Jazz vocalist, writer, and actress, Peggy Lee is a category all her own and she is ultimately who I aspire to be like. I adore and respect her beyond her talents as her kind demeanor and business mind match her praise. Lee’s step-mother abused her for eleven years giving her reason to become violent, but she chose to be a peace-maker. However, when it came to her music business, she’d fight to win. Once, Disney tried to use her vocals in a video promo without payment, and she won her case in court against them. As I listen to her sweet soothing sound, I imagine what it must have been like in ‘42, turning on the radio and hearing her sing I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good. There wasn’t a hip hop genre, nor a dance-pop club jam that made you say “put yo drinks up” as part of the hook. She was it, among the greats. I wonder if they knew what kind of mark they were making on the world in the jazz era. It was a complete movement. Singing duets with Mel Torme and Sinatra was what audiences looked forward to. Even the song titles alone are as promising as the duets: Bing Crosby in the 40s with “Watermelon Weather” and into 70s with Paul McCartney “Let’s Love”, and who can forget the clever “Beauty and the Beat” and “Mink Jazz”.