Born in
Chicago,
Illinois, United States, she began performing in vaudeville as a child. "Starlight (Help Me Find The One I Love)" (1931), her first published song, was recorded by
Bing Crosby. She also wrote radio themes for
CBS. Other notable songs include "
Lullaby of the Leaves", "The Lady I Love", "
Close Your Eyes" (1933), "My River Home", "By a Rippling Stream", "Stay Out of My Dreams", "A Mile a Minute" and "It's All So New to Me", which was featured in the
Joan Crawford film
The Ice Follies of 1939 (MGM, 1939). Petkere was a member of
ASCAP and the
Writers Guild of America. Her songs have been recorded by
Kurt Elling,
Tony Bennett,
Doris Day,
Peggy Lee,
Nancy Wilson,
Ella Fitzgerald,
Queen Latifah,
Vic Damone,
Betty Carter,
Harry "Sweets" Edison and
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (together, in an instrumental version),
Herb Ellis and
Remo Palmier (together, in an instrumental version),
Harry Belafonte,
The Ventures, and
Kate Smith. Petkere died in
Los Angeles,
California, at the age of 98. ==References==