NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Come and take a trip to the giddy birth of rock 鈥榥鈥� roll through the eyes of one of its pioneers 鈥�
The 鈥淚'm Sorry鈥� and hitmaker who shared stages with both Elvis Presley and the Beatles is a guide to those heady years in 鈥淎merican Masters 鈥� Brenda Lee: Rockin鈥� Around,鈥� which premieres Monday on PBS.
鈥淭hat era can never be repeated again,鈥� she tells The Associated Press on the eve of the broadcast. 鈥淭hat was an era when the money wasn鈥檛 thought about, the fame wasn鈥檛 thought about. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. The artists of that time were there to do their thing, and they loved it, whether they got paid or not.鈥�
Lee, 80, had her first hit record in 1960 at age 15 and went on to sell more than 100 million albums. In the 鈥�60s, she earned more Hot 100 singles in the United States 鈥� 46 鈥� than any recording artist besides the Beatles, Presley or Ray Charles. She won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
She is the rare artist inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the moving effortlessly in her career between country, pop, rock and rockabilly sounds.
鈥淚 never classified myself as a ballad singer, as a rock singer, as a country singer or anything. I just wanted to sing,鈥� she says in the interview. 鈥淪ome artists can sing it all. Not me. I have to love what I鈥檓 singing or it鈥檚 not believable.鈥�
The documentary draws on the commentary of musicologists and such stars as Tanya Tucker, Trisha Yearwood, Jackie DeShannon, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
鈥淚 had no trouble getting people to talk about Brenda and why she matters and why we should look to her,鈥� says director Barbara Hall. 鈥淭his is what鈥檚 possible when you just get your head down and stay focused and do what you know you鈥檙e good at and don鈥檛 give up.鈥�
Lee was the daughter of a carpenter in Atlanta who died in a construction accident when she was just 8. Her mother soon was forced to work in the cotton mill. When she was 10, country music singer Red Foley put her on his national TV program 鈥淥zark Jubilee.鈥� By age 12, she had appeared on various network TV variety shows.
The portrait that emerges is a rare one for the music industry, the story of a young woman who is protected and nurtured. Lee credits producer Owen Bradley; her manager, Dub Allbritten; and the musicians she worked with for looking out for her, treating her like a little sister.
鈥淚 hear horror stories about children in show business, but I certainly didn鈥檛 have that experience, and I鈥檓 grateful for that,鈥� says Lee. 鈥淚t was like I was one of the group, and that was so important to me.鈥�
The holidays are when Lee shines most, with her hit 鈥淩ockin鈥� Around the Christmas Tree鈥� in high rotation. In 2023, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever, 65 years after the song鈥檚 debut.
鈥淪he is in your house every Christmas,鈥� says Hall. 鈥淪he is a part of something that so many Americans celebrate. So, I鈥檓 hoping that people will embrace her story and her music once they get reintroduced to it.鈥�
She recorded it at age 13 in July 1958, not exactly a snowy time in the South. The air conditioner was cranked up in the recording studio and there was a Christmas tree set up to get everyone in the mood. It initially was a bigger hit abroad and later got a boost in the 1990 film 鈥淗ome Alone.鈥�
鈥淵ou get a wonderful song and it may lay around for a few years like 鈥楻ockin鈥欌�� did, but if it鈥檚 as wonderful as 鈥橰ockin鈥� was, it鈥檒l show its head sooner or later, and that鈥檚 what happened,鈥� Lee says.
Hall, who worked on a 2017 鈥淎merican Masters鈥� documentary on Patsy Cline, says she tried to find any dirt on Lee and simply couldn't. Even when Lee broke her leg during the shoot and had to be hospitalized, she was gracious and kind.
鈥淚f my leg was broken in 10 places and I had to be in a rehab facility, I鈥檇 probably be in a bad mood the whole time," she says. "She was cracking jokes and everyone in the room felt like she was their friend.鈥�
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
