Peggy Lee

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Disc's Archive. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen seventy seven, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:32

On our desert island this week is the American singing star Peggy Lee.

Presenter0:36

Peggy, you haven't been very often to London, have you?

Peggy Lee0:39

Not often enough, Roy.

Presenter0:41

Where is your home now? Are you still in Los Angeles?

Peggy Lee0:44

Yes, I am. I I live

Peggy Lee0:46

In the Beverly Hills, which is a part of Los Angeles.

Presenter0:51

Well, now we're moving you on to this desert island, and you don't know how long for.

Presenter0:56

As a compensation, what would you be happiest to have got away from?

Peggy Lee1:00

Income tax.

Presenter1:02

I think there are quite a number of people who would agree with you there.

Peggy Lee1:05

Firemen.

Presenter1:07

Now you have just eight discs. On what have you based your choice? Is it mainly nostalgia or is it great performances?

Peggy Lee1:16

Well, of course they are great performances, but these are the things that I play when I'm at home. These are the top favourites.

Presenter1:26

Tell us about the first one. What's that?

Peggy Lee1:28

It's a sati piece and uh

Peggy Lee1:31

It's just such a beautiful

Peggy Lee1:34

Peaceful mood

Peggy Lee1:36

that, um, I thought it w would have a very calming effect. It does for me at home, so why shouldn't it do the same on my island?

Presenter2:44

The Camerata Contemporary Chamber Group playing an arrangement of the third of Erik Sati's three gymnopedie.

Presenter2:53

Let's go back to the beginning, Peggy. Whereabouts in the United States were you born?

Peggy Lee2:57

I was born in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Peggy Lee3:00

Which is an English name?

Presenter3:03

Yes.

Peggy Lee3:03

Yeah.

Peggy Lee3:04

And uh the uh the city was named by an English railroad engineer.

Presenter3:11

And you were a country girl. It it's a small town, isn't it?

Peggy Lee3:13

Oh yes. Well, it has grown considerably, but it's still not a large city. Do you come from a musical family? Well, my mother was very interested in music, and so was my father. I think my mother was more serious about it.

Peggy Lee3:26

Uh however, I didn't have much opportunity to know because she passed away when I was four.

Presenter3:32

You started singing very early.

Peggy Lee3:34

Yeah.

Presenter3:34

Yeah, that's cool.

Peggy Lee3:35

Yes. Any place they'd let me sing, I'd sing.

Presenter3:39

And you sang with some semi professional bands while you were still in school, I believe.

Peggy Lee3:43

Oh, yes. Mm-hmm. I thought I was very grown up.

Presenter3:48

Now what was the next thing that happened? You went off to Hollywood to see what uh turned up there, didn't you?

Peggy Lee3:54

Yes, but that was an accident really.

Peggy Lee3:57

I had a friend in California who kept writing to me and saying how beautiful it was.

Peggy Lee4:02

And so

Peggy Lee4:03

I don't know what made me do it really, but I would say to friends, I think I'll go to California sometime. You know how young young people are.

Peggy Lee4:14

And uh they were saying, Oh, really? When will you go?

Peggy Lee4:18

And uh I said, Well, soon I think I think maybe, you know, in a couple of months But I must ask my father's permission.

Peggy Lee4:27

I thought he would say no.

Peggy Lee4:29

But he didn't he said yes.

Peggy Lee4:32

So they gave me a farewell party and I had to leave.

Presenter4:36

So what happened in Hollywood? W was there work around for you? Did you?

Peggy Lee4:41

Oh, it's a good idea.

Presenter4:41

Find a job.

Peggy Lee4:42

All the starvation. It was um quite a unique experience. My friend

Peggy Lee4:50

worked in a restaurant as a cashier. She was from a very fine family and it was during the very end of the Depression and this cafe was in the in a basement and it was flooded. So she was out of work.

Peggy Lee5:06

And when I auditioned I had one dime left.

