Brenda Lee spent the early years of her life in Georgia, and though her family didn’t have a lot of money, they always made sure she had batteries to run the radio so she could listen to the Grand Ole Opry. Between that and singing at their Baptist church, her interest in music became clear, and her extraordinary talent became even clearer. She was still a kid when her mother moved the family to Missouri so she could be a part of a TV program called Ozark Jubilee, and she was signed to Decca Records soon after that. Over the next handful of years, she set a record for the number of top 10 hits by a woman, and she also recorded one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time when she was just 13 years old: “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.” Sid talks to Brenda about her own Christmas traditions, her friendships with artists like Tanya Tucker and the late Kris Kristofferson, and her thoughts on the increased prominence of women in music over the course of her long career.

For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam

Biscuits & Jam is produced by:

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer

Jeremiah McVay - Producer

Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations

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