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70-541: Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers ; August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock and roll period. She is best known as the singer of " What the World Needs Now Is Love " and " Put a Little Love in Your Heart ", and as

140-568: A number one hit , a top 5 hit , a top 10 hit , a top 20 hit or a top 40 hit , depending on its peak position. In the UK (where radio play is not included in the official charts), this does not completely reflect the song's popularity—as the weekly chart position is based solely on direct comparison with concurrent sales of other singles. It is, therefore, not uncommon that a single fails to chart, but has actually sold more copies than other singles regarded as "hits" based on their higher chart placement in

210-538: A working class family in Greene County , Georgia. Though her family did not have indoor plumbing until after her father's death, they had a battery-powered table radio that fascinated Brenda as a baby. Both her mother and sister remembered taking her repeatedly to a local candy store before she turned three. One of them would stand her on the counter and she would earn candy or coins for singing. Lee's voice, face and stage presence won her wider attention from

280-427: A Time ", written by Hugh Ashley, became a hit in both the pop and country fields. Her next hit, "Dynamite", coming out of a 4-foot 9-inch frame, led to her lifelong nickname, Little Miss Dynamite. Lee first attracted attention performing in country music venues and shows; however, her label and management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist, the result being that none of her best-known recordings from

350-404: A contract, and her first record was "Jambalaya", backed with "Bigelow 6-200". Lee's second single featured two novelty Christmas tunes: "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus", and "Christy Christmas". Though she turned 12 on December 11, 1956, both of the first two Decca singles credit her as "Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old)". Neither of the 1956 releases charted, but her first issue in 1957, " One Step at

420-522: A contributing entertainment broadcast correspondent reporting historical anecdotes and current touring and personal news and publicity pertaining to the two surviving Beatles for Breakfast with the Beatles on Sirius XM Satellite Radio on the weekends since October 2009. She had a brother, Randy James Myers (1947–2021) and sometimes wrote songs with him. In the mid-1960s, she was a companion of Jimmy Page and dated Love guitarist Bryan MacLean . It

490-492: A country music artist. In a 1996 memoir , television producer Sam Lovullo stated that Lee's 1972 appearance on his variety show Hee Haw had been instrumental to her comeback . Lee earned a string of top ten hits in the United States on the country charts, the first of which was 1973's " Nobody Wins ", which reached the top five that spring and became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at No. 70. The follow-up,

560-611: A duet ("You'll Never Know") with Willy DeVille on his album Loup Garou . Lee's autobiography, Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee , was published by Hyperion in 2002 ( ISBN   0-7868-6644-6 ). Lee's most recent album release was a gospel collection in 2007. She no longer tours and rarely performs. Since the millennium, she has been involved with her work for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum . On October 4, 2000, Lee inducted fellow country music legends Faron Young and Charley Pride into

630-490: A few months later, and sales snowballed; the song remains a perennial favorite each December and is the record with which she is most identified by contemporary audiences. Her last top-ten single on the pop charts in the United States (besides the reappearance each November–December since 2017 of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") was 1963's " Losing You " (No. 6). In 1964, " As Usual " reached No. 12 in

700-461: A glassy stare in my eyes. On March 31, 1955, the 10-year-old made her network debut on Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri . Although her five-year contract with the show was broken by a 1957 lawsuit brought by her mother and her manager, she nevertheless made regular appearances on the program throughout its run. Less than two months later, on July 30, 1956, Decca Records offered her

770-758: A last-minute replacement on Oh Boy! . She first toured the UK in March and April 1962 with Gene Vincent and Sounds Incorporated (as her backing group), and she toured the country for a second time in March 1963, this time supported by the Bachelors , Sounds Incorporated , Tony Sheridan , and Mike Berry . Lee also toured in Ireland in 1963 and appeared on the front cover of the Irish dancing and entertainment magazine Spotlight in April that year. After appearing at

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840-675: A million copies nationwide, based mainly on its success as an illustrated song , analogous to today's music videos . In the United States and the United Kingdom , a single is usually considered a hit when it reaches the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 or the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart . The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles has used this definition since the 1970s. Some argue that reaching at least

910-590: A performer, she made the WLS Chicago radio survey with the single "Lonely Girl" in late 1960. A string of mostly flop singles followed, although "The Prince" bubbled under at No. 108 in the United States in early 1962, and "Faded Love" became her first US Billboard Top 100 entry, squeaking in at No. 97 in February 1963. She fared better with the Sonny Bono - Jack Nitzsche song " Needles and Pins " and

