Richard Grey was a remarkable young man. Even though his parents were very rich, he stayed humble and kind. His caring nature helped him meet his fiancée. However, things didn’t turn out as expected when Richard decided to test her by pretending to be a homeless man at her door.
The Grey family was known for their wealth. Some people believed they were so rich they could buy all the houses in Beverly Hills. Their family’s wealth and status went back to the 1700s. Many family members came and went, but they kept their high position.
Richard was the only child of his parents, Franco and Leah Grey. The couple had waited many years to have him. As expected, they spent their fortune and effort raising Richard to be one of the finest gentlemen.
Richard Grey was a remarkable young man. Even though his parents were very rich, he stayed humble and kind. His caring nature helped him meet his fiancée. However, things didn’t turn out as expected when Richard decided to test her by pretending to be a homeless man at her door.
The Grey family was known for their wealth. Some people believed they were so rich they could buy all the houses in Beverly Hills. Their family’s wealth and status went back to the 1700s. Many family members came and went, but they kept their high position.
Richard was the only child of his parents, Franco and Leah Grey. The couple had waited many years to have him. As expected, they spent their fortune and effort raising Richard to be one of the finest gentlemen.
He made people happy, and his parents were proud of their perfect son. They were excited that one day he would manage their family estate. But they were also worried about his future.
Franco and Leah wanted grandchildren. Leah especially wanted Richard to find a wife and have kids. She would call future grandchildren her “tiny soldiers” and couldn’t wait to see them.
Leah once challenged Franco, who asked her to stop pressuring their son. “You might die before me, Franco, and you don’t care that you might never see his baby?” she asked.
Franco calmly replied, “I want grandkids too, but he needs time. Finding love isn’t easy these days.”
Leah was not convinced. “People get married every day, Franco! He hasn’t even started thinking about it,” she said.
Franco’s words didn’t stop Leah from bringing up the subject with Richie every time she saw him. He would say, “Mom, I’m trying to find the right girl. It’s hard to know who loves you for real.”
Richard was right. His wealth made it difficult to find a genuine woman. He wanted someone committed, compassionate, and not interested in his money. He didn’t want a one-sided relationship.
While Richard had high standards for a partner, he was also willing to improve himself for the right woman. He dreamed of finding his Cinderella, the one who would make his heart race.
No one knew when it would happen, not even Richard. But soon enough, he met Marlene, a beautiful woman with a model-like figure. Richard was captivated by her looks and intelligence.
Richard worked hard to win Marlene’s heart. She wasn’t easily impressed, but eventually, he swept her off her feet. At least, that’s how she described falling in love with him.
After dating for a few months, Richard proposed with a grand gesture, and Marlene said yes. She proudly wore a large engagement ring, and they moved in together.
Richard supported Marlene, who claimed to raise money for orphanages. This warmed his heart, and he believed she was perfect for him.
He even sponsored her fundraising efforts and introduced her to his wealthy friends. But their love story took a turn when Richard decided to test Marlene.
One day, while organizing his garage, Richard saw Marlene rudely turn away an old homeless man who knocked on their door. She treated him harshly, which shocked Richard.
Later, Richard called the orphanage Marlene said she helped. To his surprise, they had never heard of her.
Richard hired a private investigator named Sarah. He wanted to know more about Marlene before marrying her. What he found out was disappointing, but he wasn’t ready to give up.
Sarah discovered that Marlene was a scam artist. She raised money under false pretenses and never helped any charity. She was only interested in herself.
Still, Richard decided to test her again. He disguised himself as a beggar, wearing heavy makeup to hide his identity.
When Marlene saw the disguised Richard at the door, she angrily yelled at him to leave, calling him disgusting and refusing to give him food or water.
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A few days later, Richard returned in his disguise. But this time, he wiped off the makeup and confronted Marlene, revealing his true identity.
“I know all about you, Marlene. I’m guessing that’s not even your real name,” Richard said angrily.
Marlene was shocked and tried to explain. “I’m so sorry, Richard. It’s not what you think!” she stammered.
But Richard had heard enough. He grabbed her arm and told her to leave his house and his life.
Soon after, Marlene was arrested. A few months later, Richard started dating Sarah, the investigator. This time, he took things slowly and enjoyed the dating phase.
Leah, though a bit reluctant, finally stopped pressuring her son about marriage. But now, she would occasionally ask Sarah when she would propose to Richard.
‘Little Miss Dynamite’ blew up the charts when she was only 12: The story of Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee’s name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, you’ll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasn’t old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her career–that started before she left elementary school–she topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brenda–who then changed her last name to Lee–became the family’s primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and mother–a cotton mill worker–was not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: “Even at that young age, I saw that helped our life,” Lee said, adding “It put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.”
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a “pioneer of early rock and roll,” by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved “unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said “I don’t think of myself that way!” She continued, “I’m just a girl who’s been blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and there’s a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if I’m a legend, then they’re legends, too.”
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out “Jambalaya,” by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and blues–highlighted by her hiccupping vocals–she recorded early rockabilly classics like “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick.”
When asked if–when as a young girl–she was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: “No, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.”
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song “Dynamite,” and in 1958, fans heard “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
“I knew it was magical,” she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didn’t let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said “Love could be so cruel” in the song “I’m Sorry” and only 16 when she said “I want his lips to kiss me” in the song “I Want to be Wanted,” both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom she’s now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
“Of course, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didn’t even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children weren’t allowed … in the casino area.” She continued, “There wasn’t anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.”
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. “I hung out with John,” she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.”
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