Brenda Lee Hits #1 At 78: ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ Tops Charts 65 Years After Its Release, Smashing Records
deadline.comCan there be any lingering doubt about who truly holds the Queen of Christmas crown? Brenda Lee has returned to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” 65 years after the song’s 1958 recording.
The chart-topper sees the singer once known as Little Miss Dynamite breaking at least several Billboard records, including the longest wait between a song’s release and reaching #1, and the longest span between an artist’s #1 hits.
At 78, Lee becomes the oldest person to ever top the chart, a record previously held by Louis Armstrong, who was 62 when “Hello, Dolly” peaked in 1964.
Just 13 when she recorded what would become one of the most beloved and enduring holiday classics, Lee has been celebrating the song’s 65th anniversary with a flurry of activity: Last month she appeared in the song’s first-ever video, featuring cameos by country stars Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood (see it above); and she’s scheduled to perform the rockin’ tune on NBC’s Christmas at the Opry airing Dec.
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