by Owen Bradley][side B:written by Jimmy Seals][25[3].R&B; Chart] |
| Dum dum/Eventually | Brenda Lee | 06.1961 | 22[8] | 4[12] side B:56[3] | Decca 31 272 | [A:written by Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Ronnie Self] |
| Fool # 1/Anybody but me | Brenda Lee | 10.1961 | 38[3] | 3[14] side B:31[9] | Decca 31 309 | [A:written by Kathryn R. Fulton][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Ronnie Self][oryginalnie wykonywana przez Lorettę Lynn] |
| Rockin' around the Christmas tree/Papa Noel | Brenda Lee | 12.1961 | - | 50[4] | Decca 30 776 | [gold-US] |
| Break it to me gently/So deep | Brenda Lee | 01.1962 | 46[2] | 4[13] side B:52[4] | Decca 31 348 | [A:written by Joe Seneca, Diane Lampert][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Jackie De Shannon] |
| Everybody loves me but you/Here comes that feelin' | Brenda Lee | 04.1962 | Side B:5[12] | 6[11] side B:89[3] | Decca 31 379 | [A:written by Ronnie Self][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Dorsey Burnette, Joe Osborne] |
| Speak to me pretty | Brenda Lee | 04.1962 | 3[12] | - | - | [written by By Dunham, Henry Vars][piosenka z filmu “Two little bears”] |
| Heart in hand/It started all over again | Brenda Lee | 07.1962 | Side B:15[11] | 15[10] side B:29[8] | Decca 31 407 | [A:written by Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Gerry Goffin, Jack Keller] |
| All alone am i/Save all your lovin' for me | Brenda Lee | 09.1962 | 7[17][01.63] | 3[15] side B:53[6] | Decca 31 424 | [A:written by Manos Hadjidakis,Arthur Altman][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Chuck Taylor, Gerald Nelson] |
| Rockin' around the Christmas tree/Papa Noel | Brenda Lee | 12.1962 | 6[7] | 59[3] | Decca 30 776 | [gold] |
| Your used to be/She' ll never know | Brenda Lee | 01.1963 | - | 32[7] side B:47[6] | Decca 31 454 | [A:written by Howard Greenfield, Jack Keller][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Rick Hall] |
| Losing you/He' s so heavenly | Brenda Lee | 04.1963 | 10[16] | 6[13] side B:73[3] | Decca 31 478 | [A:written by Jean Renard, Carl Sigman][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Shari Sheeley, Jackie De Shannon][13[5].R&B Chart] |
| My whole world is falling down/I wonder | Brenda Lee | 07.1963 | Side B: 14[9] | 24[9] side B:25[8] | Decca 31 510 | [A:written by Bill Anderson, Jerry Crutchfield][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen][utwór oparty na dziecięcej piosence “London bridge is falling down”][side B #1 hit z 1945r-Pvt Cecil Gant & Roosevelt Sykes] |
| The grass is greener/Sweet impossible you | Brenda Lee | 09.1963 | Side B:28[6] | 17[8] side B:70[5] | Decca 31 539 | [A:written by Mike Anthony, Barry Mann][produced by Owen Bradley][side B written by Ronnie Self] |
| As usual/Lonely lonely me | Brenda Lee | 12.1963 | 5[15] | 12[11] | Decca 31 570 | [written by Alex Zanetis][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Think /The waiting game | Brenda Lee | 03.1964 | 26[8] | 25[9] side B:101[6] | Decca 31 599 | [A:written by Peggy Whittington][side B written by Buzz Cason][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Alone with you/My dreams | Brenda Lee | 06.1964 | - | 48[6] side B:85[3] | Decca 31 628 | [A:written by Jackie DeShannon][side B written by David Briggs, Dan Penn][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| When you loved me/He' s sure to remember me | Brenda Lee | 08.1964 | - | 47[7] side B:135[1] | Decca 31 654 | [A:written by Joy Byers, Bob Tubert][side B written by Jackie De Shannon][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Is it true/Just behind the rainbow | Brenda Lee | 10.1964 | 17[8] | 17[9] | Decca 31 690 | [written by Carter & Lewis][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Christmas will be just another lonely day/ This Time Of The Year | Brenda Lee | 12.1964 | 17[8] | - | Decca 31 688 | [written by Lee Jackson, Patti Seymour][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Thanks a lot/The crying game | Brenda Lee | 01.1965 | 41[2] | 45[7] side B:87[4] | Decca 31 728 | [A:written by Eddie Miller, Don Sessions][B:written by Geoff Stephens][produced by Owen Bradley][#3 country hit Ernesta Tubba z 1963r] |
