Ewan MacColl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ewan MacColl
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| Born |
James Henry Miller
25 January 1915 Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England
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| Died | 22 October 1989 (aged 74) Brompton, London, England
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1930–1989 |
| Political party | Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) |
| Spouse(s) |
Joan Littlewood
(m. 1934; div. 1949)Jean Newlove (m. 1949; div. 19??) Peggy Seeger
(m. 1977) |
| Children | 5, including Kirsty MacColl |
Ewan MacColl (born James Henry Miller, 25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989) was a famous British singer, songwriter, and actor. He was also a collector of old folk songs. Ewan MacColl helped start the big folk music comeback in Britain during the 1960s.
He is well-known for writing popular songs like "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Dirty Old Town". MacColl collected many traditional folk songs. One of these was "Scarborough Fair", which became famous later on by Simon & Garfunkel. He released many albums, often with other folk musicians like Peggy Seeger. Ewan MacColl also wrote many songs about political ideas. He believed in communism and was active in politics throughout his life.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Ewan MacColl was born James Henry Miller in Salford, England. His parents, William and Betsy Miller, were from Scotland and believed in socialism. His father was a metalworker and a trade union member. His mother knew many old folk songs. Ewan later recorded some of these songs with her.
James was the youngest child in his family. He grew up surrounded by Scottish people and lively political discussions. His parents also shared many songs and stories from Scotland. He finished school in 1930 during the Great Depression. He was unemployed but spent time learning by himself at Manchester Central Library. During this time, he sometimes worked different jobs and also sang on the streets for money.
He joined a youth group for communists and a socialist acting group called the Clarion Players. He started writing humorous poems and short plays for the Communist Party's factory newspapers. He was active in campaigns for unemployed workers. He also took part in "mass trespasses" in the early 1930s. These were protests where people walked on private land to demand access to the countryside.
One of his most famous songs, "The Manchester Rambler", was written just before a big trespass event. This event was called the mass trespass of Kinder Scout.
Family Life
Ewan MacColl was married three times. His first wife was theatre director Joan Littlewood. He later married Jean Mary Newlove, and they had two children: a son named Hamish and a daughter, the singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl. His third wife was American folk singer Peggy Seeger. They had three children together: Neill, Calum, and Kitty. He worked with Joan Littlewood in theatre and with Peggy Seeger in folk music.
Acting and Theatre Career
In 1931, Ewan MacColl formed an acting group called the "Red Megaphones" with other unemployed actors. In 1934, they changed their name to "Theatre of Action". They met a young actress named Joan Littlewood, who became MacColl's wife and work partner.
In 1936, they formed the Theatre Union in Manchester. During World War II, MacColl joined the British Army in 1940 but left a few months later. In 1945, James Miller changed his name to Ewan MacColl.
In 1946, members of Theatre Union formed Theatre Workshop. They traveled around England, performing plays. Joan Littlewood was the producer, and MacColl was the writer and art director. They developed a unique style of theatre.
Music and Songwriting
Collecting Traditional Music
Ewan MacColl became very interested in folk music. He started collecting and performing old folk songs, also known as ballads. He was inspired by Alan Lomax, who collected folk songs in Britain and Ireland. MacColl began working with Topic Records in 1950.
In 1947, MacColl met an old lead-miner named Mark Anderson. Anderson sang him a song called "Scarborough Fair". MacColl wrote down the words and music. He later included it in a book and on an album with Peggy Seeger. A musician named Martin Carthy learned the song from MacColl's book. Carthy then taught it to Paul Simon, who made it famous with Simon & Garfunkel. MacColl also released his own versions of "Scarborough Fair".
Over the years, MacColl recorded many albums. He often worked with English folk song collector A. L. Lloyd. They released a big series of albums featuring many old ballads.
Ewan MacColl as a Songwriter
Ewan MacColl wrote over 300 songs. Many famous artists have recorded his songs. These include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Dubliners, and Rod Stewart. In 2001, a book called The Essential Ewan MacColl Songbook was published. It contains the words and music for 200 of his songs.
