For those of us who are into swing music, especially western
or rockabilly swing, Peggy Lee needs no introduction. She was born in
wind-swept North Dakota and led a troubled childhood of abuse at the hands of
an alcoholic step mother. Artistry often springs from adversity, though, and soon
Peggy was singing professionally on Valley City, ND’s KOVC radio. Later she got
a radio series for which she was paid in food. After finishing high school,
Peggy left North Dakota behind and heading for Los Angeles at the age of 17.
While working the Palm Springs’ Doll House with her
trademark purr, Peggy was noticed by hotel owner Frank Beringin. He brought
Petty to the Ambassador Hotel’s Buttery Room in East Chicago where she was first
seen by Benny Goodman. She would join his band in 1941 and stay on for two
years.
The picture above is from Life Magazine and shows Peggy with copies of her hit Manana. I found a kitschy video of her
performing the song on YouTube, it’s worth a listen if only to get an idea of
how different Peggy’s style is from what you’d expect of the time. She would have been 94 today and I'm sure she'd still have been rocking it.
