Starstruck in San Leandro

Local author Robert Strom has been an ardent fan of the late jazz singer Peggy Lee since he was a student at .

He recalls the phrase that set off his lifelong obsession with the 12-time Grammy nominee known for songs like "Fever" and "Is That All There Is?" and for giving voice to the Siamese cats in Disney's classic Lady and the Tramp. A guest speaker at San Leandro High described Lee as “having magnetism and charm on stage.” Intrigued, the teenaged Strom set out to discover what Lee was all about.

He listened to her albums. “The more I listened, the more I realized that she was giving us real emotion rather than volume,” he said.

Strom's face still lights up when he talks about Lee.  

Peggy Lee's real name was Norma Delores Egstrom. She started her career as a singer in Benny Goodman's big band orchestra.

Between 1944 and 1953, Lee and her husband, David Barbour, published 28 songs. She was awarded the Grammy Award for her song “Is That All There Is?” in 1970.

Whenever Lee played at the Fairmont Hotel’s Venetian Room in San Francisco, Strom was there. He was hooked on her charm.

After the shows Strom would speak to Lee and sometimes she would autograph albums. Eventually, Strom became president of Lee's fan club and edited the club's newsletter, called Fever.

The two developed a friendly relationship that included personal phone calls. One day as they were talking on the phone, Lee told Strom, “Today is the last day of my secretary.”

“I am your new secretary,” Strom replied, half-jokingly. Lee didn't take it as a joke. In 1991, Strom packed up and drove to Los Angeles to take the job.

Strom lasted in the position for about five months. He was homesick. He missed his friends and family in the Bay Area, so he quit and returned to San Leandro.

During his time working with Lee, Strom realized celebrities have all the failings of common mortals.

“When Lee was angry, she could level anyone in just a few words,” he said. “The glamorous person on stage is just an image.” 

Still, his admiration for Lee's work never wavered.

The singer died in 2002 at the age of 81. 

Relying heavily on a 2,447-page scrapbook kept by one of Lee's biggest fans, the late Ronald Towe, Strom published a book about Lee in 2005. The book, Miss Peggy Lee: A Career Chronicle, is available on Amazon.com and in many libraries. 

These days, Strom's passion is focused on writing. He has written a number of plays and recently released a new book about the life of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee.

With Strom's passion for the pen (he says he writes about a chapter a month), and extensive memorabilia collections on other stars of yesteryear, including Fred Astaire and Katharine Hepburn, readers can likely expect more works from Strom in the future. 

Strom will present and sign copies of his latest book, Lady of Burlesque: The Career of Gypsy Rose Lee, at the San Lorenzo Library on May 17 at 1:30 p.m. He will also appear at the San Leandro but the date has not yet been scheduled.