Norma Deloris Egstrom, the seventh child of Scandinavian-American parents, was born in Jamestown, North Dakota on May 26, 1920.
Exactly a hundred years to that day, on May 26, 2020, the Grammy Museum paid tribute to the beloved singer, songwriter and actress she became — Peggy Lee — with an online panel discussion of her life and career. Participants include Holly Foster Wells, Lee’s granddaughter and president of Peggy Lee Associates, LLC; Dr. Tish Oney, author of the upcoming book Peggy Lee: A Century of Song; Grammy winners Billie Eilish and k.d. lang; Eric Burton of the Grammy-nominated Black Pumas; moderator Scott Goldman. The panel is available for viewing in its entirety here:
https://youtu.be/N3Uh2x_NCTM
The Grammy Museum has also launched a virtual exhibit displaying Lee’s career milestones and accomplishments from the 1930s through the early 2000s with never-before-seen artifacts. The Museum has been releasing virtual archival exhibits since its closure in light of COVID-19, but this marks the Museum’s first exhibit opening digitally and later slated to open in the physical Museum at L.A. Live in spring 2021. The virtual exhibit can be viewed here.
Peggy Lee 100, the centennial celebration honoring one of the 20th century’s most important musical influences in the world of jazz and popular music, will continue throughout 2020 and into 2021 with a variety of music releases, programming and special events. April saw the digital release of the Ultimate Peggy Lee collection, which will be released in CD and vinyl formats on June 19. For information on other upcoming releases and performances, follow Peggy Lee on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and visit her official website, PeggyLee.com.
Other Peggy Lee 100 celebrations of interest:
- Grammy Museum Celebrates Peggy Lee’s 100th Birthday — segment from KCBS Los Angeles
- Celebrating Peggy Lee — hourlong radio tribute on BBC Radio 2’s The Swing and Big Band Show with Clare Teal
- The 100th Anniversary of Peggy Lee’s Birth — three-minute segment from CNN Entertainment
- Miss Peggy Lee 100 — a Spotify playlist created by musician Richard Barone
- Peggy Lee’s Granddaughter Says the Singer Was a ‘Real Professional and a Perfectionist’ — Closer Weekly article
- Peggy Lee at 100 — hourlong radio tribute on Jazz FM
- How Peggy Lee Was Perfect for Is That All There Is? — Guardian article
- The Second Disc celebrates Peggy with news of upcoming CD and DVD releases of rare performances
- Is That All There Is? Not for North Dakota’s Peggy Lee — Grand Forks Herald article
- Remembering the Music on the Centennial of Peggy Lee — Jamestown Sun article
For a recap of social media posts honoring Peggy, including 20 musical performances posted by contemporary singers, visit this page.