The adage that "less is more" sums up Peggy Lee's style as a singer and performer of the American popular song. With her assured stage presence and vocal perfectionism, Lee has captured a devoted audience over a career that spans more than 50 years. Songs like "Fever" and "Is That All There Is?" are instantly identifiable with Lee, even by those who are unfamiliar with the rest of her repertoire.

Born Norma Delores Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, Lee's childhood and adolescence were marked by family hardships, including the death of her mother when Lee was four, an alcoholic father, and a stepmother who was cruel and physically abusive. But throughout this desolate period, as Lee reported to writer Gene Lees, "I'd sing in the fields and I'd talk to the trees." This aura of self-sufficiency has remained Lee's hallmark throughout her career.

Lee received...