Born:
May 26, 1920
Birthplace:
Jamestown, North Dakota
Died:
January 21, 2002, in Los Angeles, California
Also Known As:
Her full name was Norma Dolores Egstrom, an American actress, blues, jazz and pop singer and songwriter. The director of a radio station in North Dakota where she worked gave her the name Peggy Lee.
Type of Music:
Peggy Lee was open to many different music genres including, blues, jazz, pop and even folk. She wrote songs and film music. Some of the music she wrote for films include "Johnny Guitar," "About Mrs. Leslie," "The Bullfighter and the Lady," "The Rawhide Years," "Tom Thumb" and the lyrics for several songs including "He’s a Tramp" in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp."
Influence:
In her youth Peggy Lee joined her school's glee club and the church choir. She also sang in nightclubs. In 1941, she replaced Helen Forrest as a singer in Benny Goodman's band. This proved to be a turning point in her singing career. While in the band they produced several hits like "I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good," "Blues in the Night," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Why Don’t You Do Right?" She left the band in 1943 and married Dave Barbour, a guitarist. Peggy Lee would later on sign with Capitol Records.
Notable Works:
Among the songs she co-wrote are "I Don’t Know Enough About You," "Mañana," "It's a Good Day," "New York City Blues," "Then Was Then" and "I’m Gonna Go Fishin." Among her many hits are "Waitin’ for the Train to Come In," "The Old Master Painter," "For Every Man There’s A Woman," Watermelon Weather," "Lover," "Fever," "The Man I Love" and "Is That All There Is?" (won a Grammy in 1969).
Interesting Facts:
Awards/Accolades:
Music Sample:
Watch Peggy Lee as she performs the song "Fever."