Johnny Lee (born John Lee Ham; July 3, 1946) is an American country music singer. His 1980 single "

Lookin' for Love "Lookin' for Love" is a song written by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan, and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Lee. It was released in June 1980 as part of the soundtrack to the film ''Urban Cowboy'', released that y ...

" became a crossover hit, spending three weeks at number 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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 17 top 40 country hits in the early and mid-1980s.

Biography

Lee was born in

Texas City Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and pe ...

, 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 The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...

, both on tour and at Gilley’s Club in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

, Texas. The soundtrack from the 1980 hit movie ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...

'', 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 magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Hot Country Singles chart: "One in a Million" (1980), "Bet Your Heart on Me" (1981), "The Yellow Rose" (1984, a duet with

Lane Brody Lynn Voorlas (born September 24, 1955), known professionally as Lane Brody, is an American country music singer-songwriter, active since the early 1980s, best known for her 1984 Billboard-topping country hit "The Yellow Rose" (a duet with count ...

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 "Pickin' Up Strangers" is a song written by Byron Hill, and recorded by American country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early ...

" (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 Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing, the niece of brothers J. R. Ewing and Bobby Ewing (played by Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy), on the television ser ...

, 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 the fall of 2008, Lee began performing regularly in

Branson Branson may refer to: Places ;Canada * Branson, Toronto ;United States * Branson, Missouri, a popular tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains * Branson, Colorado * Branson City, California * The Branson School, in Ross, California * Warrenpoi ...

, Missouri.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Charted B-sides

;Notes *A ^ "Lookin' for Love" also peaked at No. 20 on the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and No. 54 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart in Canada. *B ^ "Heart to Heart Talk" did not chart on Hot Country Songs, but peaked at No. 4 on Hot Country Radio Breakouts.

References

Other sources

* "Johnny Lee Biography"
CMT.com
Retrieved May 27, 2005. * "Johnny Lee - Biography"

Retrieved May 27, 2005.
Johnny Lee with Randy Wyles. 1989. ''Lookin' for love.'' Diamond Books.
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Johnny 1946 births Living people American country singer-songwriters Place of birth missing (living people) American male singer-songwriters People from Houston Asylum Records artists Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Texas City, Texas Country musicians from Texas People from Santa Fe, Texas