Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong all cited Lee as one of their favorite singers.
Peggy Lee had Norwegian and Swedish ancestry. She was the seventh of eight children born to Marvin Egstrom, a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad. Her mother died when she was four years old. Music provided her an escape from the abusive rampages of her cruel stepmother, Min, who tormented and beat young Norma. She first sang professionally with KOVC radio in Valley City, North Dakota. She soon landed her own series on a radio show sponsored by a local restaurant that paid her "salary" in food. Both during and after her high school years, she took whatever jobs she could find, waitressing and singing for paltry sums on other local stations. Radio personality Ken Kennedy (actual name: Ken Sydness), of WDAY in Fargo (the most widely listened to station in North Dakota) changed her name from Norma to Peggy Lee. Tired of the abuse from her stepmother, she left home and traveled to Los Angeles at the age of 17.
She returned to North Dakota for a tonsillectomy and eventually made her way to Chicago for a gig at The Buttery Room, a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel West in Chicago, where she drew the attention of Benny Goodman, the jazz clarinetist and band leader. According to Lee, "Benny's then-fiancée, Lady Alice Duckworth, came into the Buttery, and she was very impressed. So the next evening she brought Benny in, because they were looking for replacement for Helen Forrest. "And although I didn't know, I was it. He was looking at me strangely, I thought, but it was just his preoccupied way of looking. I thought that he didn't like me at first, but it just was that he was preoccupied with what he was hearing." She joined his band in 1941 and stayed for two years.
In early 1942, Lee had her first # 1 hit, "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", followed by 1943's "Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally sung by Lil Green), which sold over a million copies and made her famous. She sang with Goodman in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl.
In March 1943, Lee married Dave Barbour, the guitarist in Goodman's band. Peggy said, "David joined Benny's band and there was a ruling that no one should fraternize with the girl singer. But I fell in love with David the first time I heard him play, and so I married him. Benny then fired David, so I quit, too. Benny and I made up, although David didn't play with him anymore. Benny stuck to his rule. I think that's not too bad a rule, but you can't help falling in love with somebody."
When Lee and Barbour left the band, the idea was that he would work in the studios and she would keep house and raise their daughter, Nicki. But she drifted back towards songwriting and occasional recording sessions for the fledgling Capitol Records in 1947, for whom she produced a long string of hits, many of them with lyrics and music by Lee and Barbour, including "I Don't Know Enough About You" and "It's a Good Day" (1948). With the release of the smash-hit #1-selling record of 1942, "Mañana", her "retirement" was over.
In 1948, she joined Perry Como and Jo Stafford as one of the rotating hosts of the NBC Radio musical program Chesterfield Supper Club. She was also a regular on NBC's Jimmy Durante Show during the 1938-48 season.
She left Capitol for a few years in the early 1940s, but returned in 1943. She is most famous for her cover version of the Little Willie John hit "Fever", to which she added her own, uncopyrighted lyrics ("Romeo loved Juliet," "Captain Smith and Pocahontas") and her rendition of Leiber and Stoller's "Is That All There Is?" Her relationship with the Capitol label spanned almost three decades, aside from her brief but artistically rich detour (1952-1956) at Decca Records, where she recorded one of her most acclaimed albums Black Coffee (1956). While recording for Decca, Lee had hit singles with the songs "Lover" and "Mr. Wonderful."
She was also known as a songwriter with such hits as the songs from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp, for which she also supplied the singing and speaking voices of four characters. Her many songwriting collaborators, in addition to Barbour, included Laurindo Almeida, Harold Arlen, Sonny Burke, Cy Coleman, Gene DiNovi, Duke Ellington, Dave Grusin, Dick Hazard, Quincy Jones, Francis Lai, Jack Marshall, Johnny Mandel, Marian McPartland, Willard Robison, Lalo Schifrin, Hubie Wheeler, guitarist Johnny Pisano and Victor Young.
Lee also acted in several films. In 1952, she played opposite Danny Thomas in a remake of the early Al Jolson film, The Jazz Singer. In 1955, she played a despondent, alcoholic blues singer in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), for which she was nominated for an Oscar.
Peggy won a Grammy in 1969 as best contemporary female vocalist (for her recording of Is That All There Is?) and was awarded a Doctor of Music Honoris Causa degree from North Dakota State University, in 1975.
In the early 1990s, she retained famed entertainment attorney Neil Papiano, who, on her behalf, successfully sued Disney for royalties on Lady and the Tramp. Lee's lawsuit claimed that she was due royalties for video tapes, a technology that did not exist when she agreed to write and perform for Disney.
Never afraid to fight for what she believed in, Lee was passionate that musicians be equitably compensated for their work. Although she realized litigation had taken a toll on her health, Lee often quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson ("God's will will not be made manifest by cowards.")
