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Harley Payette pays tribute to the legendary Brenda Lee, who celebrated her 68th birthday on December 11.

On the surface, Brenda Lee might be considered one of the lucky ones. Every year, from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas, Lee is one of the handful of ’50s and early ’60s rock ‘n’ roll artists still consistently heard in the mainstream. Her “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is one of the true Christmas staples, ranking in popularity with “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” or any other standard you’d want to name. What’s more, unlike many of the Christmas standards, no version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has even approached Lee’s in popularity.

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The New Releases page has been updated to include music CD, DVD and Blu-ray releases for December.

Highlights for December include:

• “The Who – The Studio Albums” vinyl box set (Dec 4)
• The 63-CD “Johnny Cash – The Complete Columbia Album Collection” (Dec 4)
• T. Rex’s “The Slider – 40th Anniversary Box Set” (Dec 11)
• The Jam’s “The Gift – Deluxe Edition” (Dec 11)
• Eric Clapton’s “Slowhand 35th Anniversary” in super-deluxe, deluxe and standard editions (Dec 18).

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Little Richard celebrates his 80th birthday today. He was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, on December 5, 1932.

Little Richard is rightly considered one of the founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll. Drawing inspiration from gospel and blues artists, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Marion Williams, and Billy Wright, Richard developed a vocal style and electrifying piano technique that would make him one of the most powerful of the early rock ‘n’ roll performers. His breakthrough hit, “Tutti Frutti,” with its unforgettable “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!” intro, was one of the landmark rock ‘n’ roll recordings.

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New “My Music” specials covering doo wop and Motown make their debut on PBS tonight.

“My Music: Doo Wop Discoveries”

“My Music: Doo Wop Discoveries” features long unseen archival footage and new live performances from pivotal R&B and pop vocal groups of the late fifties and sixties. Smokey Robinson, Mike Stoller, Aaron Neville, Neil Sedaka, George Clinton and others are also on hand to share their stories about the era. The special is hosted by Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, formerly of Sha Na Na.

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The New Releases page has been updated to include music CD, DVD and Blu-ray releases for November.

Highlights for November include:

• “The Rolling Stones: Charlie is My Darling – Ireland 1965” on DVD/Blu-ray and deluxe box set (Nov 6) and multiple editions of their “GRRR!” greatest hits (Nov 13)
• “Hungarian Rhapsody – Queen Live In Budapest ” in multiple editions (Nov 6)
• “Elvis – Prince From Another Planet” and “Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden – Legacy Edition” (Nov 13)
• “The Beatles – Stereo Box Set” vinyl edition (Nov 13)
• “Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day” in multiple editions (Nov 19)
• “The Beach Boys – Live in Concert: 50th Anniversary Tour” on DVD and Blu-ray (Nov 19/20).