She got her start in music by singing on a local radio station in Fargo, North Dakota in the 1930s. In the 1940s, she moved to California and began recording with Benny Goodman’s band, with whom she had several hit songs. Lee went on to have a successful solo career as a singer and songwriter, and is known for her sultry, intimate voice and her popular songs such as “Fever” and “Is That All There Is?” She continued to perform and record until her death on January 21, 2002 at the age of 81.
Peggy Lee’s Fans Celebrating her Birthday
GRAMMY MUSEUM – MAY 26, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, CA – The GRAMMY Museum® announces Peggy Lee 100th Birthday Celebration in honor of the centennial anniversary of one of the 20th century’s most important musical influences in the world of jazz and popular music. To commemorate the occasion and Lee’s life, music and legacy, the GRAMMY Museum will host a pre-taped panel discussion and birthday toast as well as a virtual exhibit that will display Lee’s career milestones and accomplishments from the 1930s through the early 2000s with a variety of never-before-seen rare artifacts. The Museum has been releasing virtual archival exhibits since its closure in light of COVID-19, but this marks the Museum’s first exhibit opening digitally and later slated to open in the physical Museum at L.A. Live in spring 2021. MORE
GRAND FORKS HERALD – May 27, 2010 – WIMBLEDON, N.D. — She was a singer, songwriter, actress, artist and still is the pride of North Dakota.
Peggy Lee would have turned 90 years old on Wednesday and this small town where she went to high school remembered her with stories and songs.
More than 80 people showed up for Peggy Lee’s birthday tea party Wednesday afternoon at St. John’s Methodist Church in Wimbledon to swap stories and share memories.
Originally born as Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, Lee graduated from Wimbledon High School in 1937. Her father was a station agent for the now-defunct Midland Continental Railroad in Wimbledon.
“I can see her walking across the street like it was yesterday,” said Virginia Lulay, an 86-year-old lifetime resident of Wimbledon. Lulay was in seventh grade when Lee was a senior at the high school. MORE
Peggy Lee shares a birthday with these jazz musicians:
- Al Jolson
- Andreas Hellkvist
- Brian Moran
- Bruno Nicolai
- Calvin Jackson
- Colette Wickenhagen
- David Torn
- David Von Kampen
- Denise Donatelli
- Enzo Crotti
- Faris Ishaq
- Fred Tompkins
- Gene DiNovi
- Humberto Amorim
- John Carey
- Jonah Parzen-Johnson
- Jonathan Ragonese
- Julia Huff
- Kit Downes
- Levon Helm
- Mamie Smith
- Miles Davis
- Monzell Dunlap
- Olalekan Oduntan
- Onur Aymergen
- Rubén González
- Shawn McGowan
- Sivuca
- Ziggy Elman
- Zoe Leger