Lee achieves the feat with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
Rock and Roll Hall and Country Music Hall of Famer Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” has achieved a new milestone, hitting one billion streams on Spotify, a first for Lee. The hit song, which broke multiple records this past holiday season, also spent most of the season at No. 1 on Spotify’s Top 50 US chart.
“What a year and holiday season it was for me personally, and for ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,'” Lee expresses. “I am so thankful that Spotify listeners propelled this holiday classic to 1 billion streams – that just blows my mind! It takes geniuses like the writer (Johnny Marks) and musicians to create a song with such longevity and I couldn’t be more grateful people are still listening to ‘Rockin’.”
Lee signed with the legendary Decca Records label before her 12th birthday and went on to record such landmark hits as “Sweet Nothin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” “Break it to Me Gently” and “I’m Sorry.” Though she had success in multiple genres including rockabilly, pop and rock, Lee found her home in country music. Lee’s best-loved hit, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” is celebrating its 65th anniversary and continues to top the charts year after year. Not only has Lee sold more than 100 million albums globally, but throughout her career she shared stages and earned the respect of the world’s most revered performers. The Beatles opened for her and the lads from Liverpool became good friends with the Southern belle from Atlanta, and Elvis Presley and Lee made their Grand Ole Opry debut on the same night. Lee had nine consecutive top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits from 1960 to 1962 and set a record for a female solo artist that was unequaled until over two decades later. Lee churned out country hits such as “Sunday Sunrise” and “Big Four Poster Bed” and continued to have country hits into the 80s, including “I Love Her So,” a duet with George Jones. Lee was the first woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Hall of Fames and she is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” has been certified five-time platinum by the RIAA.