980-405: A period of low sales. (This is also possible in the United States, or anywhere, with slow but steady sellers; a number of minor hits, especially those that are popular in specific genre, have earned gold certifications despite relatively poor pop chart performances.) In the UK, the number of sales required to achieve a hit single steadily declined in line with a general decline in single sales until

1050-505: A record for a female solo artist that was not equaled until 1986 by Madonna . The biggest-selling track of Lee's career was a Christmas song. In 1958, when she was 13, producer Owen Bradley asked her to record a new song by Johnny Marks , who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably " Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer " ( Gene Autry ) and " A Holly Jolly Christmas " ( Burl Ives ). Lee recorded

1120-836: A recording artist, in September 2006 she was the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by the Source Foundation in Nashville. In 1997, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame . In 2008, her recording of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" marked 50 years as a holiday standard, and in February 2009

1190-803: A rockabilly artist, and that her "handlers" (Irving Schacht and Paul Kallett) had changed her name to Jackie Dee. Her only release on Gone included "I'll Be True" (A) and "How Wrong I Was" (B), which appeared in both 78 rpm and 45 rpm versions. Myers almost certainly sang these songs at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia on July 3, 1957, and at the Paramount Theater in New York, two weeks later, with Alan Freed 's Big Rock 'n' Roll Show. However, her interpretations of country songs "Buddy" (as Jackie Dee) and "Trouble" (as Jackie Shannon) gained

1260-602: A series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered on her parents finding work, their family, and the Baptist church , where she began singing solos every Sunday. Lee's father was a farmer's son in Georgia's red-clay belt. Standing 5 ft 7 in (170 cm), he was an excellent left-handed pitcher and played baseball while serving for 11 years in the United States Army . Her mother came from

1330-495: A son, Noah, who was born in 1978. Images of each record from 1956 to 1960, including additional liner notes, are found at "Sweet Sherry: The Early Recording Career of Jackie DeShannon" by Pete Lerner. Hit record Prior to the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released The Little Lost Child , which sold more than

1400-611: A worldwide No. 1 single for Kim Carnes in 1981, earning Weiss and DeShannon the 1982 Grammy Award for Song of the Year . She released You're the Only Dancer in 1977, and a single from that album, "Don't Let The Flame Burn Out", was a minor hit, reaching No. 65 in the Billboard Hot 100. DeShannon continued to record. She released You Know Me , an album of original songs, for Varèse Sarabande in 2000, and When You Walk in

1470-581: A young age. At age five, she won first place at her school's talent show contest, where she sang " Take Me Out to the Ball Game ". Her performance generated positive reviews, leading her to make regular appearances on local radio and television shows. Her father died in 1953 (when she was 8 years old) in a construction accident, and by the time she turned ten, she was the primary breadwinner of her family through singing at events and on local radio and television shows. During that time, she appeared regularly on

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1540-402: Is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly , pop, country and Christmas music , she achieved her first Billboard hit aged 12 in 1957 and was given the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite". Some of Lee's most successful songs include " Sweet Nothin's ", " I'm Sorry ", " I Want to Be Wanted ", " Speak to Me Pretty ", " All Alone Am I " and " Losing You ". Her festive song " Rockin' Around

1610-409: Is likely that Page wrote the song " Tangerine " (which appeared on the third Led Zeppelin album) after the breakup of his relationship with DeShannon in early 1965. Her first husband was Liberty Records executive Irving V. "Bud" Dain, whom she married on January 29, 1966 (it was annulled in 1967). DeShannon has been married to singer-songwriter and film composer Randy Edelman since 1976. They have

1680-1087: The Batavia Herald : Sherry Lee is a busy young lady. Each Saturday morning at 9:30 she is on the WMRO radio show. She had made appearances with the Pee Wee King Show at Ottawa , Rockford and LaSalle in recent weeks. Following her television appearance this Saturday night, the young Batavia artist will appear at the West Aurora Junior High School auditorium on Sunday, March 4th for three shows, 2, 4, and 8 pm. She attended Batavia High School for two years (1955–1957), leaving school after her second year. She began to record under various names such as Sherry Lee, Jackie Dee, and Jackie Shannon, with mixed success. Billboard noted (June 10, 1957) that Sherry Lee Myers, "16-year-old C&W singer of Batavia, Illinois," had recently signed to George Goldner 's Gone label in New York as

