BRENDA LEE

Brenda Lee is a singer hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, and perhaps best known for Christmas rockabilly classic Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. 

Born in 1944, Brenda Lee's breakthrough hit in the UK came in 1960 with Sweet Nothin's which peaked at Number 4. It was the first of nine Top 40 hits for the singer before the release of perennial festive smash Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.

Brenda was just 13 years old when she recorded Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree in 1958, the track was released in the UK in 1962 and became a Top 10 hit peaking at Number 6 during the song's original stint on the UK singles chart.

However, it would become a much-loved seasonal hit, featuring in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone, later becoming a festive staple of the digital era too; in 2021 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree earned a Top 5 placing for the first time on the Official Singles Chart, and a year later scaled higher still to a new all-time peak of Number 4. 

At just 4 feet 9 inches in height, Brenda Lee's nickname from a young age was Little Miss Dynamite, in terms of her musical achievements, Lee was the first woman to be inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and Country Music Hall Of Fame. In December 2023 Brenda Lee also became a Billboard record breaker when Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree topped the US Billboard Hot 100; at 78 years old Lee was the oldest living person to top the chart, surpassing previous record holder Cher who reached Number 1 at 52 years old. Image: press shot courtesy of MCA/Decca.