AN EVENING WITH PEGGY SEEGER

“This sparky woman has done so much, lived so much, crammed so much in. Most of all, she has informed our appreciation of British and North American folk music, like very, very few people have. Then factor in her multiple roles in illuminating the folk, political song and feminist scenes and how her songs have enriched the folk idiom, and you have somebody worth getting amazed about.” - Ken Hunt / Folk Roots Magazine.

PEGGY SEEGER was born on 17 June, 1935 in New York City. She is one of the most important figures in the history of folk music. An American folk singer who also achieved renown in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years, as the wife of songwriter and activist Ewan MacColl.

Seeger's father was Charles Seeger (1886–1979), an important folklorist and musicologist; her mother was Seeger's second wife, Ruth Porter Crawford. Ruth Crawford Seeger, who died in 1953, was a modernist composer and was one of the first women to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship.

One of her brothers is Mike Seeger, and the well-known songwriter Pete Seeger is her half-brother.

Among Peggy Seeger's first recordings in 1955 was ‘American Folk Songs for Children’, considered one of her most enduring, and probably the best-selling, collection of children's songs ever recorded.

Together with MacColl, Seeger joined The Critics Group, performing satirical songs in a mixture of theatre, comedy and song. Seeger and MacColl recorded as a duo and as solo artists; MacColl wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in Peggy's honour.

Her critically acclaimed classic biography, ‘First Time Ever – A Memoir’ was published in 2018.

We were delighted to welcome Peggy to The CAT Club for a memorable evening. A splendid time was had by all.

CAT Club stalwart IAN CLAYTON was in the interviewer’s chair.

This event took place on 16 July 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

Music used in this podcast by kind permission of Peggy Seeger.

Happy Trails.