For Peggy Lee - Research Paper Example

Her career in music started in 1935 when she sang for the first with a local band and continued on in such a way till 1941 (Strom 10). It was in 1941 when her first song was recorded which was followed by several more recording of songs (Strom 18). She entered the film business and in a few movies, one being Lady and the Tramp in 1955. In 1995, she was presented with the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and was included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. She died at the age of eighty one years in January, 2002. 2. She was born in a small city called Jamestown, situated in North Dakota (Strom 6).

It was in this city where she first performed on the radio and a hotel where she was first noticed by Benny Goodman which led to her first official recording. She spent her last days and died in Los Angeles in California. 3. Peggy Lee did not learn music in a traditional way, but, rather, it came to her naturally. She sang in high school, her Church’s choir and even lent her voice for some local bands. 4. She only sang, there has been no mention of her ever playing any instrument. 5. She was amongst the first few to recognize the rock and roll genre in the field of music.

She is also said to be a great influence on some of the world’s greatest singers such as Paul McCartney, Madonna, Bette Midler, etc. 6. No information found. 7. She started off performing with local bands but followed with solo acts. However, she did accompany another singer from time to time. 8. She was particularly known for how her voice turned soft, and even cool whilst singing songs (Unknown), which remained her signature for all her work, for her “delicately husky and reserved style” (Peggy Lee). 9. During the early 1980s, Peggy Lee came up with an idea of a Broadway stage show called “Peg” which was based on her own life.

However, it did not appeal to the audience and, so, was closed down (Larkin). She is the only woman to have her songs in the Top Ten hits during the 1940s, 1950s as well as 1960s. She also tried out sculpting and painting, and reproduced the hands of famous men like Albert Schweitzer (Hemming and Hajdu). 10. Her first husband Dave Barbour was the guitarist of Goodman’s band of whom she was a member, too. They divorced but were close till he died. The other three husbands were also from the music/film industry.

She also worked with Sonny Burke, Mike Renzi, and Keith Ingham Octet amongst many others (Clarke). 11. She wrote music for films that she even acted in as well as those for her album. Her work was quite diverse and included poetry, chamber pop, jazz as well as art songs. 12. Peggy Lee was a composer, a singer, songwriter as well as an actress. 13. It was in March 1943 when she got married to David Barbour (Strom 29). In November of the same year, her first child Nicki Lee Babour was born (Strom 30).

However, she divorced him in 1952 and married the actor Brad Dexter in 1953. Again, these two got divorced and she married another actor Dewey Martin three years later, in 1956. This marriage was also not to last for long and the two got divorced in 1958. Her fourth marriage was to Jack Del Rio in 1964 but they signed up for a divorce a bare year later. 14. Her most famous song is her version of “Fever” by the lyricists Eddie Cooley and John Davenport, originally written for Little Willie John.

She added a few lines on her own which are not considered to be part of the original song and excluded some which she thought to be too