Brenda Lee’s name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, you’ll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasn’t old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her career–that started before she left elementary school–she topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brenda–who then changed her last name to Lee–became the family’s primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and mother–a cotton mill worker–was not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: “Even at that young age, I saw that helped our life,” Lee said, adding “It put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.”
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a “pioneer of early rock and roll,” by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved “unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said “I don’t think of myself that way!” She continued, “I’m just a girl who’s been blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and there’s a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if I’m a legend, then they’re legends, too.”
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out “Jambalaya,” by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and blues–highlighted by her hiccupping vocals–she recorded early rockabilly classics like “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick.”
When asked if–when as a young girl–she was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: “No, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.”
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song “Dynamite,” and in 1958, fans heard “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
“I knew it was magical,” she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didn’t let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said “Love could be so cruel” in the song “I’m Sorry” and only 16 when she said “I want his lips to kiss me” in the song “I Want to be Wanted,” both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom she’s now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
“Of course, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didn’t even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children weren’t allowed … in the casino area.” She continued, “There wasn’t anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.”
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. “I hung out with John,” she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.”
“Jake” from ‘Two and a Half Men’ spotted in rare sighting for first time in years – and he’s unrecognizable
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have to rack your brains to recall the name Angus T. Jones.
Yet the moment I say “Jake” from Two and a Half Men… that’s right, if you’ve ever watched that show, you’ll instantly remember the adorable, witty young man who lived with his father, Alan Harper (Jon Cryer), and uncle, Charlie (Charlie Sheen).
You also might get to wondering just what happened to the actor who played him (the aforementioned Angus T. Jones). At one point in time, it seemed as though the child actor was a burgeoning star with a terrific career ahead of him in the entertainment industry.
Yet these days sighting for Jones are few and far between. He practically dropped off the radar after his time on Two and a Half Men ended more than a decade ago, and his last credited TV appearance was on a 2016 episode of Horace and Pete.
That could be why a recent shot of the now-30-year-old is causing such a stir. The former child star looks absolutely unrecognizable in the picture in question!
It appeared to be one of TV’s great mysteries at the time, why Angus T. Jones went dark after leaving Two and a Half Men.
During his run with the show, the previously unheralded Jones had become one of the highest-paid child actors on television – he reportedly made $300,000 for each episode during the height of the sitcom. Then, over ten years ago, he left the show, before announcing in 2012 that he had no intention of returning for its 11th season.
Speaking in a 2014 interview with KHOU, he Jones said: “It was making light of topics in our world that are really problems for a lot of people.
“I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn’t OK with it, but I was still doing it.”
As per reports, Angus did a lot of soul-searching in 2012, which led to him finding a new religious path and rediscovering his faith.
He joined the Seventh-day Adventist church, a Protestant Christian church known for its decidedness to diet and health and its conservative principles and lifestyle.
These days, many have forgotten about the fresh-faced youngster who entertained millions with his charm and philosophical lines. Angus reportedly moved to Colorado and studied religion at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“Going to college was something I was really, really excited about,” he told People in 2016.
He added: “I wasn’t the center of everyone’s attention, and that was nice.”
Recently, though, a new image of the ex-child star has surfaced, and it’s one that has got a lot of people talking online.
In the picture, the once fresh-faced, clean-shaven Jones sported a thick beard and glasses, with many shocked by the apparent transformation he’s undergone over the years!
According to Page Six, Jones looked, “unrecognizable.”
One commenter claimed that he, “Doesn’t look healthy.”
One user wrote, “[…] What happened to him!!” “He became one and a half men,” remarked one individual.
However, many of his fans also defended Jones writing, “Of course, he’s unrecognizable…he was a kid on the show and it’s years later.”
What do you think? Has Angus T. Jones changed that much since the ending of Two and a Half Men?
Let us know thoughts in the comments box below. Meanwhile, share this article on Facebook to help us further our aim of keeping folks entertained and informed.
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