Lee, Brenda (1944–)

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Lee, Brenda (1944–)

American pop and country-music singer. Born Brenda Mae Tarpley, Dec 11, 1944, in Lithonia, GA; graduate of Hollywood Professional School, 1963; m. Charles R. (Ronnie) Shacklett, 1963.

At 6, began singing on radio in Conyers, GA; while still a child, appeared on radio show "Jubilee USA" with Red Foley and on tv with Steve Allen and Perry Como; signed with Decca (1955) and hit the pop and R&B charts with "Sweet Nothin's," which reached #4, and "I'm Sorry," a ballad which was #1 for 3 weeks and sold over 10 million copies (both 1960); reached #1 again 2 months later with "I Want to Be Wanted"; had 4 singles in the top 10 (1961): "You Can Depend On Me," "Emotions," "Fool Number One," and "Dum Dum"; made a successful crossover to country music, scoring with "If This Is Our Last Time" (1971), "Nobody Wins" (1974), and "Broken Trust" (1980), which she recorded with the Oak Ridge Boys; was a guest artist on k.d. lang's Shadowland album (1988). Received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Governors Award (1984); inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2002).

See also autobiography, Little Miss Dynamite (2002); and Women in World History.

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