It's a life that seems destined for a country ballad: Born in the red clay backwoods of Georgia in a tarpaper shack, the daughter of a drunk who couldn't pay for the clothes on her back. But she had the voice of an angel, and before she could drive, she was a national recording star, supported an extended family of ne'er-do-wells, and smiled all the while.
In this candid autobiography, Lee recounts her astonishingly dramatic life, filled with early poverty, tragic deaths, a nonexistent childhood, a controlling manager, young elopement, illnesses, barely averted financial disaster, and one of show business's most durable marriages. All the while, "the little girl with the great big voice" kept on singing. Brenda's life has touched some of the most legendary names in the annals of entertainment, from Elvis Presley to Elton John. But her great big voice, filled with courage, determination, and passion, is all her own. No one said it better than John Lennon, who declared that Brenda Lee "has the greatest rock and roll voice of them all".
It's tumultuous life, sprinkled with humor, heartache, and hope, full of real emotional highs and lows. And yet, the real story here is that she is in many ways an Everywoman. This is a mother, a wife, a friend. Meet Brenda Lee.
