Lee, Peggy (1920–2002)

US jazz singer, songwriter, and film actor. In 1944 she embarked on a successful solo career, singing in nightclubs, on television and in films, and made several recordings. Her best-known singles include ‘Mañana’ (1948), ‘Fever’ (1958), and ‘Is That All There Is?’ (1969), for which she received a Grammy award. Eventually she gained widespread recognition for singing with jazz combos. She also collaborated on or wrote over 500 songs.

Lee was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. She grew up milking cows and made her singing debut on a local radio show. She went on to sing with dance bands in the late 1930s, finally joining Benny Goodman's band, with which she recorded her first hit, ‘Why Don't You Do Right?’ (1942). She appeared in several movies as a guest singer and/or actor, including The Jazz Singer (1953) and Pete Kelly's Blues (1955; Academy Award nomindation), and provided the soundtrack voice for characters in such movies as Lady and the Tramp (1955) and Pieces of Dreams (1970).