Divas of Cool Jazz: Part 5

Miss Peggy Lee

Jul 15, 2025

“Peg is just about the best friend a song ever had.” ~ Frank Sinatra

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I cannot remember the first time I heard Peggy Lee sing, but I do remember seeing her perform on the Ed Sullivan show in the mid-60s. I wasn’t exactly sure what this voluptuous woman in the form-fitting, sparkly gown was singing about, but I was pretty sure it had to do with S-E-X. (Sister Rachael would not approve) Perhaps you will agree I have saved the best cool jazz diva for last. Her very cool delivery, her sensual, sultry, sexy voice and her unmatched phrasing were her trademarks. And to top it off, she was one of the most prolific female singer-songwriters of her era at a time when female songwriters were few. A multi-talented artist, Peggy Lee could sing, compose and act. And, if that wasn’t enough, she had a famous muppet and a cocktail named after her! (more on that later)

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She became Peggy Lee in 1937 when a Fargo, North Dakota radio executive suggested she change her given name of Norma Egstrom. This name change allowed her to abandon her challenging childhood, filled with physical and emotional abuse from her alcoholic father and cruel step-mother, and embrace her new musical identity: Miss Peggy Lee.

She paid her dues for 7 years singing in coffee shops, small radio stations, supper clubs or wherever she could. In 1940, she was performing at the Dolls House in Palm Springs, California. Crowds were noisy and trying to sing above the din wasn’t working. So she did the opposite.

“I knew I couldn't sing over them, so I decided to sing under them. The more noise they made, the more softly I sang. When they discovered they couldn't hear me, they began to look at me. Then, they began to listen. As I sang, I kept thinking, 'softly with feeling'. The noise dropped to a hum; the hum gave way to silence. I had learned how to reach and hold my audience—softly, with feeling.”

This is where she really developed her trademark seductive purr of a voice. This job lead to a gig at the Buttery Room, a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel West. It was a known hangout of celebrities at the time. There she was noticed by bandleader Benny Goodman. Apparently Goodman liked what he heard. He called her a few days later and offered her a job. She joined Goodman’s band in 1941, replacing singer Helen Forrest.

Benny Goodman was a perfectionist and a known taskmaster. He did not particularly like female singers, referring to them as canaries. He employed them simply for commercial reasons. But he recognized Peggy’s talent and gave her pop tunes to sing when she proved she could handle them. In 1941 she made her first recording with the band - “Elmer’s Tune”. By 1942 she had her first top ten hit, "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", followed in 1943 by "Why Don't You Do Right?", which sold more than one million copies and made her famous.She also sang with Goodman's orchestra in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl.

She stayed with the Goodman orchestra for 2 years, and then in 1943 she married Goodman’s guitar player Dave Barbour. Goodman had a strict policy that band members were not to fraternize with the girl singers. Barbour was fired and Peggy quit the band too.

Two years with Goodman was a musical boot camp for Peggy. Goodman demanded nothing but the best from his musicians. And she credits those musicians with educating her. “I learned more about music from the men I worked with in bands than I’ve learned anywhere else," she has said. "They taught me discipline and the value of rehearsing and even how to train…. Band singing taught us the importance of interplay with musicians. And we had to work close to the arrangement." In particular, Goodman’s pianist Mel Powell was the most generous and helpful to her. She already had a great sense of rhythm - she could “swing”. Her pitch was nearly perfect. Powell helped her learn to use the microphone, how to improve her phrasing and how to enunciate the lyric to add more feeling to the tune.

She also learned her singing craft from listening to African-American vocalists like Maxine Sullivan and her favorite Billie Holiday. She borrowed much of Billie’s phrasing, but learned to add her own unique style to the song.

Her marriage to Dave Barbour produced a string of hits including “It’s a Good Day” , “I Don’t Know Enough About You”, and “Mañana”. Dave wrote the music and played guitar, while Peggy penned the lyrics. Here is the singer-songwriter couple in what could be considered one of the first music videos.

