Brenda Lee’s name may not be as well-known as some of the other 1960s music singers, but when you think about Christmas, you’ll remember her song and begin humming her catchy melody, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

Lee, now 78, was not old enough to drive when she first took the stage, but her strong voice propelled her to “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female musician of the 1960s.

Lee, whose voice belied her 4 foot 9 frame, became a fan favorite when she was just 12 years old.

Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, rose to prominence in the late 1940s, peaked in the 1950s, and topped the charts 55 times during her career, which began before she finished elementary school, giving her the distinction of being the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.

According to Rolling Stone, Lee’s father, a construction worker, was murdered at work when she was just eight years old, and Brenda—who later changed her last name to Lee—became the family’s major provider.

Taking care of her younger brother, older sister, and mother—a cotton mill worker—was not a chore for her but something she enjoyed doing. She was overjoyed when she earned her first $20 and was able to support her family: “Even at that young age, I saw how that helped our life,” Lee recalled, adding, “It put food on the table.” It was beneficial, and I enjoyed it.”

The Georgia Encyclopedia refers to the Atlanta-born chanteuse as a “pioneer of early rock and roll” who “attained unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”

Lee, an exceedingly modest person, gives appreciation to those who helped her achieve her goals. When asked about being a legend, Lee told Christianity Today, “I don’t think of myself that way!” “I’m just a girl who’s been really blessed to be doing what I’m doing,” she said, “and there are a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream.” So, if I’m a legend, they must be as well.”

In 1956, the little child sang with country legend Red Foley at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she sang Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya.”

She was subsequently contracted to participate on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of people fell in love with the spunky 12-year-old with abilities much above her years.

Lee signed with Decca Records the same year, and the following year, she relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she recorded early rockabilly hits including “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick,” merging country with rhythm and blues and accentuated by her hiccupping voice.

When asked if she felt scared performing in front of huge crowds as a little child, she replied, “No, not really.” Nobody ever told me that I should be nervous. The stage always seemed like home to me since I had been singing in front of people since I was three years old. As a result, it was a really comfortable position for me.”

Lee acquired the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” in 1957 for her pint-sized, powerful album of “Dynamite,” and in 1958, listeners heard “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” a genre- and generation-crossing holiday staple recorded when she was just 13 years old.

“I knew it was going to be magical,” she told Rolling Stone.

Over the next several years, she had singles such as “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”

However, the majority of her songs contrasted her experiences as a young girl. Her mother forbade her from dating, and she graduated from high school without feeling the agony of youthful love.

She was just 16 when she sang “love could be so cruel” in “I’m Sorry,” and she was only 16 when she sang “I want his lips to really kiss me” in “I Want to Be Wanted,” both of which were back-to-back hits while she was still in school.

When she was 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, with whom she has been happily married for 60 years.

Lee’s childhood on the road was fraught with problems. Lee spoke with the Las Vegas Journal about her loneliness as she celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas.

“Of course, because I was so young, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino.” As a result, I had no idea what a casino looked like. They led me into the kitchen, then the showroom. When my performance was finished, I was led back through the kitchen and up to my room. Children were not permitted… in the gambling area.” She went on, “There was nothing for a kid to do in Vegas.” “I had the most fun on stage.”

When asked about what she missed out on as a youngster, Lee responded, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”

She gained new acquaintances on the road, such as the music group that opened for her during a gig in Germany in 1962. “I hung out with John,” she says with ease, referring to John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic in his jokes, and just a nice guy.” I was really taken aback when they subsequently revealed that they were lovers of my music.”

Who else is in her close circle of friends?

“I was just stunned,” Elton John stated after hearing her perform for the first time. I’m not sure I’d ever heard anything like that.”

She has also performed with Elvis Presley and has known Little Richard since the 1960s.

Both artists were recognized as Distinguished Artists at the Governor’s Arts Awards in 2019. It was Richard’s final public appearance before his death in May 2020 at the age of 87.

“I had been dancing to Little Richard’s music at sock hops forever,” Lee wrote in tribute to her pal. How would you sum up magic? … I had no idea what the words meant or what they signified; all I knew was that I adored how the music made me feel.” “I’m sure he’s in heaven,” the Hall of Famer said. “He was such a man of God.”

Lee, who believes in God, attributes much of her personal and professional success to her husband, whom she married in 1962.

The remainder, she claims, is due to God. “When I chose my husband, he was looking out for me. “I wanted someone with integrity and honesty who loved me and would safeguard and look out for me. I discovered it. And I can only credit God for it.”

Lee also plays an important role in Sunday Mornin’ Country, a faith-based collaborative event with CMA Fest that is still going strong after 40 years.

She’s also a role model for many rising singers, including Taylor Swift, who adds a “highly personal essay” to the book “Women Walk the Line, How The Women In Country Music Changed Our Lives,” as well as her appraisal “of the 1950s pop hitmaker turned country matriarch Brenda Lee, titled Rare Peer.”

Today, Lee, who has retired from singing, is still appreciated, especially at Christmastime for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” a Christmas favorite for the past 65 years.

The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2019, 59 years after it was released. “It’s crazy to be shopping in a department store and hear yourself sing at the same time,” Lee told the New York Post. It’s rather bizarre. It’s been a fantastic, fantastic gift.”

It’s wonderful that Brenda Lee is still providing listeners with such upbeat music decades later! “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is still one of my favorites, and it makes me want to celebrate the holidays! What are your favorite Lee memories?