Not too much time now because I am under orders to get this pig sty garret of mine cleared-up, tidied-up, cleaned-up, hoovered-up and polished despite my whining complaints that if I do all that I will never find anything ever again!
Anyway, whilst I slave away here I would like to urge you all to read an excellent essay on the subject of the late and very great Peggy Lee by Terry Teachout at Commentary. He places her up alongside Sinatra and even though I don't know the difference between a crotchet and a quaver I would agree with him. I particularly liked the way, according to Mr. Teachout's article, that she dealt with noisy audiences in the clubs she worked as a young singer. Instead of trying to sing louder to get above the noise as most new singers did, she sang softer and gradually the audience quietened in order to listen to her. Smart girl and it seemed to stay with her because her rendition of songs always seemed to have an intimate, one-on-one feel to them, as though she was just singing for you.
An excellent article and well worth reading.
