Brenda Lee recalls a special bond with her favorite Beatle John Lennon when the band opened for her in the early 1960s
«He was a genie in the bottle, and he let me have the cork,» the legend says in the PBS documentary ‘Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around’.
These days Brenda Lee is best known for the perennial 1958 holiday classic «Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,» which she recorded when she was 12 years old. But during the ’60s, she was the hottest female pop star on the planet — the Taylor Swift of her time.
She was such a huge star that she scored back-to-back No. 1 hits in 1960 with «I’m Sorry» and «I Want to Be Wanted» while she was still in her teens.
Early in the decade, she even headlined a show where her opening act was The Beatles. Lee talks about her connection to her fellow rock and roll legends in the new PBS American Masters documentary Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around.
When I started touring in England, I was popular [there] before I ever was here,» Lee, 80, says in the documentary. «There was this group that opened this show for me known as The Silver Beatles, who became The Beatles.»
