Peggy Lee

Tish Oneyis an international jazz recording artist, arranger, composer and artistic director of several productions. She has performed as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Williamsburg Symphony, The Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphoria, the U.S. Army Bands and several other outstanding large ensembles. Tish’s fifth recording project—this time with John Chiodini (guitar), Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Ray Brinker (drums)—is a compilation of new original songs by contemporary jazz composers, including three never-before-heard songs by jazz diva Peggy Lee. A talented jazz journalist and blogger, Oney writes a monthly column titled “Anatomy of a Standard” and an interview series highlighting L.A.-based jazz musicians for All About Jazz. Her diverse artistic talents combine to form an outstanding performing artist with exceptional technique, improvisational skill, and expertise. She lives in New York City.

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 Singers, and as a fitting gesture of appreciation for their financial support as well as for the public honor, Lee performed a touching, heartfelt rendition of her original song, “Here’s To You,” melodiously wishing those in attendance “good luck” in several languages before closing with her favorite blessing, “angels on your pillows…” The masterful timing, declamatory phrasing and gentle, musical delivery that were Peggy’s alone shone through one of the last performances this remarkable artist would share with her adoring public…

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 of American music. Lee’s remarkable work in big band swing, popular music, jazz, blues, the “cool” school, film music, radio, television, and crossover styles forever changed the landscape of American music as well as the role and society’s expectations of the female vocalist. Hailing from rural North Dakota nee Norma Delores Egstrom, she was first nicknamed “Peggy Lee” by a radio DJ. Deciding to keep the new stage name, Peggy moved to Los Angeles and continued to sing, being fortuitously heard and hired by Benny Goodman shortly after his band’s vocalist, Helen Forrest, resigned. Peggy would soon prove that she could not only successfully replace Forrest, but also carve her own path as a force to be reckoned with in 1940s American popular music.

Chapter 1
The 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, causing her high-pitched, youthful tone to match that of many other leading big band vocalists. When finally given opportunities to show off her lower, sultry, softer, bluesy approach via arrangements in lower keys, Lee began to come into her own signature style. Early hits propelling Lee to the top of the pop music charts began with “Somebody Else Is Taking My Place” from 1941 (peaking at #1) and “Why Don’t You Do Right?” which rose to #4 in 1942. “We’ll Meet Again,” which topped at #16 that same year, became a song long associated with Lee. Meeting her first husband, Dave Barbour, through association with Goodman’s band proved to be doubly advantageous for Peggy—Barbour also became her first collaborative composer with whom she wrote several hit songs.

Chapter 2
A 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 with her cool, seductive delivery, musical phrasing and magnetic sex appeal. The Barbour/Lee songwriting team churned out dozens of great songs over the next few years while Lee also continued to record songs by other composers. At Capitol, record executives began to encourage Lee to focus on recording songs they provided her, rather than on writing her own material. Fortunately, she managed to find time to be successful at both ventures.

Chapter 3
The 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 performed songs normally associated with other artists (“Somewhere Along The Way,” a Nat Cole hit, and “A Kiss To Build A Dream On,” associated with Louis Armstrong). Performances from hosted radio programs represented a crucial connection between leading pop musicians and their adoring American fans during this period. These shows finally gave way to widely popular television variety shows filmed before a live studio audience (hosted by Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan and many others). Among a slew of interesting skits and other acts, these variety shows broadcast hundreds of impromptu performances showcasing the top entertainers of the day. Lee made history when she sang the Academy Award-nominated song, “Zing a Little Zong,” from Just For You at the first-ever televised broadcast of the Oscars.

Chapter 4
The 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-based improvisation bathed heavily in the blues. Her characteristic skills in backphrasing, understatement, unprecedented use of soft dynamics and astounding vocal control are readily apparent on this recording. Although Lee was criticized for sounding a bit like Billie Holiday here, her original approach to this material makes itself apparent to the discriminating listener. This decade also birthed a Capitol hit single most associated with Lee (“Fever,” in 1958) as well as a highly controversial rendering of the formerly innocuous Rodgers and Hart composition, “Lover,” which caused a public outcry in 1952 due to its vividly sensual, emotionally intense interpretation.

Chapter 5
A 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 Pete Kelly’s Blues, in which she attained a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her acting role as an alcoholic nightclub singer. Both films feature Lee’s singing as well as her original songs. Several other films include songs co-written by Lee, showcasing her innate ability to adapt lyrics to a variety of storylines and film scores. For these and other projects, Lee collaborated with A-list composers Sonny Burke, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mandel and Henry Mancini. Film dramas including Johnny Guitar, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! and Anatomy Of A Murder boast Peggy Lee’s songs in their soundtracks.

Chapter 6
1960s 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 venture with trumpeter Jack Sheldon, reinforcing Lee’s rightful place in the circle of top jazz vocalists. Blues Cross-Country was a songwriting collaboration with a young Quincy Jones, proving Lee’s fearless willingness to foray into the blues--a genre for which her voice was uniquely suited. In 1965 Lee recorded Cy Coleman’s bluesy classic, “Big Spender,” from his new musical, Sweet Charity. Lee obtained special permission to record the song before the original cast recording was made, releasing her version upon the premiere of the Broadway production in January 1966 to become an instant hit.

Chapter 7
Live 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 artistry as the masterful performing artist that she was, capable of casting a musical spell and holding an audience in the palm of her hand for an entire evening. The full show includes various hits, originals and three multi-song medleys. Lee’s former bandmates claim that Lee loved to program medleys into her show songlists as a preferred way to present related material to a live audience while adding to the flow and unpredictability of the music. One such related group on this recording is a Ray Charles tribute medley connecting four of Ray’s signature songs together.

Chapter 8
Leiber 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, “Is That All There Is?” earned Lee and the songwriting duo their only Grammy awards (1969). Mirrors, a problematic album collaboration in 1975, was irreparably plagued by poor recording quality, and never managed more than a lukewarm album remodeling project in recent years. Still, the Leiber and Stoller period in Lee’s total output represents a particular sound and genre exemplifying the aging persona of Peggy Lee.

Chapter 9
The 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 young, very talented combo of jazz instrumentalists who would go on to become jazz masters themselves (Mike Renzi and Emilio Palame, piano, John Chiodini, guitar and Mark Sherman, drums). While these albums revealed a very different vocal quality than heard in Lee’s early work, her timing, phrasing and storytelling capabilities were still intact.

Chapter 10
That’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 her competition. Not only this, but Lee’s ability to write artistically viable lyrics and music at a highly prolific clip despite incessant discouragement from record label executives continued throughout her career. Moreover, her ventures into performing a wide variety of genres with relative authenticity and courageous, inspiring voraciousness illuminates a comparatively boundless creative spirit. Several albums of Lee’s previously unreleased work have been made public since her death in 2002 including “lost” Capitol masters and several original songs. Lee’s ongoing commitment to musical excellence, artistic integrity and the protection of intellectual property for songwriters serve as timely reminders for today’s artists about the importance of contributing something positive and enduring to the body of art in our current musical culture.