Torch singer and trailblazer Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1920. By the early ‘40s, she was performing at the famed Doll House in Palm Springs. It was there that she perfected her signature sultry vocal style, which she characterized as “softly with feeling.”
Peggy, who passed away in 2002, became one of the defining voices of the 20th century. Not only did she put her own spin on the R&B hit, “Fever,” she also refashioned the lyrics and the arrangement, adding a patina of sophistication to the song. She had over 100 chart-topping hits, the biggest being “Fever” as well as “Black Coffee,” “Why Don’t You Do Right,” “I Love Being Here With You” and “Is That All There Is.”
In an era when most Pop singers sang standards or relied on professional songwriters to pitch them new music, Peggy broke a few glass ceilings by writing her own material. She wrote or co-wrote over 270 songs. Later in her career, she recognized talent in a younger generation of singer-songwriters and recorded songs by Randy Newman, Carole King and James Taylor. After spending time with Linda and Paul McCartney in 1970, the former Beatle and his wife gifted her with a song, “Let’s Love,” that the pair had written with her in mind.
Peggy also found time to act, co-starring with Danny Thomas in The Jazz Singer and portraying an alcoholic singer in Pete Kelly’s Blues. Not only did she co-write several songs for Walt Disney’s endearing animated musical Lady And The Tramp, she also voiced several characters, including Peg, the Pekingese dog who sings her sassy composition, “He’s A Tramp.”
A 13-time Grammy nominee, she won an award for “Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance” for “Is That All There Is.” Her career spanned seven decades, and she also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from NARAS, ASCAP and The Society Of Singers. Miss Lee was also inducted into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Pete Kelly’s Blues.
The star dedication ceremony will feature guest speakers- Michael Feinstein, Wink Martindale, Scott Nevins and Peggy Lee’s granddaughter, Holly Foster Wells, with a special performance by the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus. Following the daytime ceremony, the evening’s festivities at the Annenberg Theater inside the Palm Springs Art Museum. It will feature guest speaker Holly Foster Wells in conversation with Scott Nevins. It will conclude with a musical tribute from Grammy Award winner Debby Boone, accompanied by Michael Orland. A V.I.P. cocktail reception will follow the performance. The evening will be a Palm Springs Art Museum fundraiser with tickets ranging from $25-$100.
Palm Springs Art Museum and Scott Nevins present Palm Springs Celebrates Peggy Lee, An Illustrated Q&A with Musical Performance by Grammy Winner Debby Boone.
Friday, March 8th, 100 S. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, 2:00p.m. & 7:00p.m.