Peggy Lee5:10

And that was between me and it.

Peggy Lee5:14

And they hired me, thank God. And I w I w sang that evening

Peggy Lee5:20

There was a very nice singer there who loaned me a gown.

Peggy Lee5:24

And uh

Peggy Lee5:25

I went back to North Dakota and

Peggy Lee5:28

Begin.

Peggy Lee5:29

That's when they gave me the name, uh, Ahili.

Presenter5:32

It's time we had another record. What's your second one to be?

Peggy Lee5:36

Well, I love the the entire score by Johnny Mandel of the Sandpiper, which includes in the main theme is the uh The Shadow of Your Smile.

Presenter6:47

Johnny Mandel's music on the soundtrack of The Sandpiper.

Presenter6:53

So you're back in North Dakota after your Hollywood expedition.

Presenter6:57

What happened there?

Peggy Lee6:58

I sang in a hotel there.

Peggy Lee7:02

And it became very popular. It became so popular that the Cafe down the street imported a singer who became one of my dearest friends in life and is now married to Leonard Feather.

Peggy Lee7:15

the jazz critic, and he is originally from England.

Presenter7:15

Jazz critical.

Presenter7:18

Yes, he is indeed.

Presenter7:20

And you began working on the local radio station?

Peggy Lee7:23

Mm-hmm.

Presenter7:24

And then you got on to the network, things were happening.

Peggy Lee7:26

Oh, yes, yes.

Presenter7:28

Now there's a big name coming into your story very soon, Benny Goodman.

Peggy Lee7:32

Yeah.

Presenter7:32

How did he come into your life?

Peggy Lee7:34

Well, I was singing in Chicago and Mrs. Benny Goodman, Alice Goodman.

Peggy Lee7:42

Came into the buttery at the Ambassador in Chicago.

Peggy Lee7:47

At that time Helen Helen Forrest was leaving uh Benny's orchestra, so she convinced Benny to come and listen to me, and I watched him because I was such a fan.

Peggy Lee7:59

And he had a very cross look on his face, so I thought, Oh, dear, he doesn't like me.

Peggy Lee8:05

and it turned out to be it was a thoughtful look, because he called the next day.

Peggy Lee8:11

And um

Peggy Lee8:12

He said, Would you like to sing with my orchestra?

Peggy Lee8:16

And it was just like that. I had no rehearsal.

Peggy Lee8:19

And I had to sing in Helen Forrest's keys.

Peggy Lee8:22

and she had a big following, and deservedly so.

Peggy Lee8:26

And um

Peggy Lee8:28

So I I really was not

Peggy Lee8:30

The favorite of critics at the time.

Peggy Lee8:34

until later on and uh then we all became very good friends and we laugh about what they used to they would go out of their way to say nasty things.

Peggy Lee8:44

Like Sweet Sixteen it will never be missed.

Presenter8:47

That's not fair. The band, of course, was at the peak of its success. Was life very grueling? There were a lot of one-night stands to play and that sort of thing.

Peggy Lee8:56

Oh, it was terrible it was really terrible.

Presenter9:00

long hauls in motor coach.

Peggy Lee9:02

Mhm. Mainly in buses.

Peggy Lee9:04

Not comfortable buses either.

Peggy Lee9:07

And, um, I had to dress in the strangest places, even in the bus.

Presenter9:13

You began recording with the band. Of course, what was your first success? What was your first big record?

Peggy Lee9:18

The first success was Somebody Else Has Taken My Place.

Presenter9:23

Yeah.

Peggy Lee9:23

I did another song ahead of that.

Peggy Lee9:26

And, um, no one in the orchestra spoke to me at all afterward.

Peggy Lee9:31

And, um, I didn't blame them.

Peggy Lee9:34

Because I didn't like the song and it was too fast and it was in Helen's key.

Peggy Lee9:39

And I hope you don't play it.

