A group of artists, including Billie Eilish and k.d. lang, will participate in a recorded panel discussion to celebrate Peggy Lee on May 26.
The two artists, Eric Burton of soul act Black Pumas, will appear in the panel, along with the author of the biography "Peggy Lee: A Century of Song" Dr. Tish Oney, Peggy Lee Associates, LLC president, and Lee's granddaughter Holly Foster Wells. The pre-taped session will be moderated by Scott Goldman of the Grammy Museum's public programs.
Billboard reports that the Grammy Museum tribute, the launch date of which coincides with the centennial of her birth, will also display the pop-jazz legend's memorabilia from her early life in the 1930s up until the early 2000s.
While the Recording Academy's museum has closed off its exhibits last March because of the coronavirus pandemic, it has continued to release virtual exhibits, including those of Indian musician Ravi Shankar and English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. However, Peggy Lee's exhibit marks the first virtual display to be followed by an actual, physical display when the museum opens in the spring of 2021 at L.A. Live.
Peggy Lee's career
Peggy Lee was an American singer-songwriter and actress, who released songs in the jazz and pop genre. She started as a vocalist on a local radio station before releasing her first hit "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place" in 1942, followed by "Why Don't You Do Right" the next year.
She made history as being the first female artist to receive a Grammy nomination for the record of the year award. Her 1958 cover of Little Willie John's "Fever" entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received her first nomination.
Her Grammy history, with a total of twelve nominations, reached its peak with the only award she won in the competition. Her 1969 comeback "Is That All There Is" won Best Contemporary Vocal Performance in that year's awards ceremony, while also receiving a nomination for the Record of the Year award.
Up until she died in 2002 from diabetes complications and a heart attack, Lee continued performing, sometimes while seated in a wheelchair. Miss Lee passed away on January 21. She was 81 years of age.
Her extensive influence prompted a 2003 tribute concert, "There'll Be Another Spring: A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee." The sold-out event at the Carnegie Hall featured performances from Nancy Sinatra, Debbie Harrie, Shirley Horn, Quincy Jones, and more.
As a part of the upcoming panel, the guest musicians Billie Eilish and k.d. lang was also noted Grammy winners. Eilish famously swept all four major awards - "Best New Artist," "Record of the Year," "Song of the Year," and "Album of the Year" - plus a fifth award, "Best Pop Vocal Album" for her debut work.
On the other hand, Canadian pop-country artist k.d. lang has won four Grammy awards over her career. She started with the "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" with Roy Orbison in their 1989 rendition of "Crying" and "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" for her 2004 release "A Wonderful World," shared with Tony Bennett.
