What do you think?
Rate this book
Fever: The Life and Music of Miss Peggy Lee
"I learned courage from Buddha, Jesus, Lincoln, and Mr. Cary Grant." So said Miss Peggy Lee. Albert Einstein adored her; Duke Ellington dubbed her "the Queen." With her platinum cool and inimitable whisper, Peggy Lee sold twenty million records, made more money than Mickey Mantle, and presided over music's greatest generation alongside pals Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
Drawing on exclusive interviews and never-before-seen information, Peter Richmond delivers a complex, compelling portrait of an artist that begins with a girl plagued by loss, her father's alcoholism, and her stepmother's abuse. One day she boards a train, following her muse and hoping her music will lead her someplace better. And it does: to the pantheon of great American singers.
Drawing on exclusive interviews and never-before-seen information, Peter Richmond delivers a complex, compelling portrait of an artist that begins with a girl plagued by loss, her father's alcoholism, and her stepmother's abuse. One day she boards a train, following her muse and hoping her music will lead her someplace better. And it does: to the pantheon of great American singers.
562 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2006
11 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 18, 2011
Peggy Lee had a very interesting life, and she's someone I admire very much. There are interesting tidbits here, but in order to reach them I had to slog through editorializing and psychoanalysis that had no place in a book that would have been best served by an approach of "observe and report." At the time it was written, there were numerous people still with us who were more than happy to share their impressions of Miss Lee's mindset at various stages of her life, and they did so; there was no need for the author to hypothesize, since, not having been there, and having never met her, he couldn't know.
For instance, I'd love it if Mr. Richmond would realize that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Every time Peggy Lee sings a sad song, she must be referring to her first husband. She's an Oscar-nominated actress; I'm sure she knows how to perform and not *everything* was about Dave Barbour, jeez. They loved each other and seemed to forge a close friendship that lasted for the rest of their lives, even though they split up. She remarried, three times, and had a long affair with an actor that also continued for many years (she called him one of the great loves of her life), so I think she found some happy moments. Making every soulful song a lament for Mr. Barbour does a disservice to both of them, unless the author heard her say "I wrote that one for Dave," and he didn't.
Secondly, the author, unlike Miss Lee, seems to have no sense of humor. She appeared on Sid Caesar's comedy show in a sketch where he accidentally interrupts her recording session six times. "In real life, this would have cause Peg to be furious; but she accepts the interruptions with good grace for the camera." Yes, that may be, (and I admit I'm not expert, but still) because it was a COMEDY SKETCH.
And then there's my final bugaboo when it comes to biographies - instead of observation and reportage, the author offers personal editorial comment, which essentially puts him in the story and takes me out of it. I don't care what he thinks of something she did, nor do I care who he considers the best at anything; what would be of interest is how audiences of the time reacted to it, and that's
something the author only occasionally comments upon. For instance, she was nominated for an Oscar for Pete Kelly's Blues, but the film itself didn't do well and clearly the author has no respect for it. But what did people at the time think of Peggy's performance? I can't really tell. However, there is a pianist he discusses who he clearly adores: "She was the best; that cannot be denied then - it cannot be denied now." That's an opinion, not a fact, and you can always find someone who will deny an opinion. The author loves her; we get it, but it takes us back to the author and his personal feelings, and removes us from the story we came to hear. Fever should be a biography, not a memoir.
Peggy Lee's own memoirs, while leaving out the things she didn't wish to discuss, are far more entertaining to read and certainly give more of a flavor of her style, humor and intelligence. I kept reading Fever because every once in a while something interesting makes me go "oh, so
that's who that was" or "that's why that happened," but so far it's a
two-star read at best. The preface was so amazingly good. It's all about numerous luminaries braving a blizzard to see Peggy perform in New York. I could almost feel the chill of the snow on my face; I'm only sorry that the rest of the book didn't live up to the promise held by those first few pages.
For instance, I'd love it if Mr. Richmond would realize that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Every time Peggy Lee sings a sad song, she must be referring to her first husband. She's an Oscar-nominated actress; I'm sure she knows how to perform and not *everything* was about Dave Barbour, jeez. They loved each other and seemed to forge a close friendship that lasted for the rest of their lives, even though they split up. She remarried, three times, and had a long affair with an actor that also continued for many years (she called him one of the great loves of her life), so I think she found some happy moments. Making every soulful song a lament for Mr. Barbour does a disservice to both of them, unless the author heard her say "I wrote that one for Dave," and he didn't.
Secondly, the author, unlike Miss Lee, seems to have no sense of humor. She appeared on Sid Caesar's comedy show in a sketch where he accidentally interrupts her recording session six times. "In real life, this would have cause Peg to be furious; but she accepts the interruptions with good grace for the camera." Yes, that may be, (and I admit I'm not expert, but still) because it was a COMEDY SKETCH.