Presenter9:41

But f

Peggy Lee9:41

Please, Roy.

Presenter9:42

We're going to play your next choice. What's that going to be?

Peggy Lee9:46

The Pines of Rome

Presenter9:48

Rispeaky.

Peggy Lee9:49

Yes.

Presenter9:49

Why'd you choose that?

Peggy Lee9:51

Oh, I see all kinds of beautiful pictures in it and and it has

Peggy Lee9:55

And I hear the birds and I

Peggy Lee9:58

I love trees.

Presenter11:01

An excerpt from Respighi's The Pines of Rome, the Swiss Romonde Orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansomi.

Presenter11:07

While you were with Benny Goodman, you did a couple of films with him, didn't you?

Peggy Lee11:11

Mm. I had forgotten that. Yes, I did.

Peggy Lee11:15

Stay.

Presenter11:15

Stage door canteen was one.

Peggy Lee11:17

Mhm. The uh director was Busby Berkeley.

Presenter11:20

Was he?

Peggy Lee11:21

Mm. I was sort of skittering around and and

Peggy Lee11:25

And then just singing, you know.

Peggy Lee11:28

I thought that the piece in the film was a rehearsal.

Presenter11:33

They didn't tell you.

Peggy Lee11:35

No, thank goodness. And uh I accidentally stepped on an extra's hand. One of the people was standing up next to the bandstand.

Speaker 411:43

Hmm.

Peggy Lee11:43

Uh

Peggy Lee11:45

But fortunately it was not in the frame so that they didn't have to do it again. They said

Speaker 411:49

Yeah.

Presenter11:49

Really?

Peggy Lee11:50

That's it.

Peggy Lee11:51

One take and out.

Presenter11:53

Yeah. Looking back, Peggy, how do you feel about singing with bands as as as training for singers?

Peggy Lee11:59

I think it's extremely important. Uh you learn so much from the musicians. Benny was a very

Peggy Lee12:07

hard disciplinarian.

Peggy Lee12:09

And uh

Peggy Lee12:11

I respect him for that.

Peggy Lee12:13

And I've learned a lot from that.

Presenter12:16

You of course were a musician already. I mean, you you could read music.

Presenter12:20

In fact, you formed a songwriting team with your first husband Dave Barber and you've done a lot of lyric writing, haven't you?

Peggy Lee12:27

Yeah.

Presenter12:28

What's the most successful number you've written?

Peggy Lee12:31

Well, I suppose if you say, um

Peggy Lee12:33

monetarily then it would be either it's a good day or manana.

Presenter12:39

Magnano, of course, well that was a big solo, wasn't it?

Peggy Lee12:41

Oh yes, it still does sell.

Presenter12:44

Let's have another record. What's your fourth?

Peggy Lee12:47

I like Bach a lot and um well there are three that I like and of course I have to make this choice, don't I?

Presenter12:55

You do indeed.

Peggy Lee12:56

Like a sheep may safely graze, I love an haste of joy of man's desiring.

Peggy Lee13:02

But I think in making the choice finally it would be Zion Hort.

Speaker 413:09

See on the best thing.

Speaker 413:20

Ourselves to defeat and stream.

Speaker 413:31

See the time and

Presenter14:08

Part of Bach's cantata number one hundred and forty, sung by Peter Schreier.

Presenter14:14

Now, since leaving Benny Goodman, you've

Presenter14:16

Being on radio and you've done cabaret and television. You did a lot of work with Bing Crosby.

Peggy Lee14:22

Oh yes, what a wonderful experience.

Peggy Lee14:25

Bing was always so kind to me.

Peggy Lee14:28

and he would usually find me in the hall.

Peggy Lee14:32

waiting for airtime.

Peggy Lee14:34

And um he would say, um, what could I do for you? And I'd say, Get me a firing squad.

Presenter14:42

Are you a nervous person?

