Background and Age

Brenda Mae Tarpley was born on December 11, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, Reuben Lindsey Tarpley, and mother, Annie Grace, were not wealthy. They had to relocate often between Atlanta and Augusta, depending on the locations of the work her father was able to get. Brenda had a difficult childhood. Her family lacked resources, and their living conditions weren't optimal, with her being forced to share the same room with her brother and sister. Brenda always loved music, and she began to sing at the Baptist church every Sunday. At the age of two, Brenda could whistle the melody she heard on the battery-powered radio.

When she was three years old, she used to go to a candy store with her mother and sister. She would be given candy and coins for her singing. When she was six, she won a local singing contest sponsored by the local elementary school and won the chance to perform on an Atlanta radio show, "Starmakers Revue". She then started to earn money for her family, singing at events and on local radio and television shows. She became a regular guest of the country music show "TV Ranch" on WAGA-TV in Atlanta.

After Brenda's father died in 1953, her mother remarried a man named Jay Rainwater in 1955, and they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Jay Rainwater worked at the "Jimmy Skinner Music Center" record store, and Brenda sang there on weekends. Brenda also appeared on the show "The Peach Blossom Special on WJAT-AM in Swainsboro".