SPEAKER_02: This August on Womanica, we're taking a trip through history to discover the stories of Muses. Women whose lives inspired work that's shaped our culture, in small ways and large. Special thanks to this month's sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, whose own famous namesake was inspired by a young Muse named Mercedes. Join us all month long for fascinating stories of women who are drivers of creativity, inspiration and artistic expression. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about Muses, women who are drivers of creativity and inspiration. Today we're talking about a legendary pop and jazz singer. She was known for her renditions of songs like Fever and Big Spender, and her independent style inspired Miss Piggy, the Muppet. Let's talk about Peggy Lee. Peggy Lee was born Norma Dolores Eggstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota. She grew up during the Great Depression. Norma's mother died when she was four and her father remarried. Norma's stepmother repeatedly physically abused her. During such a difficult childhood, Norma often found comfort in music. She was constantly singing and listening to the radio. By the time she was a teenager, Norma had started singing on the radio herself. She had her own 15-minute weekly show that aired in Valley City, North Dakota. At 17, Norma was hired by the local radio station in Fargo. The program director, Ken Kennedy, gave her a new stage name, Peggy Lee, and he started paying her $1.50 per show. After a few years singing on local radio stations and fronting small bands, Peggy decided to try her luck in Hollywood. She drove to California and began singing at the Dollhouse, a well-known restaurant in Palm Springs. The crowds at the Dollhouse were usually noisy, but instead of trying to sing louder, Peggy would lower her voice, quieter and quieter with each song. The result captivated audiences and led Peggy to develop what would become her signature singing style. In 1941, Benny Goodman hired Peggy to sing for his band, the Benny Goodman Orchestra. In the years they worked together, Peggy expanded her musical expertise. She started writing lyrics for songs and learned from other musical greats like Billie Holiday. She later described her time with the Benny Goodman Orchestra as, "...a wonderful circus every night." Peggy's time working with Benny Goodman brought her national prominence. In 1943, Peggy retreated from public life and married Dave Barber, a member of Benny Goodman's orchestra. She gave birth to her only child, a daughter, later that year. But Peggy didn't stay out of the spotlight for long. Two years later, she joined Capitol Records as a solo artist. Her songs kept topping the charts, and soon she was a regular on late-night television. She began experimenting with genre, blending jazz, pop, and Latin music. Peggy and Dave's marriage ended in 1951. In an interview decades later with the National Enquirer, she said, "...it is always very difficult for a man to be married to a career girl. She is the one who gets all the attention." Regardless, Peggy always thought of Dave as her greatest musical collaborator and the love of her life. Throughout the 1950s, Peggy's fame grew. She collaborated on the score and soundtrack for Disney's Lady and the Tramp, and she voiced four of the characters. In 1955, her role in the movie Pete Kelly's Blues earned her a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination. All the while, she kept writing and recording music. She was the first woman to have top ten hits in three different decades—the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. By the 1970s, Peggy was a household name. And that's when she became a Muppet. Sort of. In 1974, a puppet designer named Bonnie Erickson was looking for inspiration for a new character. It was for a TV special that Jim Henson was producing. Bonnie thought of Peggy Lee. Bonnie's own mother had grown up in North Dakota, listening to Peggy on the radio. Bonnie saw Peggy as a very independent woman, just like the puppet she'd created. So she named the puppet Miss Piggy Lee. It was a joke and an homage. In her television debut, the puppet Miss Piggy Lee was a minor side character. When The Muppet Show premiered in 1976, Piggy Lee moved into the spotlight—a dazzling blonde with a dogged obsession for Kermit the Frog. Bonnie worried that Piggy Lee would take offense to the character, so she dropped the last name, and Miss Piggy was born. As Miss Piggy rose in prominence on the Muppets stage, Peggy was slowing down. By the late 1970s, she was living with a host of health problems, including diabetes, an inner ear disorder, and temporary blindness. But her ailing health didn't stop her. Even after having a double bypass heart surgery in 1985, she continued performing. She added a jeweled cane to her ensemble and sang sitting down. Peggy Lee died in 2002 at the age of 81. Over the course of her career, she helped write more than 200 songs, made more than 700 recordings, and published more than 50 albums. Her legacy—and small part—also lives on through Miss Piggy. All month we're highlighting muses. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanaka Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow!
SPEAKER_03: Bye!
