On August 21, Lee will earn her start at Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame. The ceremony will be held at the Music City Walk of Fame Park in downtime Nashville. “It’s a wonderful honor, and one that I share with many people,” Lee said. “It’s not all about me. It’s about the songwriters, the musicians, the producers, and Owen Bradley. I didn’t do it by myself. I share this honor with the public, and with all the people that helped me be who I am.”
Lee is in great company, along with such musicians as Ben Folds, Ray Stevens and “Miss Country Soul” Jeannie Seely, all of which will get their stars on the Music City Walk of Fame. “I love Jeannie Seely,” Lee said. “Ray Stevens is my buddy and a fellow Georgian. I am very thrilled to be there with them and Ben Folds. I am in a state of shock that it is going to happen to me. It is wonderful.”
Over the last few years, Lee has been known to announce the inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where she was formally inducted in 1997. “I have been very blessed to be a part of a lot of inductions of my fellow artists, whom I admire and love. That has been a blessing in my life as well,” she said.
Her classic holiday hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has been recorded in October of 1958, almost 60 years ago. “I am honored to have one of the top three original Christmas songs that have stuck around and become standards. That is hard to do, especially when you are competing with the traditional songs,” she said. “It is hard to get a standard in the Christmas field. I always sing that song all year long, no matter what.”
On her plans for the future, Lee said, “I am enjoying being at home and being with my family, and doing things in town. I am enjoying this phase of my life. I am leaning back and looking at all these newcomers, and saying ‘you go’.” “Let us old-timers take a breather,” she said, with a sweet laugh.
She paid homage to the late guitar legend Link Wray, who as nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, for the second time. “Link Wray was an influence on a lot of people. Although I didn’t know him personally, he was a big influence on the musical world,” she said. “‘Rumble’ is a song that absolutely made an impact of music. Link Wray will never be forgotten and that is quite a statement.”
Lee also paid her respect to the late “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin. “Aretha had a lot of soul. Not only in her music, but Aretha herself, and in her spirit. We lost that, and what a loss it was,” Lee said. “Her voice was heavenly and she had so much power and it gave so much sweetness when she wanted it to be. She had such control over her gift. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as she should have been.”
On the impact of technology on the music business, Lee said, “I am so out of the loop. I still play my 45 RPM and listen to my music on vinyl. I guess technology is good. Vinyl is coming back and there is nothing like the sound of that. Owen Bradley always told me that a song doesn’t have to be perfect since that makes it real. He told me not to take the mistakes out. It’s not supposed to be perfect since nobody’s perfect.”
Lee attributed her longevity in the music business to the “great” songwriters that have shared their creativity with her. “Most of all, the public. They have stuck with me for over 60 years, and I give them all of the credit. In the end, you can record the greatest song or be the greatest singer, but if they don’t embrace or don’t like you, then you are hitting a brick wall,” she said.
She concluded, “There are not enough words in the dictionary or written to thank my fans for allowing me to be a part of something that I love. They have stuck by me and have been loyal. My fans are like my family and I love them dearly.”
To learn more about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Country Music Hall of Famer Brenda Lee, check out her official Facebook page.
