Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

link takes you to a huge amount of info on Peggy Lee and has other pictures there

Norma Deloris Egstrom (b. 5/26/1920 – d. 1/21/2002) known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman’s big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music. Called the “Queen of American pop music,” Lee recorded more than 1,100 masters and co-wrote more than 270 songs. 

Early Years

She was born in Jamestown, ND, the seventh of the eight children of Selma Emele (née Anderson) Egstrom and Marvin Olaf Egstrom (Ekstrom,) a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad. Her father was Swedish-American and her mother was Norwegian-American. After her mother died when Lee was four, her father married Minnie Schaumberg Wiese.

Career Beginnings

Lee began singing at a young age. In Wimbledon, she was the female singer for a six-piece college dance band with leader Lyle “Doc” Haines. She traveled to various locations with Haines’s quintet on Fridays after school and on weekends.

In March 1938, at age 17, Lee left home for Hollywood, CA. Her first job was seasonal work on Balboa Island, Newport Beach, as a short-order cook and waitress at Harry’s Cafe. When the job ended after Easter, she was hired as a carnival barker at the Balboa Fun Zone. She wrote about this experience in the song “The Nickel Ride”, which she composed with Dave Grusin for the 1974 film of the same name.

Lee joined Benny Goodman’s band in August 1941 and made her first recording, singing “Elmer’s Tune”. She stayed with the Benny Goodman Orchestra for two years.

In 1942, Lee 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 sang with Goodman’s orchestra in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl.

Albums discography

Studio albums	40
EPs	46
Live albums	7
Compilation albums	91
Video albums	7
Box sets	7
Other album appearances	7

Singles discography

Singles	157
Promotional singles	18
Other charted songs	8

Filmography

1952 The Jazz Singer (remake of original from 1927)

1954 Johnny Guitar (wrote lyrics for title song and sings partially at the end)

1955 Pet Kelly’s Blues (nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress)

1955 Lady and the Tramp (speaking and singing voices, as well as co-writing all of the original songs for the film. In 1987, when Lady and the Tramp was released on VHS, Lee sought performance and song royalties on the video sales. When the Disney company refused to pay, she filed a lawsuit in 1988. After a prolonged legal battle, in 1992, Lee was awarded $2.3 million for breach of contract, plus $500,000 for unjust enrichment, $600,000 for illegal use of Lee’s voice and $400,000 for the use of her name.)

During her career, Lee appeared in hundreds of variety shows, and several TV movies and specials.

Songwriting

Lee wrote or co-wrote more than 270 songs. In addition to her own material to sing, she was hired to score and compose songs for movies.

Other interesting tidbits

The Margarita drink is said to have been first created for her

The designer of the Miss Piggy Muppet, Bonnie Erickson, who grew up in Lee’s home state of

North Dakota, was inspired by Lee for the Miss Piggy character in 1974. Originally called Miss

Piggy Lee, her name was shortened to Miss Piggy when the Muppet gained fame.

In 1983, Lee had a hybrid tea rose named in her honor that was pink with a touch of peach. The Peggy Lee Rose was the 1983 American Beauty Rose of the Year.

Source: wikipedia

artist’s official website