1750-531: The Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 9, 2023, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the Hot 100 for the first time in the United States becoming Lee's third #1 hit and first since her 1960 single, " I Want to Be Wanted ". At 78, Lee became the oldest female artist and oldest artist overall to top the Hot 100, feats formerly held by Cher and Louis Armstrong , respectively. The week following, she held

1820-578: The Billboard Hot 100); however, "Here Comes That Feeling" also made an appearance in the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 89, despite its B-side status in the US. In 1962, while touring West Germany , Lee appeared at the Star-Club , Hamburg , with the Beatles as the opening act. Lee also had big hits in the UK with " All Alone Am I " (No. 7 in 1963) and " As Usual " (No. 5 in 1964). Lee first visited England for three days in April 1959 as

1890-485: The Country Music Hall of Fame . Lee is often called upon to announce the annual inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame and then officially present them with their membership medallions at a special ceremony every year. The most recent inductees announced by Lee were Randy Travis , Charlie Daniels and Fred Foster in 2016. Since Billboard modified its recurrent rules in 2012, Lee's "Rockin' Around

1960-471: The Mark James composition " Sunday Sunrise ", reached No. 6 on Billboard magazine 's Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major hits included " Wrong Ideas " and " Big Four Poster Bed " (1974); and "Rock on Baby" and " He's My Rock " (both 1975). After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the top ten with 1979's " Tell Me What It's Like ". Two follow-ups also reached

2030-484: The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Lee a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Lee at number 161 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. The Grammy Awards is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry . It shares recognition of

2100-566: The 1960s were released to country radio, and despite her country sound, with top Nashville session people, she did not have another country hit until 1969 with " Johnny One Time ". Lee achieved her biggest success on the pop charts in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s with rockabilly and rock and roll -styled songs. Her biggest hits included "Jambalaya", " Sweet Nothin's " (No. 4, written by country musician Ronnie Self ), "I Want to Be Wanted" (No. 1), " All Alone Am I " (No. 3) and " Fool #1 " (No. 3). She had more hits with

2170-457: The 1964 teen surf movie Surf Party . DeShannon's biggest break came in 1964 when she supported The Beatles on their first US tour, and formed a touring band with guitarist Ry Cooder . DeShannon co-wrote " Breakaway " with Sharon Sheeley , which was recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964, and by Tracey Ullman in 1983. She also wrote "Don't Doubt Yourself Babe" for Mr. Tambourine Man , the 1965 debut album of The Byrds . Her music at this stage

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2240-688: The Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 5th Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Raddison Inn, Atlanta, Georgia . She was named among many other recording artists including: Riley Puckett , Gid Tanner , Dan Hornsby , Clayton McMichen , and Boots Woodall . Lee reached the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and 2001 without being inducted, but was finally voted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Celebrating over 50 years as

2310-469: The Christmas Tree ", recorded in 1958, topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the chart and breaking several chart records. Having sold over 100 million records globally, Lee is one of the most successful American artists of the 20th century. Her U.S. success in the 1960s earned her recognition as Billboard 's Top Female Artist of the Decade and one of

2380-408: The Christmas Tree" has regularly returned to the Billboard Hot 100 since 2015. On the Hot 100 chart dated December 21, 2019, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached a new peak of #3 in the United States with 37.1 million streams and 5,000 digital sales sold. The following week it moved up to #2, where it remained for a second week. From 2019 to 2022, the song has re-peaked at #2, blocked from

2450-665: The Room , a new recording of her best-known songs, in 2011. She was portrayed by singer Liz Phair in an episode of American Dreams . On June 17, 2010, DeShannon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame . In 2012 she wrote and recorded "For Africa, In Africa", a song inspired by the urgent need for action to provide clean water for the African Continent. Using her continuing access and friendship with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr , DeShannon has appeared as

2520-696: The Top 10 in 1980: " The Cowgirl and the Dandy " and " Broken Trust " (the latter featuring vocal backing by the Oak Ridge Boys ). A 1982 album, The Winning Hand , featuring Lee along with Dolly Parton , Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson , was a surprise hit, reaching the top ten on the U.S. country albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1984's " Hallelujah, I Love Her So " in duet with George Jones (Lee sang this song individually before and released it in 1960 on This Is...Brenda ). In 1992, Lee recorded

