Happy birthday, Brenda Lee! The pop, country, and rockabilly singer turns 72 on Dec. 11, 2016.
Lee, born Brenda Mae Tarpley in Atlanta, Georgia, was just 11 years old when she scored her first recording contract with Decca Records. Some of her earliest singles, including “Jambalaya,” “Sweet Nothin’s,” and “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” quickly became radio hits.
Her 1957 single “Dynamite,” which she belted out from her 4-foot, 9-inch frame, earned Lee the lifelong nickname ‘Little Miss Dynamite.’
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Today, Lee has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and she is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 2009, just after the 50th anniversary of her classic holiday song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” she received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.
Scroll down to listen to 10 of Lee’s best songs! Is your favorite on the list?
“Dynamite”
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
“Break It To Me Gently”
“I’m Sorry”
“Sweet Nothin’s”
“Losing You”
“You Can Depend on Me”
“Johnny One Time”
“Coming On Strong”
“Jambalaya”
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