GRAMMY Museum Announces Peggy Lee 100th Birthday Celebration

The GRAMMY Museum® announces Peggy Lee 100th Birthday Celebration on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 in honor of the centennial anniversary of one of the 20th century's most important musical influences in the world of jazz and popular music. To commemorate the occasion and Lee's life, music and legacy, the GRAMMY Museum will host a pre-taped panel discussion and birthday toast as well as a virtual exhibit that will display Lee's career milestones and accomplishments from the 1930s through the early 2000s with a variety of never-before-seen rare 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 celebration will feature a panel discussion and birthday toast with Holly Foster Wells, Peggy Lee's granddaughter and president of Peggy Lee Associates, LLC; Dr. Tish Oney, author of Peggy Lee: A Century Of Song; moderator Scott Goldman; and artists who were inspired by Lee including Eric Burton of The Black Pumas, Billie Eilish, and k.d. lang.

The panel discussion and virtual exhibit will be available at the Museum's Digital Museum: www.grammymuseum.org

Norma Deloris Egstrom, better known to the entertainment world as Peggy Lee, was born on May 26, 1920, in Jamestown, North Dakota. After surviving a brutal childhood, she left home at the age of 17 and began her recording career in the early 1940s. Music was her escape from a grim reality.

Over her seven-decade career, Lee helped redefine what it meant to be a female singer, and her quietly captivating voice continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. She was coined "the female Frank Sinatra" by Tony Bennett, and she considered it one of the highest compliments.

Lee was involved in every aspect of her performances, from producing to costume and lighting design. She was a creative powerhouse, directing her life and career on her own terms. She is often cited as an inspiration by strong contemporary female singers including Adele, Madonna, Billie Eilish, Diana Krall, and k.d. lang.

Lee stayed active as a concert performer until 1995, when she gave her final performances at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In 1998 she suffered a stroke and on Jan. 21, 2002, she passed away at her home in California.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the GRAMMY Museum

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