Smoky, sensual, sultry, confident, commanding…there has never been a voice quite like that of Peggy Lee. A triple threat singer/songwriter/actress, Lee had a remarkable career in music spanning over fifty years.  She scored her first chart-topper in 1942 and her final recordings were released in 1995, seven years before her death in 2002.  She was an Academy Award-nominated actress (Pete Kelly’s Blues), a 13-time Grammy nominee (and two-time recipient), and a talented songwriter whose collaborators included the esteemed likes of Harold Arlen, Cy Coleman, Duke Ellington, and Lalo Schifrin.  Lee was also a fierce advocate of artists’ rights, winning a highly-publicized lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company over home video exploitation of Lady and the Tramp, the 1955 film for which she supplied songs (including the immortal “He’s a Tramp” and romantic “Bella Notte,” both co-written with Sonny Burke) and the voice of – who else? – Peg. This week, The Peggy Lee Estate announced Peggy Lee 100, a centennial campaign honoring the late, great songstress and her influence across the spectrum of popular music.

Inaugurating Peggy Lee 100 is a new collection from UMe. Ultimate Peggy Lee is set for release on April 17 (digital) and June 19 (CD and 2-LP vinyl) with 22 indelible performances including classic hits, five of her own compositions, and one previously unissued track, “Try a Little Tenderness,” from 1963. Whittling down Lee’s discography to one CD or 2 vinyl LPs is no easy task; she wrote over 200 songs and recorded more than 1,100. But the selection here is a fine cross-section of the songs that made Peggy Lee a one-of-a-kind superstar.

Drawing on her original Decca and Capitol recordings, the anthology boasts such timeless favorites as “Fever” (reinvented by Lee from Little Willie John’s original), the alluring “Big Spender,” “Black Coffee,” “Why Don’t You Do Right,” “The Folks Who Live on the Hill,” and two powerful anthems from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: “I’m a Woman” and “Is That All There Is?,” the latter with a Randy Newman arrangement. Peggy’s own songs here include “It’s a Good Day,” “I Love Being Here with You,” and “He’s a Tramp.”

Celebrating an artist who never goes out of style, Ultimate Peggy Lee arrives from UMe on April 17 in digital configurations and June 19 in 1-CD and 2-LP formats. The uDiscoverMusic store will also be carrying a special clear-vinyl edition.  Look for all formats at the links below!

Peggy Lee, Ultimate Peggy Lee (UMe, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD / uDiscoverMusic.com)

1. I Love Being Here With You
2. Fever
3. Things Are Swingin’
4. I Don’t Know Enough About You
5. I’m A Woman
6. Just In Time
7. Hallelujah, I Love Him So
8. Sweet Happy Life
9. Alright, Okay, You Win
10. Too Close For Comfort
11. Why Don’t You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)
12. It’s A Good Day
13. You Deserve
14. Heart
15. Big Spender
16. He’s A Tramp
17. I Wanna Be Around
18. Black Coffee
19. I’ve Got The World On A String
20. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
21. Is That All There Is?
22. Try A Little Tenderness*

(*) previously unreleased