Norma Delores Egstrom is said to have sung before she could talk. At age eight she proclaimed she would one day be a singer. She had a hard childhood. Her family moved often to various Midland Continental Railroad Depot locations where her father worked, endured an abusive stepmother, and worked hard-labor jobs so she and her family could get by. Amongst all this hardship, Norma still found ways to sing, even if it meant hitch-hiking to a nearby city to sing for KOVC Radio. Shortly after graduating high school in Wimbledon, N.D. Norma moved to Fargo, N.D. where she found herself working the nightshift at a bakery while also performing for the noon-time radio show at WDAY (the biggest radio station in the state). This first job at WDAY introduced her to all the big names in show businesses and introduced her to Ken Kennedy, the man who dubbed her Peggy Lee. Peggy Lee rapidly made a name for herself with her low sultry voice and multiple hits, including “Why Don’t You Do Right,” “It’s a Good Day,” and “Manana”. She perfected a style of singing that was not so much loud but intriguing, a style called “a quiet intensity”. She sang on stage, television, and radio all over the United States with many famous names including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, the Benny Goodman Band, Nat “King” Cole and many more iconic singers in America. Even though Peggy had a hard life in North Dakota, she learned many valuable lessons on its prairies, and she always considered it home.
Peggy Lee
Publication created in honor and celebration of Peggy Lee’s 100th Birthday.
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Self Guided Tour
In Jamestown, North Dakota