Brenda Lee Still "Rockin’" At Christmas

Brenda Lee photo courtesy of brendalee.com.

Dec. 2, 2008 — Brenda Lee’s "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree" was the second-most-played holiday song on country stations during the season in 2007, according to Country Aircheck, and it’s a fairly safe bet it will return to the Top 10 among yuletide songs this year.

That’s an amazing development, given that the song is 50 years old — that’s right, 50! — this year. Brenda recorded it in October 1958, just before Halloween, when she was still 13 years old. Record producer Owen Bradley went to a lot of trouble to make sure the mood was right when he had Brenda barrel through it.

"Owen had the studio temperature all icy cold with a Christmas tree and lights to try to get us in the spirit," she told American Profile magazine.

Boots Randolph added a classic sax solo, and everyone was psyched about it once the session was over.

"It was a magical time, and I knew the song was there," she said. "We just didn’t know if it was there for me."

In fact, it languished a bit that first year, but after Brenda had a hit with "I’m Sorry" in 1960, "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree" took off at the close of the year. In fact, it’s no longer relegated to Christmas for Brenda.

"I close my show with it year-round," she noted. "I didn’t used to put it in every show. I’d say, ‘It’s not December!’, but it didn’t seem to matter."

Four people involved with the song are now members of the Country Music Hall of Fame: Brenda, Owen, piano player Floyd Cramer and guitarist Harold Bradley.