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Peggy Lee
artist

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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Black Coffee With Peggy Lee cover4.5

Most popular

Black Coffee With Peggy Lee

1953 · 12 tracks

Singles & EPs

8

Live & compilations

10

Credits

1

Records Peggy Lee worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Appears on

2

Releases by other artists featuring Peggy Lee.

Featured tracks

2

Collaborators

1

Community

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.

Read more

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.

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