Five minutes Ms. Engstrom

�

Q.� Who was Norma Deloris Engstrom < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

A.� The baby with the Scandinavian roots went on to fortune and fame as Peggy Lee, world-renowned singer who died last week at the age of 81.

�

Q.� Didn't Peggy Lee have a sad childhood

A.� Tragic would not be too strong a word for her upbringing. Having lost her mother when she was four, the young Norma faced years of abuse from her father's second wife, which he ignored by seeking solace for his own problems in alcohol. From an early age, Norma wanted to sing, and she found professional work on her local radio station in North Dakota at the age of fourteen. The station manager encouraged Norma to pursue a professional career, and he advised her to change her name to Peggy Lee.

�

Q.� Was Peggy an overnight success

A.� No, but with the strength of character that had got her away from home to California, she persevered, moving to Chicago in 1941 to sing at the Ambassador Hotel. She was discovered by bandleader Benny Goodman, who recognised her talent, and arranged a recording session. A series of hit records followed, and Peggy Lee became a star.

�

Q.� How did Peggy Lee become so famous

A.� A combination of co-writing and singing a string of hit singles, of which Fever is probably the best remembered, and her aim to always be seen, and treated, as a star. As a forerunner of Whitney and Madonna, Peggy Lee believed strongly in the mystique of a star image�- she advised famous people to put on a hat and sunglasses to pop to the shops, because it encouraged the star image, and the notion that the famous are 'different' from their fans.

�

Q.� So it was success and happiness after such a rocky start

A.� Success certainly, but Peggy Lee's personal life did not mirror her professional status. Her marriage to Benny Goodman guitarist Dave Barbour lasted eight years, and produced a daughter. Mindful of her own upbringing, Peggy put her career on hold for a time to devote herself to her family, something she had good reason to see as more important than fame and money.

�

After her divorce from Barbour, Peggy Lee looked for happiness with actor Brad Dexter, followed by relationships with Dewey Martin, and bandleader Jack del Rio�- all attempts to find security and happiness, and all doomed to failure.

�

Q.� Where next for the singer

A.� Into acting. Peggy Lee moved into a film career, most notably her performance in Pete Kelly's Blues in 1955, which won her an Oscar nomination. Further fame followed with the smash hit Disney animation Lady And The Tramp in which she voiced a number of characters, and wrote the song He's A Tramp. Lee fought a protracted legal battle with the Disney Company for video sales royalties, eventually winning a settlement of over $2 million, although it took the courts until 1991 to rule in her favour.

�

Q.� Did she retire after such a wealthy payday

A.� Peggy lee always refused to retire, in spite of health problems, which dogged her later life, including pneumonia, diabetes, and a heart condition exacerbated by her increasing intake of alcohol.

�

Q.� Does Peggy Lee's influence live on after her

A.� It does, and she stands as an icon, not only as an actress and singer, but also as a woman who succeeded against formidable odds using sheer force of personality to thrive and survive. Madonna and other modern stars cite Peggy Lee as an influence, and more than one generation can remember the impact of her music, and her personal status as a genuine star. She may not have had a happy life, but it was a long, eventful, and hugely successful one.

�

Bring your own musical question to The Answerbank

Andy Hughes

