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.

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 Seeger visited Communist China and a result had her U.S. passport withdrawn.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.

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

two social critics

Together with MacColl, Seeger joined The Critics Group, performing satirical songs in a mixture of theatre, comedy and song. They recorded as a duo and as solo artists; MacColl wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in Seeger's honor. None of the couple's more than 100 albums use electronic instruments. While MacColl wrote many songs about work, Seeger 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). She visited the women's camp at Greenham Common, where protests against U.S. cruise missiles were concentrated. For them she wrote "Carry Greenham Home". Seeger ran a record label "Blackthorne" from 1976 to 1988.

after the fall

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. authorities began to soften their attitude towards China. Peggy's American citizenship was restored, and in 1994 she returned to the United States to live in Asheville, North Carolina. Seeger 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.

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)