New Peggy Lee biography in the works

Since the following piece of news has been circulating in various music sites for weeks now, I guess it's time we talk about it here, too.

Another biography of Peggy is currently being written.

To know whether this is good or bad news for us fans, we will have to wait until it is ready....

That's because the biographer is Jim Gavin, author of the Vanity Fair article whose tenor so many of us deplored here.

My own opinion about the news? Neutral. I'd say that we'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Yes, that article left a bad taste, and in the past he has tended to gravitate toward the bitchy, unkind, and mocking side of human portraits. (My opinion, of course.)

On the other hand, he is a very good writer and it's clear from his many liner notes that he is a true, bona fide fan of Peggy's singing.

In case you are not familiar with his name, let me add that he is the author of recent biographies of Lena Horne and Chet Baker. The book that put him on the map was the earlier Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret.

Well, while we wait to check whatever he's cooking, maybe we can use this thread to discuss:

What would you like to read in a Peggy biography (especially if you have already read her autobiography and the other bio)? About which periods or aspects of her life would you like to learn more? Are there any connections of hers with particular people that intrigue you?

Conversely, what would you not like to "see" or read in a Peggy biography?

Ivan

Great topic Ivan!

I have VERY mixed feelings on bios of people I like. I quit reading 'em with Nick Toshes' excellent bio on Dean Martin. Good writing, excellent sources, but since reading it I've just been turned off by Dino and don't enjoy his music so much. My idea of a good book on a musical great is Friedwald's Sinatra effort "The Song Is You". But the same thing on Peggy Lee would have virtually no market at all.

Which brings us to controversy, gossip and Vanity Fair-style bitchiness. Did Peggy Lee live a life of controversy and notoriety? Hardly. It may have actually worked against her becoming a household word in the 21st century... so that leaves us with magnified or invented tales to sell books. ANY assertive woman in the music business is ALWAYS remembered as a difficult bitch (as opposed to a male counterpart who's just a tough pro who knows what he wants) so that angle is to be expected.

And in the absence of a woman's art being taken seriously - and judiciously and knowledgably critiqued and annotated - we're likely to get sex and trash-talk. That's always a given, but hey if it takes a pack of distorted lies to wake people up to Peggy Lee (and start talking about her) then I guess I'll have to be philosophical about it, and take the position that The Truth is a process of ongoing discovery!

I didn't read the Richmond book because no reviews inspired me to do so. I read Peg's book though. It's a poorly edited mess for sure, but it was nice to just hear her take on her life and stuff.

So come on folks, let's have some good discussion on this!

Another good post from Iv and Rick and like you guys I am very wary of biogs knowing that authors always have to find an 'angle' if they want to get a publisher interested and that usually means saying something 'controversial'.

I have only just read this so have not yet given this much thought. What I will say having sat in on a few of Peggy's concert rehearsals and part of that Kraft TV special she made with Anthony Quinn was how relaxed and amiable she was, finding time to chat with technicians or musicians. But of course, that kind of stuff does not make interesting copy. Someone wrote a little while back on here about her being 'difficult' but tho I was not an observer on that occasion there were things that happened during the early part of the performance that would have tried the patience of any performer.

I have a close friend who is a singer in the classical field and I saw her once at a rehearsal where she was performing solo and broke off to rebuke a musician who was reading a newspaper, if you please. I have no doubt that someone would have labelled her 'difficult' but as she told me later it was her neck on the line when it came to singing for her audience. This woman is one of the most congenial and amusing people with technicians and fellow artistes but when it comes your art you have to make sure that others do their job right.

Just a quick thought that might help spark discussion.

P.S. I have not explained very well how Peggy was 'difficult' during that particular performance where she had to have things corrected after the interval but perhaps the original poster can elaborate.

Tony

new bio? im all for it! i missed gavins controversial vanity fair artical so im glad hes doing a book. i also know he can be bitchy so im sure therel be some things to be taken with a grain of salt. being interested in all things peggy a new book is good news and if it makes someone anyone curious about her sublime music it is good thing even even if the book is a little trashy.

monty

I have read her autobiography and though it was not well put together, it was her voice. There was some controversy, however unintended, from time to time, like when she and Barbour vacationed in Mexico and wrote "Manana," she was floored at the outcry over it being racist.

She was strong, but in a quiet way. She would bide her time and barter at the right moment, as she did with IS THAT ALL THERE IS.

I would welcome any specific stories. While I don't someone tearing her down in a mean or undeserving way, I am at the same time interested in all her complexity, shortcomings, foibles, as well as her kindness, her politics, her philosophy, her female friendships. I want a three-dimensional rendering of her.

Dear Ivan et al,

I think this is bad news as I am still annoyed about the Vanity Fair article in which he stated outrageous and unproven things about Peggy!

I hope I am WRONG but unfortunately books which delve into the supposed dark recesses of a star with less focus on their talent sell MORE copies!

Peggy was a human being so of course she had her faults but it is her amazing talent that keeps US talking about her.

Let's hope he at least speaks with Holly and Nicki so they can dispel some of the rumours and untruths circulating about Miss Lee. Peggy had her difficult moments but she was a perfectionist and demanded the best for her audience and normally got it.

Fingers crossed it will be an honest and positive book overall.

George McGhee

Hi Ivan, et al,

Well, I'm always keen to hear more about Peggy. Like all of us on this forum, I'm a fairly hopeless addict! I must say, though, that I share the same concerns about sensationalism, and very much agree with previous comments. A few years ago the author of the previous biography was interviewed for one of the London papers. The resulting article... still available on the internet... reads very badly indeed, with little or no regard for her talent or career.

I think, to be fair, it is always good to know more about Peggy, BUT I would very much hope that this new book will be an objective and balanced representation of her life and her work, with plenty of input from her family.

Regards to all,

Gareth