Clark, Peggy (1925/6-14th February 2020)

Vocalist born in North Dakota who was a very successful and sought after session singer for over four decades and a member of several vocal ensembles, including The Clark Sisters, with siblings Ann, Jean and Mary, who accompanied Tommy Dorsey on many of his recordings.

One of Peggy’s earliest recordings available on CD is The Complete Capitol Singles Collection of Frank Sinatra . Around this time, she was also singing background vocals for Bing Crosby, and some of these tracks were released on CD in 1993 on Bing! His Legendary Years, 1931 to 1957. Peggy was also a member of The Randy Van Horne Singers, who sang the themes from The Jetsons and The Flintstones, and made regular appearances on Nat King Cole’s TV program. There was a lot of cross-over between The Randy Van Horne Singers and The Ralph Brewster Singers, of which Peggy was also a part. In 1957, they caroled with Frank Sinatra on “The Christmas Waltz”, “The First Noel “, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Jingle Bells “, which would later appear on The Sinatra Christmas Album.

The Clark Sisters swung again on their 1959 album, The Clark Sisters Swing Again, and sang “Three Little Maids from Damascus” in the animated film, 1001 Arabian Nights.

On 6^th December 1961, Peggy was in the studio with Henry Mancini, recording “Just for Tonight” for the soundtrack of Hatari! The following year, as a member of The Jubilee Singers, she offered vocal support on the Pete Fountain LP, Let the Good Times Roll. She waxed poetic with Rod McKuen in the late ’60s, and these recordings can be heard on the compilation, If You Go Away: The RCA Years 1965-1970.

In 1978, she hooked up with the progressive rock band Triumvirat on A la Carte. She also appeared on Frank Sinatra’s 1979 boxed set, Trilogy. Other CDs on which she appears are Ray Peterson’s Tell Laura I Love Her, Duane Eddy’s Twangin’ from Phoenix to L.A., Rosemary Clooney’s The Girl Singer and Many a Wonderful Moment, and Come on-a My House: The Very Best of Rosemary Clooney.

Her husband was the clarinettist Wilbur Schwartz “Willie” who was lead clarinet for the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and an extremely successful session musician. Together they had three children and their daughter Nan Schwartz is a Grammy winning composer-arranger.

She passed away peacefully in 2020 when she was 95 years old.

Here she is with her sisters singing “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” from The Clark Sisters Swing Again…

Sources:

Clark, Peggy (1925/6-14th February 2020)

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