Peggy Lee
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Born

  • May 26, 1920
  • Jamestown, ND

Died

  • January 21 ,2002
  • Los Angeles, CA

Real Name

  • Norma Delores Egstrom

Marriages / Children

  • Brad Dexter (?-?)
  • Dave Barbour (1943-51)
  • one daughter
  • Dewey Martin (1956-58)
  • Jack Del Rio (1964-65)

Peggy Lee

One of the most respected and popular female vocalists of the twentieth century, Peggy Lee began performing professionally at the age of 14, appearing on radio in her native North Dakota and singing with a local dance band. She moved to Los Angeles at age 17 to pursue her career as a singer but soon went home to North Dakota after throat problems forced her to undergo a tonsillectomy. She later returned to California before winding up at the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago, where she got her big break in 1941 when Benny Goodman heard her perform and hired her on the spot.

Lee toured with Goodman for two years, much of it in ill health. In 1943 she married Goodman guitarist Dave Barbour. They left Goodman's outfit and settled in Los Angeles, where Lee was content to stay at home and raise her new daughter. Capitol Records, however, convinced her she was wasting her talent and talked her into signing a contract in 1945. A versatile singer able to perform many different styles, Lee spent a great deal of time on the music charts during the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared frequently on radio, eventually hosting her own show for CBS in 1951.

Lee let her contract with Capitol lapse in 1950 after a dispute over material. The label refused her wish to record the Rodgers and Hardt composition ''Lover,'' citing as their reason that fellow Capitol artist Les Paul currently had a version of the song on the charts. In an era where it was common for multiple artists to record the same material and even chart the same song at the same time, that was unacceptable for Lee. In 1952 she signed with Decca -- under the stipulation that she could record ''Lover.'' Her subsequent version of the song turned out to be a huge hit.

The 1950s also found Lee working in film, most notably Pete Kelly's Blues, for which she received an Oscar nomination. She also collaborated on the score of Walt Disney's memorable Lady and the Tramp and lent her voice to one of the main characters.

Lee returned to Capitol in 1958, where she recorded one of her most successful tunes, the Grammy-winning ''Fever.'' She continued to record and tour during the 1960s, winning another Grammy in 1969 for Best Female Vocal Performance. She remained active, both performing and recording up through the 1990s. Peggy Lee passed away in 2002 after suffering a heart attack.