On March 22, 2013, I was privileged to present my Peggy Lee Tribute to TEDx Greenville, a dream of mine ten years in the making.
I remember hearing FEVER and IN THE NAME OF LOVE as a child and really liking them, but I had no idea who sang them. As I got further into jazz, I began delving into the history of some of my favorite artists and composers, and Peggy was both singer and songwriter, having studied with the prolific Johnny Mercer of Savannah, Georgia.
So I kept adding Peggy's songs to my repertoire and reading up on her. What a fascinating woman. Well ahead of her time, she depended on her own intuition, took charge of her life's trajectory, bucked the powers-that-be, and had a proven track record to back her up.
Here's the video from TEDx, which is just a portion of the full-length Peggy Lee Tribute to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pyQRqsAsak
(Shhhhhh ..... The North Dakota Humanities Council is working on a grant for me to do a performance at The Peggy Lee Museum in Wimbledon, North Dakota. I'll keep you posted.)
Thank you, TEDx Greenville, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share Miss Peggy Lee's story!
Jean