Many of his best-known songs were written for plays. For example, he wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" quickly for Peggy Seeger. She needed it for a play she was in. He taught her the song over the phone while she was on tour. This song became a number one hit in 1972 for Roberta Flack. It also won MacColl a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
His song "Dirty Old Town" was inspired by his hometown of Salford. He wrote it for a scene change in one of his plays. It became a very popular folk song. Many artists, like The Pogues and Simple Minds, have recorded it.
MacColl's song "The Shoals of Herring" is about the life of a fisherman. It has been recorded by groups like The Dubliners. Other popular songs he wrote include "The Manchester Rambler" and "The Joy of Living".
Some of his recordings are featured in the Topic Records 70-year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten.
Songs with a Political Message
Ewan MacColl was a key writer of protest songs in Britain during the 1950s and 60s. He wrote songs for the British Communist Party. He also wrote many songs for the movement against nuclear weapons. These songs included "Against the Atom Bomb" and "Nuclear Means Jobs".
MacColl dedicated an entire album to the lives of Gypsies in 1964. Many of these songs spoke out against unfair treatment of Roma Gypsies.
He wrote "The Ballad of Tim Evans" to protest against capital punishment (the death penalty). This song was based on a real case where an innocent man was executed.
MacColl was very active during the miners' strike of 1984–85. He gave out free cassette tapes of songs that supported the miners. The title song of this collection was called Daddy, what did you do in the strike?. At his 70th birthday party, he received a special miner's lamp to thank him for his support.
In his last interview in 1988, MacColl said he still believed in a socialist revolution. He felt that communist parties in Western countries had become too moderate. He had left the Communist Party because he felt the Soviet Union was "not communist or socialist enough".
Radio Work
Ewan MacColl also worked as a radio actor and writer since the 1930s. In 1957, he helped create a new type of radio program called a "radio ballad". These programs used real voices from interviews, along with music and songs.
Between 1957 and 1964, eight of these radio ballads were broadcast by the BBC. MacColl, producer Charles Parker, and Peggy Seeger worked together on them. Peggy Seeger handled the music and conducted many interviews. MacColl wrote the scripts and songs.
Teaching and Theatre Groups
In 1965, Ewan and Peggy formed the Critics Group. This group included young musicians and actors. They met weekly at MacColl and Seeger's home. The group aimed to improve musical skills and perform at political events. They also performed in theatre productions.
Some members of the group became well-known folk singers themselves. As the theatre part of the group grew, some members who were more interested in singing left. The group continued until 1972–73. After this, some members formed a new group called Combine Theatre. They mixed traditional and original folk songs with plays about current events.
Later Life and Legacy
Ewan MacColl had health problems for many years. He died on 22 October 1989, in London, after heart surgery. His autobiography, Journeyman, was published the next year. His collection of work with Peggy Seeger is now kept at Ruskin College in Oxford.
There is a plaque in London dedicated to MacColl. It calls him a "Folk Laureate" and a "fighter for Peace and Socialism". In 1991, he received an honorary degree from the University of Salford.
His daughter, Kirsty MacColl, also became a singer. His son, Neill MacColl, is a guitarist for musician David Gray. His grandson, Jamie MacColl, is also a musician in the band Bombay Bicycle Club.
Selected Albums
Ewan MacColl released many albums throughout his career. Here are some examples:
Solo Albums
- Scots Street Songs (1956)
- Shuttle and Cage (1957)
- Songs of Robert Burns (1959)
- Haul on the Bowlin' (1961)
- Solo Flight (1972)
Collaborations with A. L. Lloyd
- The Singing Sailor (1956)
- The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Vol 1-5 (1956)
- A Sailor's Garland (1966)
Albums with Peggy Seeger
- Second Shift – Industrial Ballads (1958)
- Chorus From The Gallows (1960)
- Classic Scots Ballads (1961)
- Steam Whistle Ballads (1964)
- The Long Harvest 1-10 (1966-1975)
- Blood and Roses (1979)
- Daddy, What did You Do in The Strike? (1984) (cassette mini-album)
The Radio Ballads (with Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger)
- Ballad of John Axon (1958)
- Singing The Fishing (1960)
- The Big Hewer (1961)
- The Travelling People (1964)
Selected Singles
- "The Shoals of Herring"
- "Dirty Old Town"
See also
In Spanish: Ewan MacColl para niños
