Brenda Lee Birthday & Fun Facts | Kidadl

Brenda Lee Birthday & Fun Facts

Height, Age, Net Worth, Biography & More

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Brenda Lee Birthday Highlights

Birth Name
Brenda Mae Tarpley
Place Of Birth
Atlanta, USA
Age
79 years old
Birth Date
December 11 1944

Brenda Lee Facts

Child Star?
no
Occupation
Singer
Education & Qualifications
Hollywood Professional School
Net Worth
$20,000,000
Current Partner
Ronnie Shacklett
Children
Jolie Shacklett, Julie Shacklett
Parents
Annie Grace née Yarbrough, Reuben Lindsey Tarpley

About Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee is an American singer.

She was born on December 11, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, US. Brenda Lee is her stage name, but her real identity is Brenda Mae Tarpley.

Brenda, who performed rockabilly, pop, and country music, produced 47 US pop singles in the '60s, placing her fourth after Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Ray Charles. 'I'm Sorry (1960)' record and 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (1958)', which is now a smash and Christmas classic, are two of her most well-known tracks

Please continue reading to get more intriguing information about Brenda Lee, the world's most famous female singer, her net worth, and much more!
 

Net Worth, Earnings & Spending Habits

What is Brenda Lee's net worth?

Brenda Lee is a singer from the United States with a net worth of $20 million.

Brenda has made a living out of singing. She started recording songs when he was still young and could still make money by it both on radio and television.

How much does Brenda Lee earn per year?

Brenda Lee earns a significant amount of money from her singing career.

Неr ѕаlаrу іѕ еѕtіmаtеd tо bе $3, 470, 000 реr уеаr.

Height, Age & Physical Attributes

How tall is Brenda Lee?

Brenda Lee is around 4 ft 9 in (145 cm) tall.

How old is Brenda Lee?

Brenda Lee was born on December 11, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

She is 78 years old as of 2022. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius.

Childhood And Education

Brenda Lee was born Brenda Mae Tarpley in the nonprofit department of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 11, 1944, and spent her early life there. She attended Hollywood Professional School and Maplewood High School.

Annie Grace (née Yarbrough) and Reuben Lindsey Tarpley are her parents. Her dad was a central player who served 11 years in the U.s. Armed Forces playing baseball, and her mom was born into a poor Greene County, Georgia family.

Brenda has a brother and two sisters, but their names are unknown. Her parents were needy, but they were able to provide for their kids by doing woodwork and working full-time in Georgia textile factories. She has been singing since she was a child. At the age of three, Lee won a talent show with the help of her sister. She kept singing in neighborhood theaters and at sports events.

Brenda Lee lost her father at the age of eight, and her musical performances became crucial for her family and financial sustenance. She and her mother put in a lot of effort to secure her musical contracts. In the process, Brenda Mae Tarpley's name was modified to Brenda Lee by a regional Disc jockey named Peanuts Fairclough for her to be recognized.

Then later, Brenda's mother married Jay Rainwater, who operated a music shop where she performed on weekend days.

Family, Romance, And Relationships

Who is Brenda Lee's partner?

Brenda Lee is currently married.

Brenda wedded Ronnie Shacklett in 1963 after meeting him at a Bo Diddley and Jackie Wilson event at Nashville's Fairgrounds Coliseum in 1962. Jolie Shacklett and Julie Shacklett are their two children.

Brenda Lee blissfully decided to retire from the music industry. She spent quality time in Nashville, Tennessee, with her partner, Ronnie Shacklett, two daughters, Jolie and Julie, and three grandkids, Taylor, Jordan, and Charley.

Career And Professional Highlights

Best Known For…

Brenda Lee is an American singer best known for the song' Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.' Her career has lasted five decades.

Brenda began her professional career in 1951, and her first breakthrough occurred when she was only ten years old, in 1955. She initially rejected a performance gig to see Red Foley, a country and western artist, who was overwhelmed by her compelling voice. Following that, Foley included Brenda on an episode of his famed country music television program, 'Ozark Jubilee,' titled 'The Junior Jamboree.'

On two Saturday programs broadcast over Newport, Kentucky radio broadcast WNOP, Lee performed with Skinner at the recording studio. Not long after the family moved to Georgia, Augusta, Lee showed up on the show 'The Peach Blossom Special' on WJAT-AM in Swainsboro.