2590-492: The UK in 1959, before she had achieved much pop recognition in the United States. Her first hit single in the UK was " Sweet Nothin's ", which reached No. 4 on the UK singles chart in the spring of 1960. She subsequently had a UK hit (in 1961) with " Let's Jump the Broomstick ", a rockabilly number recorded in 1959, which had not charted in the United States, but reached No. 12 in the UK. Lee had two Top Ten hits in

2660-504: The UK that were not released as singles in her native country: the first, " Speak to Me Pretty " peaked at No. 3 in May 1962 and was her greatest hit in the UK by chart placing, swiftly followed by " Here Comes That Feeling ", which reached No. 5 in the summer of 1962. The latter was issued as the B-side to " Everybody Loves Me But You " in the United States (which peaked at No. 6 on

2730-476: The US and No. 5 in the UK and " Coming on Strong " peaked at No. 11 in the US. Also in 1964, " Is It True " peaked at No. 17 in both the US and the UK. Featuring Big Jim Sullivan (guitar), Jimmy Page (guitar), and Bobby Graham (drums), it was her only hit single recorded in London , England, and was produced by Mickie Most . The slide guitar and background singers were overdubbed in Nashville. It

2800-461: The World Needs Now Is Love ", which led to club tours and regular appearances on television and went to No. 7 on the US chart and No. 1 in Canada. (DeShannon's recording of the song was later used in the 1969 film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice ). She appeared in the 1967 film C'mon, Let's Live a Little , with Bobby Vee , as a folk singer. DeShannon continued writing and recording, but it

2870-780: The annual Royal Variety Performance before Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium on November 2, 1964, Lee toured Britain again in November and December 1964, supported by (amongst others) Manfred Mann , Johnny Kidd & the Pirates , the John Barry Seven , Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders , Marty Wilde , the Tornados and Heinz Burt . During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as

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2940-450: The attention of rock and roll star Eddie Cochran , who arranged for her to travel to California to meet his girlfriend, singer-songwriter Sharon Sheeley , who formed a writing partnership with DeShannon in 1960. Their partnership produced Brenda Lee 's hits " Dum Dum " and " Heart in Hand ". In 1960, DeShannon signed with Liberty Records , adopting the name Jackie DeShannon, believed to be

3010-493: The biggest hits of 1960, reaching the #1 chart position in the U.S. and #12 in the U.K. It was her first gold single and was nominated for a Grammy Award . Even though it was not released as a country song, it was among the first big hits to use what was to become the Nashville sound  – a string orchestra and legato harmonized background vocals. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was finally noticed in its third release

3080-687: The country music show TV Ranch on WAGA-TV in Atlanta; she was so short, the host would lower a stand microphone as low as it would go and stand her up on a wooden crate to reach it. In 1955, Grayce Tarpley married Buell "Jay" Rainwater, who moved the family to Cincinnati , Ohio, where he worked at the Jimmie Skinner Music Center. Lee performed with Skinner at the record store on two Saturday programs broadcast over Newport, Kentucky, radio station WNOP . The family soon returned to Georgia, but this time to Augusta , and Lee appeared on

3150-405: The early 2000s. The number has, however, recovered strongly with growth in official digital downloads . 2011 was a record year for UK singles sales. Actual figures vary considerably depending on the time of year. In 2010 a number one single usually sold around 100,000 copies per week; sales of around 30,000 were often sufficient to reach the top ten, and a single selling over 6,000 copies could make

3220-492: The four artists who charted the most singles, behind Elvis Presley , the Beatles and Ray Charles . Her accolades include a Grammy Award , four NARM Awards , three NME Awards and five Edison Awards . She is the first woman to be inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame . In 2023, she was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time. Brenda Mae Tarpley

3290-535: The moments following her introduction: I still get cold chills thinking about the first time I heard that voice. One foot started patting rhythm as though she was stomping out a prairie fire but not another muscle in that little body even as much as twitched. And when she did that trick of breaking her voice, it jarred me out of my trance enough to realize I'd forgotten to get off the stage. There I stood, after 26 years of supposedly learning how to conduct myself in front of an audience, with my mouth open two miles wide and

3360-422: The more pop-based songs " That's All You Gotta Do " (No. 6), " Emotions " (No. 7), " You Can Depend on Me " (No. 6), " Dum Dum " (No. 4), 1962's " Break It to Me Gently " (No. 2), " Everybody Loves Me But You " (No. 6), and " As Usual " (No. 12). Lee's total of nine consecutive top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits from "That's All You Gotta Do" in 1960 through "All Alone Am I" in 1962 set

