Lee was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on March 22, 1903.

She attended Oakwood Junior College and the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts.

[1] Important performances include her 1948 debut at the Detroit Art Institute Lecture Hall and a 1952 performance at Town Hall in New York City.

[2] Lee was an Artist in Residence at Oakwood University from 1966 through 1970.

She was married to John Frank Lee and was active in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.