| Truly ,truly,true/I still miss someone | Brenda Lee | 04.1965 | - | 54[6] | Decca 31 762 | [written by Dalibor Basler, Vladimir Rohlena, Al Stillman, Arthur Altman][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Too many rivers/No one | Brenda Lee | 05.1965 | 22[12] | 13[15] side B: 98[1] | Decca 31 792 | [written by Harlan Howard][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Rusty bells/If you don' t [Not like you] | Brenda Lee | 10.1965 | - | 33[9] | Decca 31 849 | [written by Eddie Snyder, Richard Ahlert][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Too little time/Time and time again | Brenda Lee | 03.1966 | - | 123[2] side B:126[2] | Decca 31 917 | [written by Marvin Hamlisch][side B written by Dorsey Burnette][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Ain' t gonna cry no more/It takes one to know one | Brenda Lee | 07.1966 | - | 77[4] | Decca 31 970 | [written by David Gates][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Coming on strong/You keep coming back to me | Brenda Lee | 10.1966 | - | 11[13] | Decca 32 018 | [written by David Wilkins][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Ride ,ride,ride/Lonely people do foolish things | Brenda Lee | 01.1967 | - | 37[7] | Decca 32 079 | [written by Liz Anderson][produced by Owen Bradley][country hit Lynn Anderson w 1966r] |
| Take me/Born to be by your side | Brenda Lee | 04.1967 | - | 126[4] side B:134[1] | Decca 32 119 | [#8 country hit George Jones w 1968r][written by George Jones, Leon Payne][side B:written by Jerry Reed;#52 hit for Jimmy Dean in 1968] |
| Where love is/My heart keeps hangin' on | Brenda Lee | 08.1967 | - | 134[2] | Decca 32 161 | [written by Dee Moeller] |
| Where's the melody/Save me for a rainy day | Brenda Lee | 11.1967 | - | 105[4] | Decca 32 213 | [written by David Wilkins,Hal Battiste][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| That's all right/Fantasy | Brenda Lee | 01.1968 | - | 118[1] | Decca 32 248 | [written by J. Spencer, C. Donida-Mogol][produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Johnny one time/I must have been out of my mind | Brenda Lee | 02.1969 | - | 41[11] | Decca 32 428 | [country hit willie Nelsona w 1968r][written by A. L. Owens, Dallas Frazier][produced by Mike Berniker] |
| You don' t need me for anything anymore/Bring me sunshine | Brenda Lee | 05.1969 | - | 84[3] | Decca 32 491 | [written by Richard Ahlert, Leon Carr][produced by Mike Berniker] |
| I think I love you again/Hello love | Brenda Lee | 05.1970 | - | 97[2] | Decca 32 675 | [written by Toni Wine, Irwin Levine][produced by Chips Moman] |
| If This Is Our Last Time/Everybody's Reaching Out For Someone | Brenda Lee | 09.1971 | - | - | Decca 32 848 | [written by Dallas Frazier ][produced by Owen Bradley][30[6].Country Chart] |
| Misty Memories/I'm A Memory | Brenda Lee | 03.1972 | - | - | Decca 32 918 | [written by Ben Peters][produced by Owen Bradley][37[4].Country Chart] |
| Nobody wins/We had a good thing going | Brenda Lee | 03.1973 | - | 70[5] | MCA 40 003 | [written by Kris Kristofferson][produced by Owen Bradley][5[11].Country Chart] |
| Sunday Sunrise/Must I Believe | Brenda Lee | 09.1973 | - | - | MCA 40 107 | [written by Mark James][produced by Owen Bradley][6[11].Country Chart] |
| Wrong Ideas/Something For A Rainy Day | Brenda Lee | 02.1974 | - | - | MCA 40 171 | [written by Shel Silverstein][produced by Owen Bradley][6[9].Country Chart] |
| Big Four Poster Bed/Castles In The Sand | Brenda Lee | 08.1974 | - | - | MCA 40 262 | [written by Shel Silverstein][produced by Owen Bradley][4[9].Country Chart] |
| Rock On Baby/More Than A Memory | Brenda Lee | 12.1974 | - | - | MCA 40 318 | [written by Johnny Wilson, Gene Dobbins][produced by Owen Bradley][6[8].Country Chart] |
| He's My Rock/Feel Free | Brenda Lee | 05.1975 | - | - | MCA 40 385 | [written by S. K. Dobbins][produced by Owen Bradley][8[9].Country Chart] |
| Bringing It Back/Papa's Knee | Brenda Lee | 09.1975 | - | - | MCA 40 442 | [written by Greg Gordon][produced by Owen Bradley][23[5].Country Chart] |
