Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress, in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodmans big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multifaceted artist and performer. She wrote music for films, acted, and created conceptual record albumsencompassing poetry, jazz, chamber pop, and art songs.

Peggy Lee was born as Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, the seventh of eight children to parents, Marvin Olof Egstrom, a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad, and his wife Selma Amelia Egstrom, on May 26, 1920. She and her family were Lutherans. Her father was SwedishAmerican and her mother was NorwegianAmerican. Her mother died when Peggy was just a four year old toddler. Afterwards, her father married her stepmother Min Schaumber, who treated her with great cruelty while her alcoholic but loving father did little to stop it. Later, she developed her musical talent and took several parttime jobs so that she could be away from home to escape the abuse of her stepmother.

Source: Wikipedia