Birth name John Lee Ham Years active 1976–present Name Johnny Lee | Occupation(s) Singer Role Singer Instruments Vocals | |
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Born July 3, 1946 (age 78) ( 1946-07-03 ) Children Cherish Lee, Johnny Lee Jr. Similar People Mickey Gilley, Charlene Tilton, Lane Brody, Cherish Lee, Willie Nelson Profiles | ||
John Lee Ham (born July 3, 1946), known professionally as Johnny Lee, 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 Pop chart and Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. He racked up a series of country hits in the early and mid-1980s.
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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 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", "Sounds Like Love", "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 later had a son with former wife Deb whom he married in 1986, named Johnny Lee Jr. (1990-2014). After Johnny Lee, Jr. died 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.