1. Margherita Maria Francesca LaCentra was an American contralto singer, best known for her work on old-time radio and her singing with Artie Shaw's orchestra.
15 Facts About Peg LaCentra
1. 2.
Peg LaCentra worked as an announcer at WNAC and performed on WBZ radio in Boston before moving to New York in 1931 to work on network radio broadcasts.
3.
Peg LaCentra performed on NBC programs, including Beauty Box Theater, Circus Night in Silvertown, and Lucky Smith.
4.
In 1934, Peg LaCentra was billed as Barbara Fulton when she sang with Leo Reisman's orchestra on radio.
5.
Peg LaCentra gained her own program, The Peg LaCentra Show, on NBC in 1938, a year in which she sang on For Men Only on NBC.
6.
Peg LaCentra was one of the stars of the Gulden's Mustard Serenade, a 15-minute variety show broadcast on NBC twice weekly in 1940.
7.
Peg LaCentra appeared on Broadway as Mrs Hamilton in The Patriots.
8.
In 1932, Peg LaCentra sang with Phil Spitalny and his orchestra.
9.
Peg LaCentra's first recording was "The Fortune Teller" with Johnny Green's orchestra on the Columbia label.
10.
In 1936, Peg LaCentra joined Shaw as a singer for his newly formed orchestra.
11.
Peg LaCentra recorded with Shaw for Brunswick records for a year.
12.
Peg LaCentra sang with Benny Goodman's orchestra and recorded with Jerry Sears' orchestra for Bluebird Records.
13.
Peg LaCentra was a ghost singer in feature films, dubbing vocal performances for stars including Susan Hayward in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman and Ida Lupino in The Man I Love.
14.
Peg LaCentra appeared in short films, including Broadway Follies, a series of single-reel musicals from Columbia Pictures, and sang in cafe sequences in Humoresque.
15.
On June 1,1996, Peg LaCentra died at age 86 of a heart attack at her home in Los Angeles.