3430-662: The music industry as that of the other performance arts: Emmy Awards (television), the Tony Awards (stage performance), and the Academy Awards (motion pictures). Lee met Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Shacklett in November 1962, at a concert by Bo Diddley and Jackie Wilson hosted at Nashville's Fairgrounds Coliseum. They married less than six months later, on April 24, 1963. Lee and Shacklett have two daughters, Jolie and Julie (named after Patsy Cline 's daughter), and three grandchildren, Taylor, Jordan and Charley. Lee

3500-503: The name of an Irish ancestor, after executives at Liberty thought the name Sharon Myers would not help sell records. In a Fresh Air interview (June 14, 2010), DeShannon said that she chose "Jackie" as a cross-gender name. Since she had a low singing voice, she could be heard as either male or female. When she found that "Jackie Dee" was too similar to Brenda Lee, Sandra Dee , et al., she changed it to Jackie Dee Shannon, which people heard as DeShannon. The name stuck. Using her new name as

3570-415: The number one spot, which also meant she surpassed her own age record, having turned 79 during the week ending December 16, 2023. Following two few weeks off number one, on the week ending January 6, 2024, she returned to number one for an additional week. A Lee approved AI-generated Spanish language version "Noche Buena y Navidad" appeared on October 25, 2024. On September 26, 1986, Lee was installed in

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3640-502: The past she has toured most of the south making personal appearances. Also she has sung on radio with a rhythm band for 2 years and has appeared on television 3 times. In March 1956, "Sherry Lee Myers" made "another guest appearance on Pee Wee King 's popular Country and Western Television Show " on Saturday evening, March 3, on Channel 2—the CBS network affiliate in Chicago . According to

3710-523: The same commercial success as her previous releases. In 1973, she was invited by Van Morrison to sing on his album Hard Nose the Highway (singing backup on both the title track and "Warm Love"). In 1974, DeShannon released New Arrangement for Columbia Records . She co-wrote four songs on the album with Donna Weiss , including "Queen of the Rodeo" and " Bette Davis Eyes ". The latter went on to become

3780-401: The self-penned " When You Walk in the Room " later in 1963. Both reached the lower rungs of the US pop chart, but were Top 40 hits in Canada, where "Needles and Pins" made it all the way to No. 1. "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room" later became US and UK hits for The Searchers . A version of "When You Walk in the Room" by Pam Tillis topped the country chart in 1994, and the song

3850-598: The show The Peach Blossom Special on WJAT-AM in Swainsboro . Lee's breakthrough came in February 1955, when she turned down $ 30 ($ 334 in 2022 value ) to appear on a Swainsboro radio station to see Red Foley and a touring promotional unit of his ABC-TV program Ozark Jubilee in Augusta. An Augusta disc jockey persuaded Foley to hear her sing before the show. Foley did and agreed to let her perform " Jambalaya " on stage that night, unrehearsed. Foley later recounted

3920-455: The song " Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree " in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by Hank Garland and raucous sax soloing by Nashville icon Boots Randolph . Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies, and did not do much better when it was released again in 1959. However, over subsequent years, it eventually sold more than five million copies. Since 2017,

3990-428: The song has appeared at the end of each year on the Billboard Hot 100, having spent (as of December 9, 2023) 54 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at number 1 in 2023. In 1960, Lee recorded her signature song , " I'm Sorry ". However, the record initially was withheld for months before its release due to concern that the 15-year-old Lee would not understand what she was singing about in the love song. The song became one of

4060-548: The song on her solo debut album All I Really Want to Do . It would be three more years before Jackie DeShannon would record the song for herself, on her Laurel Canyon album in 1968. She also appeared on the television show Ready Steady Go! Moving to New York City, DeShannon co-wrote with Randy Newman , producing such songs as "She Don't Understand Him Like I Do" and "Did He Call Today Mama?", as well as writing "You Have No Choice" for Delaney Bramlett . In March 1965, DeShannon recorded Burt Bacharach and Hal David 's " What

4130-487: The top 100—since the Official Charts Company increased the chart size on their website on 23 June 2007—lets a single be considered a hit due to the increasing singles market after chart rules included download singles. In most cases, the amount of weeks spent on either music chart may also play a big part in its relevance as a 'hit,' regardless of its peak chart position. A hit single is variously called