Peggy Lee14:42

Are you a n

Peggy Lee14:43

No, I was then. And I can't imagine why. Why why w would I have been nervous on radio? I don't know. But I was. It was just electric, electric, electric.

Presenter14:50

I just

Peggy Lee14:52

But he said, Well, can I do anything to help you? and I said, Yes, please.

Peggy Lee14:56

When you announce me, would you not leave this stage? Would you stand there so I can see your feet?

Peggy Lee15:02

And so he did that. This dear man did that for me and so that I would sing and I would just look at his feet all the time.

Presenter15:10

He had reassuring feet.

Peggy Lee15:11

Yes, very comforting face.

Presenter15:13

Yeah.

Presenter15:14

In ni 1950 you were polled as the most popular girl singer in the United States.

Peggy Lee15:15

And

Presenter15:20

And you played in some more films, and one of them you've got an Oscar nomination.

Peggy Lee15:24

Yes, I was very proud of that. I also won some awards for that.

Peggy Lee15:29

The Laurel Award, which is the exhibitors, the Audience Award, which is the Vote of the People, which is that award is no longer in existence, but um

Peggy Lee15:40

It was a a highly coveted one at the time. And um, the Film Critics Award.

Presenter15:47

The source for what? Pete Kelly's Blues.

Peggy Lee15:49

Yes, yes. And I never

Peggy Lee15:52

really got another opportunity to see if I could really act. I felt that, um I would have loved it, but I believe the agency that I was with

Peggy Lee16:04

thought that it was better for them if I traveled a lot and um it was ten percent of

Peggy Lee16:11

Off the top.

Presenter16:13

How much of the year do you spend travelling?

Peggy Lee16:15

it changes, but I'd say

Peggy Lee16:18

Half to three quarters of the year.

Presenter16:21

You keep very busy recording. Of course you've been recording in London. I I noticed that one of your long players was conducted by Frank Sinatra. Now he doesn't do much of that. This was pretty unique, wasn't it?

Peggy Lee16:32

Oh, it was indeed. At the time we were neighbours.

Peggy Lee16:37

And, um, he came up with the idea for the whole album. It was originally called The Man I Love.

Peggy Lee16:42

And uh

Peggy Lee16:44

He came over with thirty songs and said choose twelve of these.

Peggy Lee16:49

And um we'll have Nelson Riddle do the arrangements.

Peggy Lee16:53

And I will conduct

Peggy Lee16:55

And he conducted brilliantly. We had a huge orchestra. The budget was ridiculous. But it was just one of those things that

Speaker 416:59

Yeah.

Peggy Lee17:06

Money didn't matter at all. We just wanted to do that. Do something nice, you know.

Presenter17:10

Yeah.

Presenter17:13

Another record, what next?

Peggy Lee17:16

Well, this particular Walk to Paradise Garden, Delius, is um something that I used to play when um when I was waiting for my daughter to be born.

Peggy Lee17:31

And um I hoped I would instill some love of good music.

Peggy Lee17:36

and of beauty, and I think

Peggy Lee17:39

This Walk to Paradise Garden rather says it.

Presenter18:43

The Walk to the Paradise Garden by Delias, the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbie Raleigh.

Presenter18:50

How do you find your songs? You like to take new ones and make them your own. Where do you find them?

Peggy Lee18:57

They come from many different sources. Uh many musicians bring me songs because they know my

Peggy Lee19:05

particular taste

Peggy Lee19:07

And then uh I listen to what is sort of going on in the contemporary field because uh I'm familiar with the standard field and I of course always include those two.

Peggy Lee19:22

I I have never changed that kind of taste about Gershwin Porter, Rogers and Hart, Jerome Kern and so forth.

Presenter19:30

Yes.

Peggy Lee19:31

I must tell you uh a remark that Johnny Mandel made that that uh I think was brilliant and also very flattering. He said, uh you're one of the few singers who can make the transition from standards to contemporary without making it sound like a tree graft.

