Jazz

Brenda Lee: The Underestimated Little Miss Dynamite

Brenda Lee was born Brenda Mae Tarpley in Atlanta in 1944. Lee was a bigger star than most people would guess today: She was the top selling female singer of the 1960s and only trailed Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Ray Charles overall. Her height – or lack of height, at 4 foot 9 inches – and the fact that she had an early hit with the song “Dynamite” earned her the nickname Little Miss Dynamite.

The profile at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame site said that she won a talent contest at age five and became a regular on television two years later. This was good news: Her dad had died in a construction accident and the family needed the money. In 1956, she became a regular on Red Foley’s television show and signed a contract with Decca Records. Her third single hit the charts.

The Wikipedia profile said that her career had two phases. Her early stardom faded when her voice matured but she continued as a country singer. She had a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s. She is in the Rock & Roll, Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame.

Richie Unterberger at AllMusic has a tremendous amount of respect for Lee:

One of the biggest pop stars of the early ’60s, Brenda Lee hasn’t attracted as much critical respect as she deserves. She is sometimes inaccurately characterized as one of the few female teen idols. More crucially, the credit for achieving success with pop-country crossovers usually goes to Patsy Cline, although Lee’s efforts in this era were arguably of equal importance. While she made few recordings of note after the mid-’60s, the best of her first decade is fine indeed, encompassing not just the pop ballads that were her biggest hits, but straight country and some surprisingly fierce rockabilly.

Indeed, all the biographies suggest that Lee was a bit under appreciated. She was said to be one of the few female teen idols of that generation and the first to have a truly international following, due at least in part to a successful tour of France when she was 15 years old.

Above is “I’m Sorry,” which probably was her biggest hit. It is reminiscent of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” in my opinion. Lee clearly was fearless. Somebody without a ton of self confidence wouldn’t share the stage with a bunch of cute puppies. Below is “Sweet Nothins’ ,” another hit.

Wikipedia, AllMusicThe Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Biography were used for this post. Above is “I’m Sorry,” perhaps her biggest hit. Below is “Sweet Nothins’,” another hit.

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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