Texas-born country singer Johnny Lee spent years as a journeyman performer, playing Lone Star honky-tonks and recording for various labels, before finally breaking through as a major crossover star with the 1980 hit “Lookin’ for Love”, a catchy ballad written by two Mississippi schoolteachers, Wanda Mallette and Patti Ryan.
Johnny Lee was born in Alta Loma, Texas on July 3, 1946. He came of age listening to first-generation rock & roll artists such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Johnny Lee went from fan to performer in high school, when he and his friends formed a band called the Road Runners. The Road Runners’ local success came to a halt when Lee joined the Navy and served in Southeast Asia as America’s involvement in Vietnam grew.
After Lee was discharged, he bounced around from Texas to California looking for gigs, and landed his first serious break when he met honky-tonk man Mickey Gilley in 1968; Lee reminded Gilley of the time they had met and talked music in Galveston, Texas, and Gilley allowed Lee to join him on-stage that evening.
Gilley eventually signed Lee as a backing vocalist and trumpet player, unaware that Lee was pulling his leg and the two hadn’t previously met.
For five years, Lee was part of Gilley’s band at Gilley’s nightclub in Pasadena, Texas. When Gilley was playing road dates, Lee was the headliner in his absence. Lee’s shot at the big time came in 1979, when filmmaker James Bridges came to Texas to shoot the movie Urban Cowboy.
Lee was given the song “Lookin’ for Love,” and when Urban Cowboy’s soundtrack album came out in tandem with the film in 1980, “Lookin’ for Love” rose to number one on the country charts and number five on the pop charts. Lee then spun off three more country hits, “One in a Million,” “Pickin’ Up Strangers,” and “Prisoner of Hope.”
Lee was a consistent hit maker on country radio, touring regularly with his own band and charting high with tunes like “Bet Your Heart on Me,” “Sounds Like Love,” “Hey Bartender,” “You Could Have Heard a Heart Break,” and “The Yellow Rose” (the latter a duet with Lane Brody).
In 2008, Lee began appearing regularly in Branson, Missouri, playing his hits for his longtime fans.
2015 saw Johnny Lee reunite with Mickey Gilley for a tour that celebrated the anniversary release of urban cowboy.
In 2017, Lee recorded a new album and released an autobiography.
He continues touring and says that he’ll do so “As long as my friends and fans come to see me perform.”
The Palace Theatre is located at 112 West 6th Avenue in Downtown Corsicana. All seats are reserved and tickets are priced at $20, $30 and $40.00.
Tickets may be ordered at CorsicanaPalace.com, by phone at 903.874.7792 or at the box office during normal business hours.