4200-462: The top forty. Record companies often release collections of hit singles by various artists as compilation albums , such as the Now That's What I Call Music! series. Well-known bands and artists also frequently release collections of their most popular singles as Greatest hits albums. Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee ,

4270-428: The top position by Mariah Carey 's " All I Want for Christmas Is You ". In November 2023, to celebrate the song's 65th anniversary, Lee released a music video featuring her lip-synching to the original recording at a house party with Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood . Lee has also joined social media platform TikTok to promote the song, where she posts videos reminiscing about her song's history and success. On

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4340-585: The writer of " When You Walk in the Room " and " Bette Davis Eyes ", which became hits for The Searchers and Kim Carnes , respectively. Since 2009, she has been an entertainment broadcast correspondent reporting Beatles band members' news for the radio program Breakfast with the Beatles . DeShannon was born in Hazel, Kentucky , the daughter of parents who were farmers and musically inclined, James Erwin Myers and Sandra Jeanne LaMonte. By age six, Sharon Lee Myers

4410-573: Was also recorded by ex-Byrds member Chris Hillman in 1998 and by ex- ABBA vocalist Agnetha Fältskog in 2004. DeShannon recorded many other singles that encompassed teen pop, country ballads, rockabilly, gospel, and Ray Charles -style soul that did not fare as well on the charts. During these years it was her songwriting and public profile rather than her recording career that kept her contracted to Liberty. DeShannon dated Elvis Presley and formed friendships with The Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson . She also co-starred and sang with Bobby Vinton in

4480-468: Was born on December 11, 1944, in the charity ward of Grady Hospital in Atlanta , Georgia , to parents Annie Grayce (née Yarbrough; 1921–2006) and Ruben Lindsey Tarpley (1909–1953). She weighed only 4 pounds 11 ounces at birth. Lee attended primary schools wherever her father found work, mainly between Atlanta and Augusta . Her family was poor. As a child, she shared a bed with her brother and sister in

4550-482: Was covered in 1988 as a duet by Annie Lennox and Al Green (reaching No. 9 in the Billboard Hot 100 ), and by Dolly Parton in 1993. The single "Love Will Find a Way" from the same album was also a moderate hit. Switching to Atlantic Records in 1970 and moving to Los Angeles , DeShannon recorded the critically acclaimed albums Jackie (1972) and Your Baby Is a Lady (1974), but they failed to produce

4620-466: Was featured in the local newspaper for her vocal talents and personal appearances at community gatherings, the local hospitals, and for assorted organizations. According to the Batavia Herald , she had her own Saturday morning radio show Breakfast Melodies on radio station WMRO in Aurora, Illinois. Further: Though only 13, the youngster can boast almost 11 years of voice training and experience and in

4690-595: Was heavily influenced by the American West Coast sounds and folk music. Staying briefly in England in 1965, DeShannon formed a songwriting partnership with Jimmy Page , which resulted in the songs "Dream Boy" and "Don't Turn Your Back on Me". DeShannon also wrote material for singer Marianne Faithfull , including her Top Ten UK and US hit " Come and Stay With Me ", which became Faithfull's biggest UK hit, peaking at No. 4 in 1965. That same year, Cher recorded

4760-583: Was not until 1969 that she scored her next smash single and album, both entitled " Put a Little Love in Your Heart ". The self-penned single (co-written with her brother, Randy Myers and Jimmy Holiday ) sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc . "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" was performed as the closing number at the Music for UNICEF Concert , broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, and

4830-668: Was recorded at Decca Records' number two studio at their West Hampstead complex, as was the UK B-side, a version of Ray Charles' 1959 classic cut, " What'd I Say ?", which was not released in North America. "Is It True" was composed by noted British songwriting team Ken Lewis and John Carter , who were also members of UK hitmakers the Ivy League . Lee was popular in the UK from early in her career. She performed on television in

4900-528: Was singing country tunes on a local radio show. By the age of 11, she was hosting her own radio program. After life on the farm became too difficult, the family moved from Murray, Kentucky , to the Fox River Valley in Illinois in the early 1950s, first to her mother's hometown of Aurora, Illinois , where her father continued his career as a barber, and then (in 1952) to nearby Batavia, Illinois , where Sherry Lee (as she called herself) attended high school. In May 1955 while in 8th grade, Myers, then 13 years old,

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