
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee is a jazz artist from United States formed in 1941. 76 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.
Jazz · United States · Best jazz albums
- 4.5 /5
- 2 ratings
- 76
- Releases
- 1948–2026
- Active years
- 1941
- Formed
Discography
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Most popular
Black Coffee With Peggy Lee
1953 · 12 tracks
Singles & EPs
8Live & compilations
10Credits
1Records Peggy Lee worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.
Appears on
2Releases by other artists featuring Peggy Lee.
Featured tracks
2Collaborators
1Community
More about Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee at a glance
- Born in
- Jamestown
- From
- United States
- Active since
- 1937
- Instruments
- voice
- Voice
- contralto
- Member of
- Paul Weston and his Orchestra
- Labels
- Capitol Records, Decca
- Former spouse
- Dewey Martin (1956–1958), Brad Dexter (1953–1953), Dave Barbour (1943–1951)
Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.
About
Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and performer. She wrote music for films, acted, and created conceptual record albums—encompassing poetry, jazz, chamber pop, and art songs. Lee first sang professionally over KOVC radio in Valley City, North Dakota. She later had her own series on a radio show sponsored by a local restaurant that paid her a "salary" in food. Both during and after her high school years, Lee sang for paltry sums on local radio stations. Radio personality Ken Kennedy, of WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota (the most widely heard station in North Dakota), changed her name from Norma to Peggy Lee. Thereafter, Lee left home and traveled to Los Angeles at the age of 17. In 1942 Lee had her first No. 1 hit, "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", followed by 1943's "Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally sung by Lil Green), which sold over a million copies and made her famous.
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She sang with Goodman's orchestra in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl. In March 1943 Lee married Dave Barbour, a guitarist in Goodman's band. Peggy said, "David joined Benny's band and there was a ruling that no one should fraternize with the girl singer. But I fell in love with David the first time I heard him play, and so I married him. Benny then fired David, so I quit, too. Benny and I made up, although David didn't play with him anymore. Benny stuck to his rule. I think that's not too bad a rule, but you can't help falling in love with somebody." When Lee and Barbour left the band, the idea was that he would work in the studios and she would keep house and raise their daughter, Nicki. But she drifted back to songwriting and occasional recording sessions for the fledgling Capitol Records in 1947, for whom she produced a long string of hits, many of them with lyrics and music by Lee and Barbour, including "I Don't Know Enough About You" and "It's a Good Day" (1948). With the release of the US No. 1-selling record of 1948, "Mañana", her "retirement" was over. In 1948 Lee joined Perry Como and Jo Stafford as a rotating host of the NBC Radio musical program Chesterfield Supper Club. She was also a regular on NBC's Jimmy Durante Show.
Peggy Lee in brief
- How many Peggy Lee releases are on Riffiter?
- 76 releases are catalogued, spanning 1948 to 2026.
- When was Peggy Lee formed?
- Peggy Lee formed in 1941, in United States.
- What genre is Peggy Lee?
- Peggy Lee is catalogued under Jazz, Swing.
- What is the most recent Peggy Lee release on Riffiter?
- A Very Peggy Lee Christmas, released in 2026.

