And then there's my final bugaboo when it comes to biographies - instead of observation and reportage, the author offers personal editorial comment, which essentially puts him in the story and takes me out of it. I don't care what he thinks of something she did, nor do I care who he considers the best at anything; what would be of interest is how audiences of the time reacted to it, and that's
something the author only occasionally comments upon. For instance, she was nominated for an Oscar for Pete Kelly's Blues, but the film itself didn't do well and clearly the author has no respect for it. But what did people at the time think of Peggy's performance? I can't really tell. However, there is a pianist he discusses who he clearly adores: "She was the best; that cannot be denied then - it cannot be denied now." That's an opinion, not a fact, and you can always find someone who will deny an opinion. The author loves her; we get it, but it takes us back to the author and his personal feelings, and removes us from the story we came to hear. Fever should be a biography, not a memoir.
Peggy Lee's own memoirs, while leaving out the things she didn't wish to discuss, are far more entertaining to read and certainly give more of a flavor of her style, humor and intelligence. I kept reading Fever because every once in a while something interesting makes me go "oh, so
that's who that was" or "that's why that happened," but so far it's a
two-star read at best. The preface was so amazingly good. It's all about numerous luminaries braving a blizzard to see Peggy perform in New York. I could almost feel the chill of the snow on my face; I'm only sorry that the rest of the book didn't live up to the promise held by those first few pages.
February 12, 2017
My first memory of Miss Peggy Lee is of seeing her on some random eighties entertainment show, such as "Entertainment Tonight." Maybe it was when she was suing Disney over Lady and the Tramp royalties, or embarking on another comeback concert engagement. I remember her as a large woman in a beaded or satiny caftan, gigantic dark glasses, and either a turban or a Sia-style wig. It was only later that I discovered her wonderful music, and fell in love with her voice.
This book is an overly long and not entirely captivating biography. I was hoping for some fleshing out of Lee's own autobiography, and I suppose it is that, but Richmond is more of a teller than a show-er, and Miss Peggy Lee doesn't often come to life on these pages.
Since I'd just read a meticulously researched non-fiction book, with such precise end notes that they were foot-noted down to the sentence, it was frustrating and disappointing to find Richmond's references sourcing album liner notes and imdb.com, or worse yet, referring to stories that don't occur until later chapters, as he does with a story of a lawsuit involving the song "Manana" (the catchiest racist song you'll ever hear, BTW).
In the book itself, I was put off by one instance in which he mocks a reviewer's florid use of metaphor just one paragraph after his own description of holiday season plane crash includes the sentence "The wrapped Christmas presents that had fallen from the plane had long since been collected." He also shows his lack of musical knowledge by criticizing a Grammy nomination for best R&B song for the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" by calling it "as bluesy as a candy cane" (R&B is different than straight blues, sir.) and having a "mindless rhythm [that] veered perilously close to bad disco." Um, okayyyyyyy. He also contradicts himself by saying of Lee that "belting had never been her forte" and literally three pages later including a quote from someone else, "It began with her belting--she could really belt if she wanted to..."
But my biggest gripe is NO PICTURES! Of course in this internet age, the pictures aren't really necessary; I was already going to YouTube every few pages to listen to this or that song. Maybe Richmond fancied himself as more of a critical biographer than a popular one, since academic bios don't usually have photos, but I doubt it. There is no excuse, financial or otherwise, for not providing a decently curated selection of photographs in an entertainment (or any, really) biography.
The book really skims over her later years, which turned out to be fine, as I was ready for it to be over. As is almost always the case, anyone writing a musical biography would be well advised to read Peter Guralnick's two-volume bio of Elvis Presley; there is no finer look at a musician's life with great detail and great storytelling combined.
This book is an overly long and not entirely captivating biography. I was hoping for some fleshing out of Lee's own autobiography, and I suppose it is that, but Richmond is more of a teller than a show-er, and Miss Peggy Lee doesn't often come to life on these pages.
Since I'd just read a meticulously researched non-fiction book, with such precise end notes that they were foot-noted down to the sentence, it was frustrating and disappointing to find Richmond's references sourcing album liner notes and imdb.com, or worse yet, referring to stories that don't occur until later chapters, as he does with a story of a lawsuit involving the song "Manana" (the catchiest racist song you'll ever hear, BTW).
In the book itself, I was put off by one instance in which he mocks a reviewer's florid use of metaphor just one paragraph after his own description of holiday season plane crash includes the sentence "The wrapped Christmas presents that had fallen from the plane had long since been collected." He also shows his lack of musical knowledge by criticizing a Grammy nomination for best R&B song for the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" by calling it "as bluesy as a candy cane" (R&B is different than straight blues, sir.) and having a "mindless rhythm [that] veered perilously close to bad disco." Um, okayyyyyyy. He also contradicts himself by saying of Lee that "belting had never been her forte" and literally three pages later including a quote from someone else, "It began with her belting--she could really belt if she wanted to..."