In 1956, Brenda Lee signed a deal with Decca Records, and her first song was 'Jambalaya.' Her second album included two humorous Christmas soundtracks: 'I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus' and 'Christy Christmas.' At 12, Brenda became a celebrity, singing songs such as 'Jambalya' and the powerful 'Dynamite.' Since then, Brenda Lee was known as 'Little Miss Dynamite (1957)' and became one of the first performers to have an extensive international and regional fanbase powered by her melodic voice.

Brenda's best tracks on the mainstream lists were rockabilly and rock and roll-styled songs from the late '50s through the mid-1960s. 'Jambalaya,' 'Sweet Nothin's' (composed by country artist Ronnie Self), 'I Want To Be Wanted,' and 'All Alone Am I' was among her greatest hits. While 'That's All You Gotta Do,' 'Emotions,' 'You Can Depend on Me,' and 'Dum Dum' were among her more popular tunes.

The best-selling track of Lee's career was a Christmas song. In 1960, she released 'I'm Sorry,' which was her hallmark song, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard list. It was her first gold record, and she received a Grammy nomination. At that time, she was 15 years old.

In 1962, while visiting West Germany, Lee performed at Hamburg's legendary Star Club alongside the Beatles as the ideal opportunity. She also had massive tracks like 'All Alone Am I' and 'As Usual' in the United Kingdom.

In 1969, Brenda returned with the single 'Johnny One Time,' written by A.L.' Doodle' Owens and Dallas Frazier. The song peaked at number three on the Mainstream Rock List and number 41 on the Billboard Charts 100. With the performance, Lee received her second Grammy nomination for 'Best Pop Female Vocal' for the song.

During the mid-'70s, Brenda Lee restored herself as a country music entertainer, with a dash of top 10 triumphs on the country graphs in the United States. The first was 'Nobody Wins (1973),' which came to No. 5 in the spring of that year and was her last Top 100 pop hit, cresting at No. 70.

With 'Tell Me What It's Like (1979)', Brenda Lee launched a new stretch at the world ranking after several years of minor blockbusters. In 1980, two follow-ups, 'The Cowgirl And The Dandy' and 'Broken Trust,' both charted in Number 10. 'The Winning Hand (1982)', a track featuring Lee, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, was an unexpected success, hitting the top ten on the country albums list in the United States.

She continued to create and sing worldwide, having already made recordings in multiple languages. In 1992, on Willy DeVille's track 'Loup Garou,' she sang a cover version with him labeled 'You'll Never Know.'

Later achievement accompanied a re-visitation of her underlying foundations as a country singer, with a series of hits through the '70s and '80s.

 

What awards has Brenda Lee won?

Brenda Lee has won numerous awards.

She won NME Awards for 'World Female Singer' (1962, 1963, and 1964), Grammy Awards for 'Hall Of Fame Induction' (1999), Academy of Country Music for 'Cliffe Stone Pioneer Award' (2007), Dove Awards for 'Country Album Of The Year' (2008), and Grammy Awards for 'Lifetime Achievement Award' (2009).

In 1986, Lee was introduced at the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame's fifth Annual Awards Ceremony at the Raddison Inn, Atlanta, Georgia. She was named among numerous well-known recording singers like Riley Puckett, Gid Tanner, Dan Hornsby, Clayton McMichen, and Boots Woodall.

In 1997, she was drafted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was likewise a member of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Marking her 50th year as a recording artist, Brenda Lee got the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement grant from the Source Foundation in Nashville in 2006.

In 2008, Lee's rendition of 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' celebrated 50 years as a vacation classic. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored her with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Other Interesting Brenda Lee's Facts And Trivia

  • Brenda Lee is a worldwide icon and a modest singer recognized for her tremendous voice and even better attitude. She rose from poverty to become a star and became popular in different music genres.
  • She is among the most successful musicians in the '60s, widely credited for the song 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree,' which was published in 1958 and 1959 but did not gain popularity until 1960.
  • She has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
  • Brenda Lee sometimes appears onscreen, hosting banquets, giving speeches, singing on one-off occasions, and inducting fellow American Music Hall of Fame members.

Editorial credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com

<p>With a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Language from Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Niger State, Chidimma is a creative content writer who has over three years of writing experience. She has a strong background in language arts and language-related content, as well as a remarkable knowledge of motor speech and language disorders. She is passionate about content/creative writing and is skilled in verbal and written communication strategies.</p>

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