Come and make a journey to the giddy start of rock ‘n’ roll by the eyes of one in every of its pioneers — Brenda Lee.

The “I am Sorry” and “Rockin’ Across the Christmas Tree” hitmaker who shared phases with each Elvis Presley and the Beatles is a information to these heady years in “American Masters — Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Round,” which premieres Monday on PBS.

“That period can by no means be repeated once more,” she tells The Related Press on the eve of the printed. “That was an period when the cash wasn’t considered, the celebrity wasn’t considered. I do know that sounds loopy, however it’s true. The artists of that point had been there to do their factor, they usually cherished it, whether or not they acquired paid or not.”

Lee, 80, had her first hit report in 1960 at age 15 and went on to promote greater than 100 million albums. Within the ’60s, she earned extra Scorching 100 singles in the US — 46 — than any recording artist in addition to the Beatles, Presley or Ray Charles. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

She is the uncommon artist inducted into each the Nation Music Corridor of Fame and the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame, transferring effortlessly in her profession between nation, pop, rock and rockabilly sounds.

“I by no means categorised myself as a ballad singer, as a rock singer, as a rustic singer or something. I simply wished to sing,” she says within the interview. “Some artists can sing all of it. Not me. I’ve to like what I’m singing or it’s not plausible.”

The documentary attracts on the commentary of musicologists and such stars as Keith City, Tanya Tucker, Trisha Yearwood, Jackie DeShannon, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

“I had no bother getting individuals to speak about Brenda and why she issues and why we must always look to her,” says director Barbara Corridor. “That is what’s doable once you simply get your head down and keep targeted and do what you’re good at and don’t surrender.”

Lee was the daughter of a carpenter in Atlanta who died in a development accident when she was simply 8. Her mom quickly was pressured to work within the cotton mill. When she was 10, nation music singer Crimson Foley put her on his nationwide TV program “Ozark Jubilee.” By age 12, she had appeared on numerous community TV selection exhibits.

The portrait that emerges is a uncommon one for the music business, the story of a younger lady who’s protected and nurtured. Lee credit producer Owen Bradley; her supervisor, Dub Allbritten; and the musicians she labored with for searching for her, treating her like a little bit sister.

“I hear horror tales about youngsters in present enterprise, however I definitely didn’t have that have, and I’m grateful for that,” says Lee. “It was like I used to be one of many group, and that was so necessary to me.”

The vacations are when Lee shines most, together with her hit “Rockin’ Across the Christmas Tree” in excessive rotation. In 2023, it topped the Billboard Scorching 100 chart for the primary time ever, 65 years after the tune’s debut.

“She is in your own home each Christmas,” says Corridor. “She is part of one thing that so many People rejoice. So, I’m hoping that folks will embrace her story and her music as soon as they get reintroduced to it.”

She recorded it at age 13 in July 1958, not precisely a snowy time within the South. The air conditioner was cranked up within the recording studio and there was a Christmas tree set as much as get everybody within the temper. It initially was an even bigger hit overseas and later acquired a lift within the 1990 movie “Residence Alone.”

“You get a beautiful tune and it could lay round for a couple of years like ‘Rockin’’ did, but when it’s as fantastic as ’Rockin″ was, it’ll present its head eventually, and that’s what occurred,” Lee says.

Corridor, who labored on a 2017 “American Masters” documentary on Patsy Cline, says she tried to seek out any filth on Lee and easily could not. Even when Lee broke her leg throughout the shoot and needed to be hospitalized, she was gracious and sort.

“If my leg was damaged in 10 locations and I needed to be in a rehab facility, I’d most likely be in a nasty temper the entire time,” she says. “She was cracking jokes and everybody within the room felt like she was their good friend.”