“I
always loved reading. I always was the spelling bee champion. I always loved
words. I always wanted to know what they meant, why you used them, who first
said them. I was always interested in that.” – Brenda Lee
‘Tis
the season … to hear the terrific voice and words of Brenda Lee as one of the
all-time biggest holiday hit songs “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” makes its annual appearance. I grew
up listening the Brenda Lee’s songs – both on the radio and from my mother who
didn’t hesitate to “rock out” herself while bopping around the kitchen and
singing them – especially the wonderful “I’m Sorry,” which Brenda wrote at age
15. Her Christmas song, by the way, was recorded when she was just 13, hard to fathom when you hear her big booming voice. It was written by Johnny Marks, who also wrote "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Holly, Jolly Christmas."
Lee
was a child prodigy, appearing on national television by the age of 10, and
making her first recordings for Decca at age 11 (in 1956). Her first few Decca
singles, in fact, make a pretty fair bid for the best preteen rock & roll
performances this side of Michael Jackson. Between 1960 and 1962 she had a remarkable 9
Top Ten hit songs, most of which she wrote herself.
Brenda
in 1960 …. and at a recent Grammy Awards ceremony
Still singing and writing both
music and memoir-type pieces, she celebrates her 71st birthday today and said
“I don’t think anyone ever gets tired of well-written, well-crafted songs. (And) I still sing because I love the sound
of applause. It’s who I am … and because
I still can.”
We should all be grateful. Rock on Brenda.
Here’s a link to “Rockin’
Around The Christmas Tree.” As I
noted. ‘Tis the Season. Enjoy!
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