On a beautiful day not too many years ago, Elaine Lucia wandered into an antique lamp shop in her adopted home town of Petaluma, California. She noticed that the walls were covered with photos and posters of Peggy Lee, and that the counter held memorabilia and a large collection of Peggy Lee record album covers. Elaine asked who the Peggy Lee fan was, and that is how she became friends with Mr. Wayne Rankin, a long-time personal and family friend of Miss Peggy Lee. The two fans became good friends, and soon Wayne’s anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories of Miss Lee inspired Elaine to craft a tribute show dedicated to the music, and the memory, of the beloved and popular singer, actress, and composer. The fact that Mr. Rankin was Miss Lee’s official discographer yielded a gold-mine of rare vinyl recordings that he generously made available to Elaine.
This show is not a vocal impersonation of Peggy Lee. Elaine uses her vocal instrument to evoke the style, the phrasing, and the feel of a Peggy Lee song, without resorting to imitation. In between, Elaine tells some great stories and a bit of history about Miss Lee’s life and about the many songs she wrote and recorded. The result is a fun, fascinating and swingin’ show presented with reverence for “The Elegant One” (Duke Ellington’s nickname for Miss Lee).
Complete with vintage costumes and a chronological sequence of Ms. Lee’s greatest hits from the late 30’s to the 70’s, Elaine performs two fascinating, musical, and dynamic sets of Miss Lee’s most famous (and a few obscure) songs.
The show was presented several times at the Plush Room in San Francisco (now closed), the Pioneer Theater in Reno, NV, and various nightclubs throughout the Bay Area.
Hear Samples of “Lucia Sings Lee”
Lucia_Sings_Lee – Im Gonna Go Fishin’