Trisha Yearwood Praises Brenda Lee: “She’s Our History”

Trisha Yearwood has nothing but love for Brenda Lee. Both singers performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For the Hall event in Nashville on Tuesday (December 5). Lee treated the crowd to a performance of her classic holiday hit, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” while Yearwood sang her hit, “The Song Remembers When,” along with a cover of Linda Ronstadt‘s “You’re No Good.”

Yearwood made it a point to praise Lee during her set, as the event served as a fundraiser for the CMHOF and its education programs. “She’s our history, she is to be revered and remembered,” Yearwood raved of Lee. “What this woman has done in her career is astonishing and she’s a true legend and hero. So that’s what this is all about, preserving those stories.”

[RELATED: Brenda Lee Reflects on Her History-Making No. 1 Hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”]

Lee continues to make history more than six decades into her career. In December 2023, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since the song was released in 1958. Lee recorded the Johnny Marks-penned track when she was 13 years old. “Rockin’” is only the third holiday song to top the Hot 100, alongside Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” and “The Chipmunk Song” by The Chipmunks.

This is also Lee’s third song to go No. 1 on the Hot 100 following “I’m Sorry” and “I Want to Be Wanted.” She released a video for “Rockin’” in November 2023, with Yearwood and Tanya Tucker among the guest stars.

“We’re here to make sure that the Country Music Hall of Fame tells those stories forever,” Yearwood continued of the event. “The thing that I loved about doing All For the Hall is the Hall of Fame is a treasure and is where all of our stories are told forever.” All For the Hall was co-hosted by Keith Urban and Vince Gill. The event raised $900,000.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum