This 2-CD, 49-song set is a good sampler to get acquainted with one of the consummate female vocalists of all time. “Peggy Lee Greatest Hits” gives you over two hours of lovely music at a bargain price. The only big song missing is “Is That All There Is?” Everything else you can imagine is here.

The source material ranges from early radio transcriptions to masters she cut for vinyl LPs, so the sound quality varies and in some cases includes some mono cuts mixed in with the stereo tracks, but it can all be said to be authentic in documenting Ms. Lee's illustrious career. She was a fantasic pop and jazz singer.

The first disk contains many of her most famous hits from both Decca and Capitol: “Fever,” “Lover,” “Manana,” “Carama! It's the Samba,” “It's A Good Day” and “Don't Smoke In Bed” are among the great ones. The second disk contains two of her most acclaimed and best-regarded albums: “Black Coffee” and “The Man I Love.”

Maybe the secret to Peggy's longevity is that she didn't limit herself to one or two categories; she did swing, jazz, pop, blues, ballads and Latin. She was able to transcend the passing decades and remain relevant her whole career — which lasted over 60 years. She sang wonderfully no matter if it was a sad or a cheerful song. But she was not a belter. Her style was understated.

Compare Dinah Washington’s rendition of “I Got It Bad And that Ain't Good” (which is marvelous), to Peggy Lee's. Even though the latter's voice is whispier, ultimately she does an even better job with this song.

Let's not forget Ms. Lee was also a talented songwriter as well; several of her biggest hits were her own compositions, and many of them were also covered by other artists over the decades.

She was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1920 — the seventh child of eight children of a railroad station agent and his wife. Her dad was Swedish American and her mother was Norwegian American. Her mom died when Peggy was just four years old. Afterward, her stepmother treated her cruelly. Peggy cultivated her musical talent so as to take several part-time jobs that would keep her away from home. She first sang professionally on a local radio station, then had her own show sponsored by a restaurant that paid her in food. Relocating to California she decided to compete with noisy club crowds with subtlety rather than volume. Benny Goodman then discovered her working at the Ambassador Hotel East in Chicago. Soon she was rotating with Perry Como and Jo Stafford as hosts on an NBC musical program and had signed a recording contract. In later years she even wrote songs for the Disney movie “Lady And The Tramp,” for which she supplied the singing and speaking voices of four characters.

To sample some of the tracks, click the speaker icon below to hear them. Then scroll down the page to order today!