The Capitol Years, Part 3
The Peggy Lee Discography and Videography

Return to Table of Contents

Note

This page is currently being updated. The finished version will contain additional issues, personnel, and other details. The prospective date for the online debut of the updated page is May, 2008.

Meanwhile, I have made a few basic additions for the benefit of readers in search of recommended CD's. Such recommended items are now easy to locate in the page, because their titles are in capitals and bold lettering. For instance, the following CD set is a highly recommended anthology of Peggy Lee's Capitol recordings: THE SINGLES COLLECTION. Recommendations are based primarily on above-average sound quality and overall production (design, liner notes, track information).

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Peggy Lee, Dean Martin (v)

Because of an American Federation of Musicians' ban, Peggy Lee did not do any studio recordings from the day the ban went into effect (January 1, 1948) to the date on which a settlement became official (December 13, 1948). According to music historian David Ewen, the ban forbade the participation of AFM musicians in any commercial sessions, and sought the payment of a royalty, "to be used for the benefit of unemployed members." Ewen adds that, "[t]o meet this new crisis, the major record companies had spent the preceding six months on a feverish twenty-four-hour-a-day recording schedule to create a huge stockpile ... to satisfy the market until a new compromise was finally arrived at fifteen months later." Some record companies also resorted to overdubbing and special effects. At Capitol, producer Alan Livingston recorded some of the company's singers without any orchestra, and then took the masters to Paris, where he hired bands whose music he dubbed onto the vocals. Though vocalists were not covered by the ban, Lee fully abstained from recording any vocals during the entire period, out of solidarity toward the musicians.

Dean Martin duets with Peggy Lee on "You Was" only.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Peggy Lee and Her Dixieland Band (acc), Dave Barbour (g), Peggy Lee (v)

Various secondary sources state that some unspecified members of Woody Herman's Second Herd are heard herein, as part of the one-session act named Peggy Lee And Her Dixieland Band. (These sources may have gotten their information from 1948 Downbeat or Metronome magazines.) During the summer of 1947, Woody Herman had co-hosted a radio show with Barbour and Lee. (See page for Radio broadcasts.)

Capitol seventy-eight 57-608 lists Watkins as the songwriter of "Please, Love Me Tonight." BMI credits not only Watkins but also Ruth Oma Wilkinson. Some sources use "Matt" as Watkins' first name; other sources use "Watt."

Dave Barbour (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Heinie Beau (cl, ts), Ray Linn (t), Dave Barbour, George Van Eps (g), Phil Stevens (b), Nick Fatool, Ivan Lopez, Jackie Mills, Tommy Romersa (d), Peggy Lee (v)

Reportedly, the origins of "Similau" are in a vodoo chant from the Caribbean. The sessions' musicians are the presumed chanters, backing "priestess Peggy" in this performance.

Also recorded on this Dave Barbour session were two instrumentals ("Ensenada," "Little Boy Go Blow Your Top"), on neither of which Lee participated.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour All-Stars (acc), Peggy Lee (v), The Jud Conlon Singers (bkv)

Background vocals by The Jud Conlon Singers on "Riders In The Sky" only.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour All-Stars (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

This version of "Sunshine Cake" is labeled "rejected" in Capitol's files. For the issued version, see session dated October 7, 1949.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour (con), Lee Gillette (pdr), Peggy Lee (v), The Jud Conlon Singers (bkv)

Background singing by The Jud Conlon Singers on all performances, except "Goodbye John" and "Through A Long And Sleepless Night."

Peggy Lee (ldr), Pete Rugolo (con), Lee Gillette (pdr), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Pete Rugolo (con), Lee Gillette (pdr), Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

For an unissued version of "Sunshine Cake," see session dated May 25, 1949.

Mel Torme (ldr), Harold Mooney (con, a), Lee Gillette (pdr), Jud Conlon, Neal Hefti, Dick Jones, Billy May, Paul Villepigue (a), Mel Torme (a, v), Mel Torme and The Meltones (acc), Arthur "Skeets" Herfert (cl, as), Jules Jacobs, Jules Kinsler, Robert Lawson (as, ts), Chuck Gentry (bar), Conrad Gozzo, Uan Rasey, George Seaberg, Joe Triscari (t), Francis Howard, Ed Kusby, Si Zentner (tb), Allan Reuss (g), Phil Stephens (b), Buddy Neal (p), Ralph Hansell (x, vib), Irv Cottler (d), Les Baxter, Peggy Lee, Loulie Jean Norman, Ginny O'Connor, Bernie Parke (v)

Mel Tormé devised his California Suite as an answer of sorts to Gordon Jenkins' 1945 suite Manhattan Tower. (An ertswhile celebrated homage to New York City, Jenkins' 17-minute opus combined music with dramatic narration.) Tormé's suite is divided into 11 pieces (or songs), and qualifies as musical theatre: he and the other vocalists sing all the numbers under the role of various characters (e.g. The Extra Girl). Peggy Lee sings the role of The Eastener.

Lee is credited in the album under the pseudonym Susan Melton. The reason why she used an assumed name is unknown. "Melton" is an apparent play on the name of Mel's group (The Mel-Tones) and, by extension, on Tormé's first name. Her (playful?) adoption of such a pseudonym suggests that Lee might have participated in this project as a friendly favor, rather than for commercial or contractual reasons.

Over 30-minutes long, California Suite was Capitol's first non-classical 12" album. Tormé would later re-record his suite for the Bethlehem label, sans Lee.

November 11, 1949 is the date on which "Got The Gate On The Golden Gate" is known to have been recorded. It is unknown whether the other songs were recorded on this or on a different date. Billy May discographer Jack Mirtle reports that the Capitol master files for California Suite contain neither dating nor song titles.

None of the extant sources specifies which singers are featured in each song. After careful and repeated listening, the discographers have determined that Lee's voice is heard only in the above-listed performances. In some of these songs, her participation is very brief.

"Coney Island" arranged by Neal Hefti. "Got The Gate On The Golden Gate" arranged by Billy May. Arrangers of the other performances unknown.

Arrangements for The Mel-Tones by Mel Tormé. Choral arrangements by Jud Conlon.

Peggy Lee, Mel Torme (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra, Lou Busch and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee, Mel Torme (v), The Mellomen (bkv)

This edition of The Mellomen featured Thurl Ravenscroft, Max Smith, Bill Lee and Bob Stevens.

Extant information about this session's accompaniment is conflicting. As Mel Tormé discographer George Hulme asserts, "[t]he orchestra leader is given as Lou Busch on the Capitol log sheets. The notes for [EMI CD] 077779942626 credit Lou Busch as the orchestra leader but the notes for Capitol [CD] 7 93195-2 mistakenly give the leader as Dave Barbour." Hulme seems unaware of the fact that Lee's Capitol sheets also give Barbour as the orchestra leader, and do not list Busch.

Whereas the mistake postulated by Hulme is certainly possible, it is just as possible that both Barbour and Busch were present during this date. Each man could have conducted one track. Busch was actually an in-house producer at Capitol; thus he could have also been in charge of overseeing the session.

Still further, Busch was the same man who would soon become popular as a ragtime, honky tonk pianist under the pseudonym of Joe "Fingers" Carr. Aural inspection of the piano playing for "The Old Master Painter" suggests that Busch might have served as that song's pianist.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour (con), Lee Gillette (pdr), The Gualadajara Boys (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour (con), Lee Gillette (pdr), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Lee Gillette (pdr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v), The Jud Conlon Choir (bkv)

Songs

1. Once In A Lifetime

The melody of "Once In A Lifetime" is strongly reminiscent of a theme by the French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896), best remembered for his opera Mignon. My thanks to Michael J. White for first alerting me to the connection. See also notes about the song "I Hear The Music Now," under session dated December 16, 1952.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Dave Barbour and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Louis Prima and His Orchestra (acc), Jim Wynn (sax), Peggy Lee (v)

Whereas Capitol's session files identify this session's band as "Louis Prima and His Orchestra," an April 6, 1951 notice on Downbeat Magazine states that "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and "Rock Me To Sleep" have "backing by a mixed crew headed by Jim Wynn, local saxman & leader."

On some spots of "That Ol' Devil Won't Get Me," Lee's voice is double-tracked, thereby creating the effect that she is singing and speaking to herself.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Sid Feller (con), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Sid Feller (a), Billy May and his Orchestra (acc), Ed Kusby (tb), Vincent Terri (g), Don Whitaker (b), Paul Smith (p), Tommy Romersa (d), Peggy Lee (v)

This session is known to have been scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Billy May discographer Jack Mirtle lists a different take for "So Far So Good" (#D1), and also a different take for "Tonight You Belong To Me" (#N2).

Peggy Lee (ldr), Sid Feller, Billy May, Harold Mooney (a), Billy May and his Orchestra (acc), John Hacker, Jules Jacob, Jules Kinsler (r), John Graas (frh), Laurindo Almeida, Jose Oliveira (g), Meyer Rubin (b), Don Ferris (p), Kathryn Thompson (hrp), Joe Guerrero (d), Harry Bluestone, Ben Gill, Henry Hill, Lou Raderman, Mischa Russell, Felix Slatkin (vn), Cy Bernard, Eleanor Slatkin (vc), Peggy Lee (v), The Jud Conlon Singers (bkv)

This session is known to have been scheduled from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

"I Get Ideas" and "Wandering Swallow" arranged by Billy May. "I Love You But I Don't Like You" arranged by Sid Feller. "My Magic Heart" arranged by Harold Mooney.

Billy May discographer Jack Mirtle lists a different take for "I Love You But I Don't Like You" (# D4), and also different take for "Wandering Swallow" (# D4).

Peggy Lee, Mel Torme (ldr), Sid Feller (con, a), Sid Feller and His Orchestra (acc), Buck Clayton, Bernie Privin (t), Warren Covington, Lou McGarity, Buddy Morrow (tb), Barry Galbraith (g), Joe Shulman (b), John Lewis (p), William Exiner (d), Peggy Lee, Mel Torme (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Sid Feller and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Peggy Lee (ldr), Sid Feller and His Orchestra (acc), Peggy Lee (v)

Sepia dates "Goin' On a Hayride" December 17, 1951. Capitol's files lists the song it under this February 18, 1952 -- a date that agrees with the master's numerical sequence.

Return to Table of Contents