Peggy Seeger

Peggy Seeger (New York City, New York, June 17, 1935 -) is an American folk singer who also achieved renown in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years as the wife of songwriter Ewan MacColl.

The first American period

Seeger's father was Charles Seeger (1886-1979), an important folklorist and musicologist; her mother was Seeger's second wife, Ruth Porter Crawford (1901-1953), a modernist composer who was one of the first women to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship. One of her half-siblings is the equally famous Pete Seeger. One of Peggy Seeger's first recordings was "American Folk Songs for Children" (1955), considered one of her most enduring and probably the best-selling collection of children's songs ever recorded.

Related Topics:
Charles Seeger - Ruth Porter Crawford - Guggenheim Fellowship - Pete Seeger - Children's songs

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In the 1950s, left-leaning singers such as Paul Robeson and The Weavers began to find that life became difficult because of the influence of McCarthyism. Seeger visited Communist China and a result had her U.S. passport withdrawn. She therefore decided to tour Europe. While in London in 1956, she was accompanying herself on banjo, when Ewan MacColl fell in love with her. Previously married to director and actress Joan Littlewood, MacColl left his second wife, Jean Newlove, to become Seeger's lover. They married in 1958 and were together until his death in 1989.

Related Topics:
Paul Robeson - The Weavers - McCarthyism - Communist - China - Banjo - Ewan MacColl - Joan Littlewood

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Kirsty MacColl and Hamish MacColl are the children of Jean Newlove by MacColl. Neill, Callum, and Kitty are Seeger's children by MacColl.

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