Peggy Seeger

Peggy Seeger (b 1935) is an American-British folk singer.

The first American period

Peggy Seeger was born on June 17th 1935 in New York. Her mother Ruth Seeger was a folklorist who was the mother of Pete Seeger by a previous marriage. Along with other family members, Barbara Seeger and Mike Seeger she learned an enormous repertoire of songs and wrote her own. One of her first recordings, "American Folk Songs for Children" (1955) is also one of her most enduring. It is probably the best-selling collection of Children's songs ever recorded. In the 50s left-leaning singers such as Paul Robeson and The Weavers began to find that life became difficult because of the influence of McCarthyism. Peggy visited Communist China and a result had her passport withdrawn. Peggy therefore decided to tour Europe. While in London, she was accompanying herself on banjo, when Ewan MacColl fell instantly in love with her. He left his then wife Jean Newlove to become Peggy's partner. They were together until his death in 1989.

two social critics

Together with Ewan she joined The Critics Group, performing satirical songs in a mixture of theatre, comedy and song. They recorded as a duo and as solo artists. Peggy's recording career has lasted longer than any rock band in the world. None of their recordings use electronic instruments. All together they have recorded over 100 albums. While Ewan wrote many songs about work, Peggy sang about the women's movement. Her most memorable was "I'm Gonna be an Engineer". There were two major projects dedicated to the Child Ballads. The first was "The Long Harvest" (10 volumes 1966 - 1975). The second was "Blood and Roses" (5 volumes 1979 - 1983). Peggy sang the ballads which are narrated from the female point of view. She visited the women's camp at Greenham Common, where protests against US Cruise missiles were concentrated. For them she wrote "Carry Greenham Home". Peggy ran a record label "Blackthorne" from 1976 to 1988.

after the fall

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the US authorities began to soften their attitude towards China. Peggy's US citizenship was restored and in 1994 she returned to the USA, living in Ashville, North Carolina. Peggy has continued to sing about women's issues. One her best recent albums is "Love Will Linger On" (1995). She has published a collection of 150 of her songs from before 1998. She shows no signs of retiring. Kirsty MacColl and Hamish MacColl are the children of Jean Newlove by Ewan MacColl. Neill, Callum and Kitty are the children of Peggy Seeger by Ewan MacColl.

selected discography

solo albums

• - Folksongs of Courting and Complaint (1955)
• - Animal Folksongs for Children (1957)
• - Two Way Trip (1961)
• - Peggy Alone (1967)
• - At The Present Moment (1973)
• - Penelope Isn't Waiting Anymore (1977)
• - Different Therefore Equal (1980)
• - The Folkways Years 1955 - 1992 - Songs of Love and Politics (1992)
• - Familiar Faces (1993)
• - Songs of Love and Politics (1994)
• - Love Will Linger On (1995)
• - An Odd Collection (1996)
• - Classic Peggy Seeger (1996)
• - Period Pieces (1998)
• - No Spring Chickens (1998)
• - Almost Commercially Viable (2000)
• - Heading For Home (2003)

Mike and Peggy Seeger.

• - American Folk Songs for Children (1955)
• - American Folk Songs Sung by the Seegers (1957)
• - Peggy 'n' Mike (1967)
• - American Folk Songs for Christmas (1990)

Peggy Seeger and the Critics Group, including Frankie Armstrong.

• - The Female Frolic (1967)
• - Living Folk (1970)