Norman Lee (March 21, 1921 – December 6, 1978) was an American songwriter, jazz

clarinetist This article lists notable musicians who have played the clarinet. Classical clarinetists * Laver Bariu * Ernest Ačkun * Luís Afonso * Cristiano Alves * Michel Arrignon * Dimitri Ashkenazy * Kinan Azmeh * Alexander Bader * Carl Baermann * ...

, and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

singer of the 1950s to 1970s.

Early life

Born Norman Uehle in

Danbury, Iowa Danbury is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA– NE– SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 320 at the time of the 2020 census. Danbury has two churches, St. Mary's Catholic C ...

, Lee was raised in nearby

Correctionville, Iowa Correctionville is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA– NE– SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 766 at the time of the 2020 census. The town name comes from the original sur ...

. His mother, Alice Lee, was also a musician.

Career

Lee is best known for his collaboration with

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

. Lee co-authored several songs, including "Champagne Polka", with Welk. Lee also led his own group, the Norman Lee Orchestra, in Kansas. Lee also toured the United States with the

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county ...

Orchestra and later took over the group after Howard's death.

Death

In 1978, Lee was murdered by a former member of his band along with his wife and publicist in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

Discography

*"Slappin' Clarinet" *"Let's Go Dance Again"

References

1921 births 1978 deaths American jazz clarinetists Big band clarinetists American jazz singers American male songwriters American murder victims 20th-century American male musicians 1978 murders in the United States Deaths by firearm in Kansas {{US-musician-stub People from Des Moines County, Iowa People from Woodbury County, Iowa