Lee Denson

Jesse Lee Denson (August 25, 1932 – November 6, 2007) was an American rockabilly singer and songwriter.

In 1953 Denson moved to Key West, Florida, where he worked as a bellboy, Denson began singing in clubs in the style of Eddy Arnold. After seeing his friends Johnny and Dorsey Burnette on television, he moved to New York City to develop a music career, eventually gaining a recording contract with the Vik label, a subsidiary of RCA Records. The b-side of the single was "New Shoes", The Kuf-Linx recorded a version of "Climb Love Mountain", re-titled as "Climb Love's Mountain". Another of Denson's songs, "The Pied Piper", was a No. 50 US hit for Billy Williams in 1957.

Denson made several appearances on Dick Clark's Bandstand, before moving to California where he made recordings for Kent Records in 1958, credited as Jesse James. These included "The South's Gonna Rise Again", recorded with top musicians including Earl Palmer at Gold Star Studios. Denson also recorded for the Merri label in 1960. Although most of his recordings were rock and roll, he retained an interest in gospel music, and wrote "Miracle of the Rosary", based on the hymn "Ave Maria", offering the song to Presley when the two met. Despite his Pentecostal background, in 1964 Denson became a Catholic, the faith of his wife Mary, which strongly influenced this composition. They both became active in the Catholic apostolate known as the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, even leading some pilgrimages to the Portuguese Marian shrine.

In 1964, Denson recorded for the Magic Lamp label set up by Dorsey Burnette and Joe Osborn; the Carpenters made their first recordings as backing singers on the records. He returned to Memphis in 1972, and signed a contract with Stax Records. He later wrote and recorded several albums of Christian music for his own Eternal Rainbow label, as well as recording children's songs.

Denson died in Memphis, Tennessee, in November 2007 at the age of 75.