Unfortunately their marriage ended in divorce in 1952 due to Dave’s alcohol problem. Peggy was devastated. But they went their separate ways; he into obscurity and she into stardom.

Throughout the 1950s she continued her radio broadcasts and recordings. In 1955, Disney came a-knockin’ for her. She was asked to provide the speaking and singing voice for several of its characters in its new animated movie “Lady and the Tramp” She provided the voices of the human Darling, the dog Peg, and the two Siamese cats, Si and Am. She also co-wrote (with Sonny Burke) all of the original songs for the film, including "He's A Tramp", "Bella Notte", "La La Lu", "The Siamese Cat Song", and "Peace on Earth".

In 1956 she recorded her second album, “Black Coffee” on the Decca label. Commercial success eluded its first release. But, over time, it has gained tremendous critical praise. Jazz critic Will Friedwald wrote, "Black Coffee” may not only be the greatest album of her career, it is one of the top ten jazz vocal albums of all time." (You better believe I would take it along with me on a desert island!) Her phrasing, timing and vocal tone have been compared to Sinatra on this album. ( Tony Bennett called her the “female Frank Sinatra”)

A couple years after Black Coffee, in 1958, she recorded her own version of "Fever" by Little Willie John, written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell. She created a new arrangement of the song and added lyrics she forgot to copyright (oops!) It was nominated in three categories at the First Annual Grammy Awards in 1959, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It became her signature song, a smoldering jazz-pop tune that turned the original tune upside down. With just the bass, drums and those famous finger snaps behind her, she put her own stamp on pop music forever. She was still a favorite among jazz lovers, but her earlier big band tunes were not as relevant among the younger audience. “Fever” spoke directly to the younger crowd, using Beat slang in her lyrics ( ie: “Julie, baby you’re my flame” and “Daddy-o, don’t you dare”) while bringing that cool jazz feel to this inspired arrangement. As reviewer Zenobia Ottis states, “Lee’s “Fever” was the subversive voice of sexuality under the repressive spirit of the conservative 50s: a signpost for the sexual revolution that was to come.”

Some previously lost tv footage of Peggy performing “Fever” in 1958.

Then in 1968, she heard a rather curious Lieber and Stoller tune entitled “Is That All There Is?” The song’s history was odd. It had begun as a Thomas Mann short story in 1896; its tune and words had been written by the hit-makers Leiber & Stoller. (“Hound Dog” and “Love Potion #9”) It was arranged like a Kurt Weill number, with a prominent piano accompaniment, and the words half-spoken, half-sung. Neither her manager, her producer at Capitol, nor her close friends liked it. Too long, too weird and it will hurt your career, they told her. Capitol refused to release it. Later, when Capitol wanted her to do a tv show, she said she would agree only if they would release “Is That All There Is?”. To everyone’s astonishment it became a huge hit for her, becoming her first Top 40 pop hit since “Fever”. A young Randy Newman conducted and arranged the piece for her, and played the introductory piano. It earned her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal performance and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Peggy Lee saw herself as a communicator whose medium was music. She was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of American music, writing over 250 songs and her collaborators included Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and Harold Arlen among others. She was a perfectionist but always ready to take a musical risk, experimenting with many musical styles. She inspired many, including Paul McCartney who presented her with a song in 1974 he had written specifically for her - “Let’s Love”. It is a testament to the admiration she commanded from those in the music industry long after her peak performing years.

About that earlier tidbit tease? Peggy Lee was the inspiration behind the creation of the muppet Miss Piggy (originally called Miss Piggy Lee). Peggy Lee never explicitly voiced an opinion on Miss Piggy, but according to Peggy’s granddaughter, she thought it “fantastic.” Also the next time you enjoy a Margarita, remember it was created for her by a bartender named Santos Cruz in a Texas bar (Margarita being the Spanish name for Peggy).

How about some “Fever” and a Margarita on the side? Bottoms up!

Divas of Cool Jazz: Part 5

Miss Peggy Lee

“Peg is just about the best friend a song ever had.” ~ Frank Sinatra

Some previously lost tv footage of Peggy performing “Fever” in 1958.

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