Peggy Lee was a true artist, her professional motto sums her up powerfully: The eternal struggle of art is to leave out all but the essentials. A talented actress also, Lee' stunning text-based improvisational style was intelligent, spare, and crackling with sensuous energy, when required. Lee often likened her sung performances to acting, stating: I regard singing much like acting. Each song is like playing a different role. I get very involved with my material. I feel a responsibility for the emotion it brings out in the listener. Those influenced by Lee include Paul McCartney, Adele, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Costello, K.D. Lang, Norah Jones, and Madonna. Renowned jazz critic, Nat Hentoff said of Lee: Her main quality was a marvellous sense of subtlety. She overpowered you. You could hear her voice after it stopped. Over a career spanning six decades, Lee was nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, picking up one, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. She has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 1960, and was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) in 1956; Lee received the Pied Piper Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 1990, and was inducted into the Song Writers Hall of Fame in 1999. That same year, Lee also received the Presidents Award from the Songwriters Guild of America. This wonderful collection of Lee's early recordings showcases the talent and intelligence of this great artist, and includes such classics as ''Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend), Just One Of Those Things, Mr Wonderful, and of course, the smouldering, sensational Fever.
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