NEW YORK (AP) — Come and take a trip to the giddy birth of rock ‘n’ roll through the eyes of one of its pioneers — Brenda Lee.
The “I'm Sorry” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hitmaker who shared stages with both Elvis Presley and the Beatles is a guide to those heady years in “American Masters — Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around,” which premieres Monday on PBS.
“That era can never be repeated again,” she tells The Associated Press on the eve of the broadcast. “That was an era when the money wasn’t thought about, the fame wasn’t thought about. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. The artists of that time were there to do their thing, and they loved it, whether they got paid or not.”
Lee, 80, had her first hit record in 1960 at age 15 and went on to sell more than 100 million albums. In the ’60s, she earned more Hot 100 singles in the United States — 46 — than any recording artist besides the Beatles, Presley or Ray Charles. She won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
She is the rare artist inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, moving effortlessly in her career between country, pop, rock and rockabilly sounds.
“I never classified myself as a ballad singer, as a rock singer, as a country singer or anything. I just wanted to sing,” she says in the interview. “Some artists can sing it all. Not me. I have to love what I’m singing or it’s not believable.”
The documentary draws on the commentary of musicologists and such stars as Keith Urban, Tanya Tucker, Trisha Yearwood, Jackie DeShannon, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
“I had no trouble getting people to talk about Brenda and why she matters and why we should look to her,” says director Barbara Hall. “This is what’s possible when you just get your head down and stay focused and do what you know you’re good at and don’t give up.”
Lee was the daughter of a carpenter in Atlanta who died in a construction accident when she was just 8. Her mother soon was forced to work in the cotton mill. When she was 10, country music singer Red Foley put her on his national TV program “Ozark Jubilee.” By age 12, she had appeared on various network TV variety shows.
The portrait that emerges is a rare one for the music industry, the story of a young woman who is protected and nurtured. Lee credits producer Owen Bradley; her manager, Dub Allbritten; and the musicians she worked with for looking out for her, treating her like a little sister.
“I hear horror stories about children in show business, but I certainly didn’t have that experience, and I’m grateful for that,” says Lee. “It was like I was one of the group, and that was so important to me.”
The holidays are when Lee shines most, with her hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in high rotation. In 2023, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever, 65 years after the song’s debut.
“She is in your house every Christmas,” says Hall. “She is a part of something that so many Americans celebrate. So, I’m hoping that people will embrace her story and her music once they get reintroduced to it.”
She recorded it at age 13 in July 1958, not exactly a snowy time in the South. The air conditioner was cranked up in the recording studio and there was a Christmas tree set up to get everyone in the mood. It initially was a bigger hit abroad and later got a boost in the 1990 film “Home Alone.”
“You get a wonderful song and it may lay around for a few years like ‘Rockin’’ did, but if it’s as wonderful as ’Rockin″ was, it’ll show its head sooner or later, and that’s what happened,” Lee says.
Hall, who worked on a 2017 “American Masters” documentary on Patsy Cline, says she tried to find any dirt on Lee and simply couldn't. Even when Lee broke her leg during the shoot and had to be hospitalized, she was gracious and kind.
“If my leg was broken in 10 places and I had to be in a rehab facility, I’d probably be in a bad mood the whole time," she says. "She was cracking jokes and everyone in the room felt like she was their friend.”
This combination of images shows singer Brenda Lee at the 57th Annual CMA Awards on Nov. 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn., and Brenda Lee at fourteen, in London on April 5, 1959. (AP Photo)
FILE - Brenda Lee arrives at the 57th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey and have been spotted in recent days across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they are coming from and why.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers.
Murphy posted on X Sunday night that he went out with state police officials in West Trenton, New Jersey, surveying the area for drones. “The public deserves clear answers — we will keep pushing the federal government for more information and resources,” he said.
Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety, but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft.
The FBI is among several agencies investigating and has asked residents to share videos, photos and other information they may have about the drones.
Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing them in the state since mid-November.
At first they were spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River, which feeds the Round Valley Reservoir, the state's largest aquifer, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New York City.
But soon sightings were reported statewide, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.
Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commanding officer told him a dozen drones closely followed a Guard lifeboat earlier this month.
The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively.
In a call with reporters Saturday that was organized by the White House, senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies sought to assure people that the drones are not a national security or public safety threat, or the handywork of a malicious foreign actor.
The White House has said a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully, echoing the opinion of officials and drone experts.
The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
Authorities say they do not know.
The FBI, Homeland Security and state police are investigating the sightings. Authorities say they don’t know if it is one drone that has been spotted many times or if there are multiple aircraft being flown in a coordinated effort.
Speculation has raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drone or drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents.
Officials stress that ongoing state and federal investigations have found no evidence to support those concerns, but Rep. Smith on Saturday echoed such speculation.
“The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities — or worse — by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the aircraft are not U.S. military drones.
In Boston, city police arrested two men accused of operating a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport on Saturday night.
Authorities said an officer using drone monitoring technology detected the aircraft and the location of the operators. A third man fled police and remains at large.
Authorities said the two men face trespassing charges and could face more charges and fines.
Drones flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, forced base officials to close its airspace for about four hours late Friday into early Saturday, said Robert Purtiman, a base spokesperson.
It was the first time drones had been spotted at the base, one of the largest in the world, and no sightings have been reported since early Saturday, Purtiman said Monday.
He would not say how many drones were flying in the area, adding that they ranged in size and that they did not impact any facilities on the base.
Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on his social media site.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday that the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.”
A New Jersey congressman has urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to bring down one or more drones to try to figure out who deployed them.
The objects could be downed over the ocean or in an unpopulated area on land, Smith said Saturday at a news conference.
“Why can't we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” Smith said.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said people should not take it into their own hands to shoot down drones, as that would violate state and federal laws.
Drone sightings have now been reported in New York, where a permit is required, and Mayor Eric Adams said the city was investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials.
The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the city — were shut down for about one hour Friday night because of drone activity in the airspace, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“This has gone too far,” she said in a statement.
The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement.
Two people said they spotted an aircraft Thursday night near Virginia Beach that was unlike any other they’ve seen.
The object was over the ocean, and they watched as it slowly moved over an Army National Guard facility, John Knight told The Virginian-Pilot. “It flew like a helicopter but made no noise,” he said.
The Virginia National Guard said it was aware of the incident and it was under investigation.
Another military installation in the area is Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. NAS Oceana, the East Coast master jet base in Virginia Beach, is aware of recent reports of sightings in the area and is coordinating with federal and state agencies to ensure the safety of its personnel and operations, Katie Hewett, public affairs officer, said Friday by email.
In Massachusetts, 10 to 15 drones were reported hovering over a home Thursday night in Harwich on Cape Cod. A resident told police they were bright and she observed them for more than an hour.
Earlier that evening, an off-duty police officer in the same town noticed similar activity near a public safety complex, police said. The information was forwarded to the FBI and Massachusetts State Police.
Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.
FILE - In this image taken from video provided by MartyA45_, several drones appear to be flying over Randolph, N.J., on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (MartyA45_ /TMX via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by Brian Glenn shows what appears to be multiple drones flying over Bernardsville, N.J., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 (Brian Glenn/TMX via AP, File)
