Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 15, 2000

DEAR JERRY: When I was in college, in the early '60s, my roommate had a Peggy Lee record album that I really enjoyed. Since then, I have been trying to find it but without success. I remember the album because it was the first time I ever heard of Peggy Lee or Andre Previn, with whom she performed.

I e-mailed the Peggy Lee Fan Club and they said Peggy never made an album with Andre Previn. Is my memory incorrect, or did they perform together? If so, is the performance still available on CD or some other format?
—Roger McQuown (rogermcquown@juno.com)

DEAR ROGER: I'm going to have to side the Peggy Lee Fan Club on this one. I find no albums where Peggy and Andre Previn team their talents.

Does the title “Beauty and the Beat” sound familiar? If so, it is the title of a 1959 album of vocals by Peggy Lee, accompanied by the music of George Shearing (Capitol 1219). The time frame is also right, which means this could be the LP you recall from your college days.

Since your memory is of the singer you heard being Peggy Lee, these next few are probably long shots; however, Andre Previn did record with a couple of other ladies in the early '60s.

“Dinah Shore Sings — Andre Previn Plays” (Capitol 1422) and “Diahann Carroll and Andre Previn” (United Artists 3069) both came out in 1960. Then, “The Fabulous Diahann Carroll with Andre Previn” (United Artists 3229) followed in 1962.


DEAR JERRY: My father is always singing a song he swears he didn't make up. Some of the lyrics he sings are as follows: “Take a K, and an E; N and a T; U and a C, K, Y. That spells Kentucky and it's mighty nice. You take a chicken and you kill it, and you put it in a skillet and you fry it up golden brown. That's southern cooking and it's mighty nice.

Any ideas about this song?
—Meg Davis (md5iron@aol.com)

DEAR MEG: Dad didn't dream this up, nor, it's safe to assume, did the chicken.

The tune is “Kentucky Means Paradise,” and, in 1962, it became the first ever C&W hit for Glen Campbell (Capitol 4867). The flip side, “Truck Driving Man,” also got quite a bit of air play. Interestingly, the actual credit on this single reads “The Green River Boys Featuring Glen Campbell.”

Now, as long as we are solving musical mysteries within the family:


What's it Worth? Get fast appraisals by e-mail!

DEAR JERRY: My brother is trying to find out a name of a song made in the '60s. He says I would always sing it around the house. It goes something like this: “She's looking good, just like I told her that she would, she's looking so good.” I remember it only slightly. Can you help out?
—Teresa Treat, Long Beach, Calif.

DEAR TERESA: It is likely you romped around the house singing this tune in early 1967. That's when “She's Looking Good,” by Rodger Collins became a hit — more so in California than elsewhere in the country. Perhaps Collins being an Oakland native boosted sales in the Golden State.


IZ ZAT SO? Peggy Lee is the speaking and singing voice of “Lady,” the animated canine co-star of the classic Disney film, “The Lady and the Tramp.” Peggy also does double duty on the soundtrack, supplying singing voices for the evil Siamese cats — speeded up of course (“We Are Siamese if You Please”).






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