Presenter19:52

Nicely put. You have a reputation too for being a perfectionist and I think that's probably right.

Peggy Lee19:57

Well, I thank you, Roy. I but that just means paying attention to detail, doesn't it?

Presenter20:03

Next record, please.

Peggy Lee20:05

The next one is

Peggy Lee20:06

Miles Davis

Peggy Lee20:09

Gil Evans did the arranging and uh the album is called Miles Ahead.

Peggy Lee20:16

I've chosen the maize of cuddies.

Presenter21:18

Miles Davis The Maids of Cadiz

Presenter21:22

Could you look after yourself on this desert island, could you?

Presenter21:25

Rig up some kind of shelter.

Peggy Lee21:27

Oh yes, I'm very inventive.

Presenter21:29

Our food. Well, I know that y you're a great gardener. You could cultivate, you could grow something.

Presenter21:35

And he'd written a cookery book.

Peggy Lee21:38

Yes, well, uh, well, I could I could manage, yes.

Presenter21:42

You'd have to scale down some of your dishes, but they'd be tasty.

Peggy Lee21:44

Yeah.

Presenter21:46

Let's have another record. What's number seven?

Peggy Lee21:48

Well, I've chosen, um, one of my favorite people.

Peggy Lee21:52

and a song that he wrote and sang.

Peggy Lee21:56

Paul McCartney singing The Long and Winding Road

Peggy Lee22:01

Yeah.

Speaker 422:01

Many times I've been alone

Speaker 422:04

And many times I've cried.

Speaker 422:08

Anyway, you'll never know The many ways I've tried Let's still let me

Speaker 422:18

Bye.

Speaker 422:21

To the lawn.

Speaker 422:24

One minute

Presenter22:30

Paul McCartney, The Long and Winding Road. Now what's your last record, number eight?

Peggy Lee22:36

My last is um Brahm's third.

Peggy Lee22:40

And um

Peggy Lee22:41

Some place in this piece I found where where they found the song, the jazz piece called Hucklebuck.

Peggy Lee22:51

Hoo hoo hoo is in there some place.

Peggy Lee22:56

Isn't it amazing?

Presenter22:58

Oh, you you've got to screw everything down if you don't want people to pinch it.

Peggy Lee23:03

Yeah.

Presenter23:04

Which section of of the symphony shall we have?

Peggy Lee23:04

Section of

Peggy Lee23:07

The beginning of the third movement.

Presenter24:04

The opening of the third movement of the Brahms' Third Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boat.

Presenter24:11

If you could choose just one record to take with you, which would it be?

Peggy Lee24:17

Delius walked to Paradise Garden.

Presenter24:20

And you're allowed to take one luxury with you.

Peggy Lee24:23

I thought of a huge picture of all my loved ones.

Peggy Lee24:30

But it would have to be laminated so it wouldn't uh be weathered and erode and so forth.

Presenter24:36

And one book, apart from the obvious choices of the Bible and Shakespeare, and we don't allow big encyclopedias either.

Peggy Lee24:44

Well, immediately I would choose a book which is anonymous but it's edited by Mary Strong and it's called Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood. And it has very short little pieces in it. Uh I don't know how what to call them exactly.

Presenter25:00

Inspirational pieces, Reddit.

Peggy Lee25:01

Yes, uh uh philosophy and so forth.

Peggy Lee25:05

really inspirational and strengthening and um

Peggy Lee25:09

I've given this book to many people and it has helped them through great

Peggy Lee25:14

Times of trouble

Speaker 425:15

Hmm.

Peggy Lee25:15

And you open it and it's

Peggy Lee25:17

somehow a different thing every time. It's just it's just what you need.

Presenter25:21

Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood, edited by Mary Strong.

Presenter25:25

And thank you, Peggy Lee, for letting us hear your Desert Island Discs.

Peggy Lee25:29

Thank you so much, Roy. Thank you.

Presenter25:31

Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 125:41

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.