Johnny Lee

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 Billboards Adult Contemporary chart. He racked up 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 late 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 "Lookin' for Love."

Lee also had five other songs reach the top of the Billboard 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 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" (1984), 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, Deborah Spohr Lee, in 1986. The couple had a son, Johnny Lee Jr., in 1990 and divorced years later. Deborah died November 7, 2002, 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 late 2008, Lee began performing regularly in Branson, Missouri.

Discography Albums Year Album Chart Positions RIAA US Country CAN Country 1974 For Lovers Only — — — 1977 H-e-e-ere's Johnny! — — — 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 US Country US CAN Country 1975 "Sometimes" 59 — — "Red Sails in the Sunset" 22 — —H-e-e-ere's Johnny! 1976 "Ramblin' Rose" / "Congratulations" 37 — — 1977 "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" (with Lane Brody) 1 — 1 Til the Bars Burn Down|- "One More Shot"

"You Could've Heard a Heart Break"

Charted B-sides Year B-side Chart Positions Original A-side US Country

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards 1981"Lookin' for Love"Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Music City News Country Awards 1981 Johnny Lee Most Promising Male Artist Academy of Country Music Awards 1977

Most Promising Male Vocalist

Top New Male Vocalist

Song of the Year Single Record of the Year