Peggy Lee

May 11, 2020
Jazz composer Oney celebrates the centennial of musician Peggy Lee’s birth in a melodious tribute to the singer’s versatility as a singer and composer. Lee (1920–2002) grew up in North Dakota and during high school had guest spots singing on local radio stations until she was offered her own show. At age 17 she left for California, where she was discovered by and joined up with band leader Benny Goodman. She eventually left Goodman’s band to pursue a solo career, and signed a contract with Capitol Records, releasing her first album, Rendezvous with Peggy Lee, in 1947. Oney illustrates how Lee’s restless creativity and canny music and business sense helped her climb the ladder of success and expanded her audiences. In the 1950s Lee was offered another radio show, the Peggy Lee Show (also known as Club 88), a segment of which was to highlight contemporary composers such as Frank Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael. In the 1970s, Lee collaborated with such stars as Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, which introduced her to a new generation of listeners. As Oney points out, Lee’s ways with a song allowed her to move with ease from singing blues and jazz to popular contemporary songs. This is a delightful volume for fans of American pop standards.

Starred review from June 1, 2020

On the centenary of Peggy Lee's birth, professor, musicologist, and international jazz recording artist Oney chronicles the protean musical talents and accomplishments of this gifted composer, lyricist, arranger, actor, and vocalist whose prodigious catalog of 50-plus albums encompassed jazz, blues, pop, and R&B. Oney details Lee's six-decade-long improbable journey from a farm in rural North Dakota to enshrinement as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Avoiding salacious gossip or indiscreet stories, Oney states her purpose is to focus "exclusively on Lee's musical footprint and artistic legacy." The arrangement is largely chronological, with distinct chapters devoted to Lee's involvement with film, television, and Broadway. Oney's musical exegesis is thorough and sure to satisfy music scholars. VERDICT Those seeking the skinny on personal information, such as Lee's four marriages and subsequent divorces, should look elsewhere, but those wanting to geek out on the subtleties of Lee's jazz slides, phrasing, and vocal interpretive prowess will be richly rewarded.--Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

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