Peggy Lee

Description

Peggy Lee: born Norma Egstrom in 1920 she was singing on local radio stations before graduating high school. She changed her name to Peggy Lee and moved to LA at the age of 17. Peggy had her first hit in 1943 followed by another in 1943 “Why Don’t You Do Right” which made her famous. She sang with Benny Goodman in two hit films. She co-wrote and recorded many hit songs with her husband Dave Barbour. She recorded with Capitol Records for almost 30 years. In 1952 she appeared in her first film The Jazz Singer for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She lent her voice to several characters in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Lee was married 4 times all ending in divorce. She continued to sing well into the 1990’s sometimes even from her wheelchair. She died of complications from diabetes and a heart attack in 2002. Lee was nominated for twelve Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for her 1969 hit “Is That All There Is?” In 1995 she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

She received the Rough Rider Award from the state of North Dakota, the Pied Piper Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the President’s Award from the Songwriters Guild of America, the Ella Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society of Singers, and the Living Legacy Award from the Women’s International Center. In 1999 she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.