Peggy Lee: A Century of Song

Contents

• Introduction
• The International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel resounded with cascades of applause and loving affirmation of a timeless music legend on May 11, 1994. Peggy Lee was honored that evening with a gala tribute event in Beverly Hills by the Society of S
• The highly diverse, six-decade catalog of music created by vocalist/songwriter Peggy Lee-a globally beloved singer, composer, lyricist, voiceover artist, actress and entertainer-represents one of the greatest singular contributions by anyone to the oeuvre
• Chapter 1The Goodman Band
• At the beginning of her career, the newly monikered Peggy Lee may have seemed to be just one of many attractive "chick" singers fronting important big bands of the 1930s. During the Goodman years, she was relegated to sing songs in other singers' keys, ca
• Chapter 2A Capitol Idea
• Following her split with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Lee pursued a wildly successful career as a solo artist with Capitol Records. Recording sessions and hits were plentiful for Lee throughout the 1940s and 50s, and she proved to be a public favorite wit
• Chapter 3The Peggy Lee Show
• Radio shows were all the rage in the mid-1940s through the 1950s, and were hosted by famous entertainers including Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Woody Herman and eventually, Peggy Lee. Highlights from Lee's show were often created when she brilliantly perfo
• Chapter 4The Decca Years
• In 1953 Lee turned to the Decca label to record what jazz history scholars have ranked as one of the top ten vocal jazz albums of all time: Black Coffee. This important Decca recording reveals Lee to be no less than a serious jazz artist, capable of text-
• Chapter 5A Flair for Film
• Lee contributed music to fourteen films throughout her storied career. Two of the most notable include Disney's Lady and the Tramp, for which she served as both lyricist for all the songs in the film and voiceover artist for all female characters, and Pet
• Chapter 61960s Jazz and Blues
• The 1960s found Lee as prolific and focused as ever, and eager to collaborate with some of the most talented young musicians in the business. Mink Jazz, another exquisite straight-ahead jazz album showcasing Lee's jazz sensibilities, was a successful vent
• Chapter 7Live at Basin Street East
• This historically important recording of a live New York performance in 1961 offers a rare glimpse into the extraordinary "live" Peggy Lee concert experience during the height of her career and worldwide fame. This recording best exemplifies Lee's artistr
• Chapter 8Leiber and Stoller
• The songwriting team that is often identified with Lee's 1960s work is the duo that penned two of her signature songs in that decade-Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. While the later ubiquitously known "I'm a Woman" never charted when it was released in 1963
• Chapter 9The Late Albums
• Lee managed to snag not one, but two Grammy nominations for albums she recorded in her late 60s-Peggy Lee Sings the Blues (1988) and The Peggy Lee Songbook: There'll Be Another Spring (1989). These records (released on the MusicMasters label) featured a y
• Chapter 10That's Not All There Is
• The long, successful musical career and extensive song catalog of Peggy Lee, totaling several hundred recorded covers and 270 originals, boasts the productivity of a truly universal woman capable of singing and recording at a level that shattered most of