But my biggest gripe is NO PICTURES! Of course in this internet age, the pictures aren't really necessary; I was already going to YouTube every few pages to listen to this or that song. Maybe Richmond fancied himself as more of a critical biographer than a popular one, since academic bios don't usually have photos, but I doubt it. There is no excuse, financial or otherwise, for not providing a decently curated selection of photographs in an entertainment (or any, really) biography.
The book really skims over her later years, which turned out to be fine, as I was ready for it to be over. As is almost always the case, anyone writing a musical biography would be well advised to read Peter Guralnick's two-volume bio of Elvis Presley; there is no finer look at a musician's life with great detail and great storytelling combined.
August 2, 2014
Sometimes you gotta read something just for the fun of it. This book is way too long, and tells us a lot more than we need to know about every band leader she ever sang with, and every piano player who backed her up, and there is a lot of "And then she sang...", followed by quotes from every newspaper review of every concert, but........ Every few pages I had to stop and listen to some of her songs, dozens of them, and then some more of the great girl singers of the big-band era. Mildred Bailey, Helen Forrest, Helen O'Connell, Helen Ward, Anita O'Day, Jo Stafford, and more. What a time, what a sound, and so for this, I thank you, Mr. Richmond.
August 22, 2023
The best thing about this is being steeped in the pop and jazz worlds of the 1920s through the 1940s, a glamorous and artistically vital universe that’s conveyed well, though one never gets the sense that Lee was as much a catalyst as the author thinks, gifted as she was. Richmond’s normally a sportswriter but he does seem to have a pretty intimate knowledge of the Golden Age of Jazz, though he fails to transfer this to any broader appreciation of 20th century American music as a whole and is unable to hide his peculiar disdain for rock & roll — he champions a time when popularity was a mark of quality (dubious but not entirely unreasonable) and slags off Isley Brothers songs as unsophisticated, which is a bizarre conviction for someone under a hundred years old. As the book parades through marriages and industry changes it grows a bit tedious, because the part of the business that cared about Peggy Lee was also the part that became ever sleazier and more superficial on through the rock era. If you’re a fan, however, this is probably the best book that will ever be written about the singer, and it’s certainly well written.
July 1, 2017
Wow was this book disappointing. It really felt like Peggy Lee was just a minor part of this story which is insane. The author tells the entire history of jazz music from her era. I think I especially found it boring because I don't know much about jazz history and without context, there were paragraphs and paragraphs about people I've never heard of and it was just so tedious. I gave up on about page 170 or so. It's a 500 page book! I read the final passages though, and finally felt I learned something about Peggy Lee!
October 3, 2022
A New Appreciation
I remember Peggy Lee’s songs from my childhood but had no idea of how influential and creative she was. (She was also a true, diva which explains her being the inspiration for the comically over-the-top Muppet, Miss Piggy. This biography was informative, but very slow reading (I read it in installments, alternating with other books.) I must admit it did intrigue me enough to check her songs and interviews on You Tube, which were very interesting.
I remember Peggy Lee’s songs from my childhood but had no idea of how influential and creative she was. (She was also a true, diva which explains her being the inspiration for the comically over-the-top Muppet, Miss Piggy. This biography was informative, but very slow reading (I read it in installments, alternating with other books.) I must admit it did intrigue me enough to check her songs and interviews on You Tube, which were very interesting.
January 9, 2023
This engrossing biography of the legendary Peggy Lee offers a detailed look at her life and work as well as a great deal of information on the music and other musicians of her era. I ate it up! I learned so much, and was very impressed with the author’s knowledge, writing skills, and passion for his subject. And reading this led me to spend a few happy hours watching her performances on youtube – a bonus!
December 7, 2021
While I admittedly skipped the chapters I didn't need to read for the Peggy Lee paper I'm writing, everything I did read was enjoyable, expressive, and informative. It was hard to put this book down so that I could actually write.
January 19, 2010
So far I am a little disappointed with the lack of fun that this bio puts forth. The introduction was so well written and detailed that I assumed the remainder of this book would be as well. Well I was half right-- the chapters have been chock full o' information, very well written and very detailed-- but I want to read about Peggy Lee, her personal struggles, etc-not the detailed life histories of every single big band player who happened to cross her path... I am 1/2 way through this one and am not sure if I will finish...
August 19, 2012
Peggy Lee has always been a favorite singer of mine. I love her song "Is That All There Is?" Her career started by being discovered in a train station coffee shop and ends with her in full makeup living the diva lifestyle. A must read for fans of Peggy Lee or just interesting women.
February 1, 2014
There were big gaps in Lee's autobiography ("Miss Peggy Lee") that always left me wanting to know more. Richmond goes into exquisite detail about her life, yet always anchors the story in her music. I particularly appreciated the thoughtful consideration of her work at a lyricist.
November 13, 2008
she was great. she was happy that her mom smacked her around because it made her tough, wow...that is bold.
September 10, 2013
ND native's biography was fun.
August 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this, leading me to renewed respect for Ms. Lee.
Recommended.
Recommended.
April 5, 2017
Great detail. Many songs came back into my memory. What a depressing childhood!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews