2 Shoes Nightly/Live At The Copa

Norma Deloris Egstrom, better known as Peggy Lee, was born May 26, 1920, and beginning in 1941 was a popular music artist until her death in 2002. She began as the female singer with The Benny Goodman Band, but within a couple of years had embarked upon a solo career that would span six decades. She recorded dozens of albums that sold millions of copies worldwide. Her sales dipped beginning in the 1970’s, but she remained a popular club and concert attraction until her death. She received a Grammy Award in 1995 for Lifetime Achievement.

She may have produced a huge number of albums during her long career, but none were so shrouded in mystery as 2 Shows Nightly – Live At The Copa. It was a live album recorded over a three night stay at The Copacabana night club in New York City during April of 1968. The album was pressed and promotional copies were mailed to radio stations, but at the last moment, Lee decided she did not like the mix and the album was not issued. Only a few copies of the release found their way into the hands of collectors and fans.

Now over four decades later, this long-lost album is finally seeing the light of day. Collector’s Choice has remastered the original release’s twelve tracks, giving them a clearness, which serves to enhance the quality of her vocals. It should be noted that some of the tracks were recreated in the studio, and applause was added in places. These original enhancements were kept in place.

Peggy Lee was a gifted pop vocalist who crossed over into a jazz sound at times. While she relied on standards and hits from her vast catalogue, she would also sing popular songs of the day as her renditions of “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Until Its Time For You To Go,” and “Something Stupid” show. The other tracks move effortlessly from Broadway to Tin Pan Alley to some old standards, all of which she delivers smoothly and with aplomb.

The pot is sweetened with the addition of twelve bonus tracks. Songs such as “The Lonesome Road,” “Stay With Me,” and “Happy Feet” make their CD stereo debuts. “Reason To Believe” and “Didn’t Want To Have To Do It” are presented in their single release versions. “I Wound It Up,” written by Lee and originally sung by Cary Grant, and “Money” make their album debuts.

Peggy Lee may not have been a rock ‘n’ roller, but she was a star of the highest magnitude for a number of decades. The reappearance of this long lost album is a testament to that fact.