Song:Fever
Album:The Best Of Miss Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee transcended the line between pop and jazz and became a legend. Fever was her biggest hit and her signature song. She also wrote songs and appeared in films. She was born Norma Egstrom May 26, 1920 in Jamestown, ND. Her mom died at age 4 and she had a difficult time with her stepmother. As a teen she sang at a Fargo radio station and a DJ named her Peggy Lee. She moved to Los Angeles but was unsuccessful at first. Her big break came in 1941. She was singing at a club in Chicago and was spotted by Benny Goodman. Helen Forrest was leaving and he needed a new singer. She stayed for two years and appeared in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen. Peggy married guitarist Dave Barbour in 1944 and left the Goodman band when he was fired. They had a daughter and she was supposed to stay home. But she got back into radio and signed with Capitol. Manana was a big hit in 1948. She had some success when she moved to Decca in 1952 but returned to Capitol in 1957. Fever reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. The song is credited to Eddie Cooley & John Davenport but was actually written by legendary songwriter Otis Blackwell. Little Willie John had an R & B hit with Fever in 1956. Peggy added her own lyrics uncredited. Peggy also wrote and performed several songs in the Disney film Lady & The Tramp. Her career faded in the 60s until she roared back with the 1969 Lieber/Stoller song Is That All There Is. Peggy Lee continued to record and perform into the 90s. She suffered a stroke in 1998 and died on Jan. 21, 2002 at age 81. This comp is available with a bonus DVD featuring a PBS documentary. Here's Peggy Lee performing Fever on The George Gobel Show 1958.
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