PREMIERES MONDAY, DEC. 16 at 8:00PM
Prolific singer Brenda Lee’s iconic 1958 Christmas classic song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is a staple during the holiday season and has garnered international recognition and quintuple-platinum sales over the decades. But she is also known for hits spanning the rock, pop, country, and rockabilly music genres. Discover the story behind Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early life in poverty and childhood stardom shaped her artistry and rise to be one of the biggest female music acts in history in the new documentary American Masters – Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around.
Featuring archival footage and stills, performance clips, and interviews with Lee herself, Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around details how the “I’m Sorry” singer helped pull her family out of poverty in rural Georgia with her knockout vocal talents, ultimately becoming one of the leading female headlining acts in music. The star-studded film also features interviews with country artists Keith Urban, Tanya Tucker, and Trisha Yearwood, as well as singer-songwriter Pat Benatar, music producer Neil Giraldo, and beloved radio personality Shotgun Tom Kelly, cohost of SiriusXM’s 60s Gold radio show.
Born in the charity ward of Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital, by the age of 10 Lee was belting out country songs in a voice that belied her age and tiny stature and she quickly became a musical sensation. Her determination and shining talents led her to career highlights including popular radio hits “Sweet Nothin’s” and “Break It to Me Gently,” memorable friendships with fellow music titans Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley, and even working with the Beatles as her opening act in Hamburg, Germany in 1962.
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