| Find Yourself Another Puppet/What I Had With You | Brenda Lee | 03.1976 | - | - | MCA 40 511 | [written by Jimbeau Hinson][produced by Owen Bradley][38[1].Country Chart] |
| Tell Me What It's Like/Let Your Love Fall Back On Me | Brenda Lee | 11.1979 | - | - | MCA 41 130 | [written by Ben Peters][produced by Ron Chancey][8[11].Country Chart] |
| The Cowgirl And The Dandy/Do You Wanna Spend The Night | Brenda Lee | 03.1980 | - | - | MCA 41 187 | [written by Bobby Goldsboro][produced by Ron Chancey][10[9].Country Chart] |
| Broken Trust/Right Behind The Rain | Brenda Lee | 10.1980 | - | - | MCA 41 322 | [written by Jimbeau Hinson][produced by Ron Chancey][9[8].Country Chart] |
| Every Now And Then/He'll Play The Music (But You Can't Make Him Dance) | Brenda Lee | 02.1981 | - | - | MCA 51 047 | [written by Shane Dolan, Rock Killough][produced by Ron Chancey][26[5].Country Chart] |
| Only When I Laugh/Too Many Nights Alone | Brenda Lee | 11.1981 | - | - | MCA 51 195 | [written by Richard Maltby Jr, David Shire][produced by Ron Chancey][32[3].Country Chart] |
| From Levis To Calvin Klein Jeans/I Know A Lot About Love | Brenda Lee | 02.1982 | - | - | MCA 51 230 | [written by Richard D. Runyeon, Rick Lathrop, Bucky Jones][produced by Ron Chancey][33[3].Country Chart] |
| A Sweeter Love (I'll Never Know)/ A Woman's Mind | Brenda Lee | 09.1984 | - | - | MCA 52 394 | [written by Jerry Crutchfield][produced by Jerry Crutchfield][22[6].Country Chart] |
| Hallelujah, I Love You So/(What Love Can Do) The Second Time Around | George Jones With Brenda Lee | 01.1985 | - | - | Epic 04723 | [written by R. Charles][produced by Billy Sherrill][15[9].Country Chart] |
| EP's | ||||||
| Speak to me pretty | Brenda Lee | 11.1962 | 18[3] | - | Brunswick OE 9488 | |
| All alone am i | Brenda Lee | 08.1963 | 8[8] | - | Brunswick OE 9492 | |
Albumy | ||||||
| Tytuł | Wykonawca | Data wydania | UK | US | Wytwórnia [US] | Komentarz |
| Brenda Lee | Brenda Lee | 08.1960 | - | 5[57] | Decca 74 039 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| This is...Brenda | Brenda Lee | 11.1960 | - | 4[41] | Decca 74 082 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Emotions | Brenda Lee | 05.1961 | - | 24[33] | Decca 74 104 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| All the way | Brenda Lee | 08.1961 | 20[2] | 17[39] | Decca 74 176 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Sincerely | Brenda Lee | 03.1962 | - | 29[23] | Decca 74 216 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Brenda ,that' s all | Brenda Lee | 11.1962 | 13[9] | 20[22] | Decca 74 326 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| All alone am i | Brenda Lee | 03.1963 | 8[20] | 25[31] | Decca 74 370 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Let me sing | Brenda Lee | 12.1963 | - | 39[13] | Decca 74 439 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| By request | Brenda Lee | 06.1964 | - | 90[11] | Decca 74 509 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Too many rivers | Brenda Lee | 09.1965 | - | 36[14] | Decca 74 583 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Bye bye blues | Brenda Lee | 04.1966 | 21[2] | 94[13] | Decca 74 755 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| 10 golden years | Brenda Lee | 06.1966 | - | 70[14] | Decca 74 757 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| Coming on strong | Brenda Lee | 12.1966 | - | 94[12] | Decca 74 825 | [produced by Owen Bradley] |
| For the first time | Brenda Lee & Pete Fountain | 06.1968 | - | 187[2] | Decca 74 955 | [produced by Owen Bradley,Charles "Bud" Dant] |
| Johnny ,one time | Brenda Lee | 05.1969 | - | 98[9] | Decca 75 111 | [produced by Mike Berniker] |
| Little Miss Dynamite-Brenda Lee | Brenda Lee | 11.1980 | 15[11] | - | Warwick WW 583 | [gold-UK] |
| Kris ,Willie,Dolly & Brenda...The winning hand | Kris Kristofferson,Willie Nelson,Dolly Parton & Brenda Lee | 01.1983 | - | 109[14] | Monument 38 389 | |
| 25th Anniversary | Brenda Lee | 01.1984 | 65[4] | - | MCA MCLD 609 | |
| The very best of Brenda Lee | Brenda Lee | 03.1985 | 16[9] | - | MCA LETV 1 | [gold-UK] |
| The very best of Brenda Lee-With love | Brenda Lee | 10.1994 | 20[7] | - | Telstar | |
