Quick Facts
Biography
Johnny Lee (born John Lee Ham; July 3, 1946) is an American country music singer. His 1980 single "Lookin' for Love" became a crossover hit, spending three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard country singles chart while also appearing in the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. He racked up a total of 17 top 40 country hits in the early and mid-1980s.
Biography
Lee was born in Texas City, Texas, and grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Alta Loma (now part of Santa Fe, Texas). In high school he formed a rock n' roll band, "Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners". After graduation Lee enlisted in the United States Navy and served a tour of duty on the USS Chicago, a guided missile cruiser. After his discharge, he had his name legally changed from John Lee Ham to Johnny Lee. He played cover tunes in Texas nightclubs and bars throughout the 1960s.
Lee worked 10 years with Mickey Gilley, both on tour and at Gilley’s Club in Pasadena, Texas. The soundtrack from the 1980 hit movie Urban Cowboy, which was largely shot at Gilley's, catapulted Lee to fame. The record spawned several hit singles, including Lee's "Lookin' for Love."
In addition to "Lookin' for Love", Lee had five songs reach the top of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart: "One in a Million" (1980); "Bet Your Heart on Me" (1981); "The Yellow Rose" (1984, a duet with Lane Brody and the theme song to the NBC TV-series of the same name); and "You Could Have Heard a Heartbreak" (1984). His other major hits include "Pickin' Up Strangers" (1981), "Prisoner of Hope" (1981), "Cherokee Fiddle"(1982), "Sounds Like Love"(1982), "When You Fall In Love"(1982), "Be There For Me Baby"(1981), "Hey Bartender" (1983), "Rollin' Lonely", and "Save the Last Chance" (1985).
From 1982 to 1984, Lee was married to Dallas actress Charlene Tilton, with whom he had a daughter Cherish (born 1982).He married his second wife, the late Deborah Spohr Lee, in 1986. The couple had a son, Johnny Lee Jr. in 1990, and divorced years later, after which Deborah died after a long battle with prescription painkillers. After Johnny Lee Jr. died in 2014 at the age of 23 of a drug overdose, Lee became active in combating the illegal drug epidemic.
In the fall of 2008 Lee began performing regularly in Branson, Missouri.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | H-e-e-ere's Johnny! | — | — | — |
| 1977 | For Lovers Only | — | — | — |
| 1980 | Lookin' for Love | 8 | 6 | Gold |
| 1981 | Bet Your Heart on Me | 9 | — | — |
| 1982 | Sounds Like Love | 32 | — | — |
| 1983 | Hey Bartender | 15 | — | — |
| Greatest Hits | 41 | — | — | |
| 1984 | Til' the Bars Burn Down | 23 | — | — |
| 1985 | Workin' for a Livin | 23 | — | — |
| Keep Me Hangin' On | 36 | — | — | |
| 1989 | New Directions | — | — | — |
| 1989 | Buckmasters Presents Woods & Water | — | — | — |
| 1990 | Greatest Hits Volume 2 | — | — | — |
| 1990 | The Best of Johnny Lee | — | — | — |
| 1995 | Country Party | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Ramblin' Rose | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Live at Gilley's | — | — | — |
| 2001 | At His Best | — | — | — |
| 2002 | Live at Billy Bob's Texas | — | — | — |
| 2003 | The 13th of July | — | — | — |
| Greatest Hits | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | Santa Claus Is Lookin' for Love | — | — | — |
| 2006 | Country Candy Store | — | — | — |
| 2016 | You Ain't Never Been To Texas | — | — | — |
| 2021 | Everything’s Gonna Be Alright | — | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Sometimes" | 59 | — | — | N/A |
| "Red Sails in the Sunset" | 22 | — | — | H-e-e-ere's Johnny! | |
| 1977 | "Ramblin' Rose" | 37 | — | — | |
| "Country Party" | 15 | — | 50 | ||
| "Dear Alice" | 58 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "This Time" | 43 | — | — | |
| 1980 | "Lookin' for Love" | 1 | 5 | 18 | Lookin' for Love |
| "One in a Million" | 1 | 102 | 8 | ||
| 1981 | "Pickin' Up Strangers" | 3 | — | 4 | |
| "Prisoner of Hope" | 3 | — | 4 | ||
| "Rode Hard and Put Up Wet" | 52 | — | — | Urban Cowboy 2 | |
| "Bet Your Heart on Me" | 1 | 54 | 5 | Bet Your Heart on Me | |
| 1982 | "Be There for Me Baby" | 10 | — | 5 | |
| "When You Fall in Love" | 14 | — | 46 | ||
| "Cherokee Fiddle" | 10 | — | 24 | Sounds Like Love | |
| 1983 | "Sounds Like Love" | 6 | — | 9 | |
| "Hey Bartender" | 2 | — | 1 | Hey Bartender | |
| "My Baby Don't Slow Dance" | 23 | — | 13 | ||
| 1984 | "The Yellow Rose" | 1 | — | 1 | 'Til the Bars Burn Down |
| "One More Shot" | 42 | — | 26 | ||
| "You Could've Heard a Heart Break" | 1 | — | 2 | Workin' for a Livin' | |
| 1985 | "Rollin' Lonely" | 9 | — | 9 | |
| "Save the Last Chance" | 12 | — | 12 | Keep Me Hangin' On | |
| "They Never Had to Get Over You" | 19 | — | 57 | ||
| 1986 | "The Loneliness in Lucy's Eyes (The Life Sue Ellen Is Living)" | 56 | — | — | Dallas: The Music Story |
| "I Could Get Used to This" | 50 | — | — | N/A | |
| 1989 | "Maybe I Won't Love You Anymore" | 59 | — | — | New Directions |
| "I'm Not Over You" | 69 | — | — | ||
| "I Can Be a Heartbreaker Too" | 53 | — | — | ||
| "You Can't Fly Like an Eagle" | 66 | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Heart to Heart Talk" | — | — | — | |
| "Dangerously Lonely" | — | — | — | The Best of Johnny Lee | |
| "Money in My Pocket" | — | — | — | ||
| 2016 | "Never Been to Texas" | — | — | — | You Ain't Never Been to Texas |
Charted B-sides
| Year | B-side | Chart Positions | Original A-side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Say When" | flip | "The Yellow Rose" |
Other sources
- "Johnny Lee Biography". CMT.com. Retrieved May 27, 2005.
- "Johnny Lee - Biography". Official Johnny Lee Fan Club website. Retrieved May 27, 2005.
- Johnny Lee with Randy Wyles. 1989. Lookin' for love.Diamond Books.
- Smith, Tumbleweed (November 2014). "Johnny Lee Still Singing Those Hits". Ranch and Rural Living. San Angelo. 96 (2): 4. ProQuest 1624965880.