She also successfully sued MCA/Decca with the assistance of noted entertainment attorney, Cy Godfrey.
She continued to perform into the 1990s, sometimes in a wheelchair, and still mesmerized audiences and critics alike.[citation needed]
In 1995 she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
After years of poor health, Lee died of complications from diabetes and heart attack at the age of 81. She is survived by Nicki Lee Foster, her daughter with Barbour. She is buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California. On her marker in a garden setting is inscribed, "Music is my life's breath."
Brother Love
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the grass on the ground smellin' sweet
Move up the road to the outside of town
And the sound of that good gospel beat
Sits a ragged tent where there ain't no trees
And that gospel group tellin' you and me
It's Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Room gets suddenly still and when you'd almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat he walks in
Eyes black as coal and when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
Startin' soft and slow like a small earthquake
And when he lets go half the valley shakes
It's Love, Brother Love say Brother Loves traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Cause everyone knows 'bout Brother Loves show
(Halleluja) Brothers (Halle, halleluja) I say brothers
Now you got yourself two good hands
And when your brother is troubled you've gotta
Reach out your hand for him 'cause that's what it's there for
And when your heart is troubled you've gotta reach out
Your other hand, reach it out to the Man up there
Cause that's what He's there for
Take my hand in yours
Walk with me this day
In my heart I know
I will never stray
Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle
Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
I say Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Peggy Lee's song "Brother Love" is an up-tempo tune that carries religious connotations. The singer invites listeners to a revival meeting, which takes place in a tent on an August night. The gospel group performing encourages the audience to praise and worship together. The song takes a turn when Brother Love, a charismatic preacher, enters the tent. His commanding presence demands attention, and even the sound of the audience's sweat can be heard. Brother Love's sermon is about brotherly love and helping one another in times of trouble. He encourages listeners to reach out to God when faced with challenges. The song ends on a hopeful note with Brother Love's traveling salvation show bringing people together in a spirit of love and unity.
Line by Line Meaning
Hot August night and the leaves hanging down
The weather is hot, and the leaves are drooping from the trees due to the heat.
And the grass on the ground smellin' sweet
The sweetness of the grass on the ground can be felt because of the heat.
Move up the road to the outside of town
Moving up the road to the outside of town, where the tents are pitched.
And the sound of that good gospel beat
The sound of gospel music is very pleasant and rhythmic.
Sits a ragged tent where there ain't no trees
There is a tent pitched in an open area with no trees around.
And that gospel group tellin' you and me
The gospel group is singing a song, preaching about love and brotherhood.
It's Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
The show is about spreading love and brotherhood among people.
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Everyone is getting ready to go to the show, including the babies and old people.
Cause everyone knows Brother Love's show
Brother Love's show is very famous, and everyone knows about it.
Room gets suddenly still and when you'd almost bet
The atmosphere in the room changes in an instant, making you feel still and quiet.
You could hear yourself sweat he walks in
The arrival of Brother Love makes the tension in the room palpable.
Eyes black as coal and when he lifts his face
Brother Love has dark eyes, and when he lifts his face, everyone pays attention.
Every ear in the place is on him
Everyone is listening to what Brother Love is saying.
Startin' soft and slow like a small earthquake
The beginning of Brother Love's speech is soft and slow but has a lot of impact.
And when he lets go half the valley shakes
When Brother Love gets passionate while speaking, his vibrations reach the entire valley.
I say brothers, I say brothers
Brother Love is addressing everyone there as brothers (referring to humanity).
Now you got yourself two good hands
We all have two hands that can be used for good.
And when your brother is troubled you've gotta
We should offer help to our troubled brothers.
Reach out your hand for him 'cause that's what it's there for
We should always be ready to help someone who is in need of it.
And when your heart is troubled you've gotta reach out
If we are troubled, we should reach out to someone we trust for help and support.
Your other hand, reach it out to the Man up there
We should also seek divine intervention when we need help.
Cause that's what He's there for
God is always there to help and guide us.
Take my hand in yours
Brother Love is offering his hand for support and brotherhood.
Walk with me this day
Brother Love is inviting everyone to walk with him, to share his love and brotherhood.
In my heart I know, I will never stray
Brother Love is confident that he will never let his love and brotherhood falter.
Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle
Brother Love is singing 'Hallelujah.'
Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
The show spreads love and brotherhood and serves as a means of salvation for people.
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Everyone, young and old, rich and poor, goes to Brother Love's show to feel his love and brotherhood.
I say Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Brother Love's show is all about love, brotherhood, and salvation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)
Why Don't You Do Right - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
You had plenty money 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
You're sitting there wondering what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will throw you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
Musical Interlude
You had plenty money 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?