Brenda Lee: Full Life Interview

In this oral history Brenda Lee discusses her upbringing in the South, her early start in the music industry, and love for singing. Lee talks about the importance of education, highlighting that she was able to go to high school while working in the music industry. She delves into her positive experience working under a record label as a child in the 60s’ and shares that she always had the autonomy to make her own decisions. Lee describes touring globally, her non-stop work schedule, and double standards within the industry. She tells the story of how she met her husband and her experience as a mother while touring. Lee talks about her relationship to spirituality, how she has avoided pitfalls in her career, and meeting icons such as Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. Lee stresses the importance of gratitude and family. The interview concludes with her thoughts on her role in rock history, the visibility of women in rock, and what she is most proud of.

Brenda Lee is a rockabilly, pop, and country singer, and icon. She had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is considered one of the founding members of rock and roll. Lee is the first woman to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame. Lee is also an author and published her autobiography Little Miss Dynamite: The Life And Times Of Brenda Lee in 2000. Lee has sold over 100 million records worldwide. She lives in Nashville with her husband.

Learn more at: WomenofRock.org
Interviewed by Tanya Pearson for the Women of Rock Oral History Project

The Women of Rock Oral History Project is a collection of digital interviews and written transcripts, housed at the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College—one of the oldest women’s history archives in the United States. Started by Tanya Pearson in December, 2014, WOROHP documents the lives and careers of women in rock whose work and careers have been underrepresented or omitted from rock journalism and historical scholarship. With a collection of publicized and accessible primary source documents, the Women of Rock Oral History Project seeks to facilitate a more comprehensive, inclusive, and accurate cultural history.

#rock #punk #interview #music #history