Taylor, LeAnn, Brenda: Three Generations of Teen Stars at Work

Taylor Swift performs at the VAULT Concert Stage at LP Field in Downtown Nashville Saturday, June 13 during the 2009 CMA Music Festival. Photographer: John Russell / CMA.

Aug. 10, 2009 — Taylor Swift, LeAnn Rimes and Brenda Lee are each at different points in their life journeys, but they share a common bond: Each of them became a star during their teen years.

All three have been active this month in ways that fit their place in time. Taylor is in the midst of her first headlining tour and is soon to become the topic of a book. LeAnn made a surprise appearance at a rock festival over the weekend as she continues to challenge the public perceptions of her stylistic boundaries. And Brenda is now the subject of her own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

What’s up with each of them:

• Taylor’s Fearless Tour has her headlining a sold-out concert at prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York this month — very heady stuff for a 19-year-old singer. "Every single night I walk out on that stage, I'm always surprised by the roar of the crowd," she told The Omaha World-Herald. "hat sound has always been able to motivate me to do anything." Before she gets to Manhattan, her name will be on bookstore shelves. Taylor Swift, a 192-page book written by Ronny Bloom, will be published Aug. 20 by Penguin Books in its Get The Scoop series for pre-teens.

• LeAnn, who first attained prominence with the release of "Blue" at age 13, has made plenty of headlines at age 26 through speculation over her personal life. Onstage, she’s branched from country into pop music on numerous occasions, and her latest step outside of country took her to the alternative-rock Lollapalooza festival this weekend at Chicago’s Grant Park. According to Time Out Chicago, she joined rocker Perry Farrell for covers of Tom Petty’s "Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around" and George Harrison’s "Here Comes The Sun."

• Brenda earned her first No. 1 single with "I’m Sorry" at age 15. At 64, she’s hailed in the new Brenda Lee: Dynamite exhibit, which opened at the Hall of Fame on Friday. The first teen female to find success during the rock era, she also managed to avoid controversy. "I believe that's because I always had good people around me who cared for me as a person, not as a property," she told The Wichita Eagle. "I was raised normal. I got to be normal." She believes that’s exactly what Taylor is doing now. "There's no road map or rule book," Brenda noted, "that says you can't be normal as well as be a star."