Peggy Seeger
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Obviously if we've talked about Pete and Mike, we have to talk about Peggy. Peggy's career has been as busy and distinguished as any Seeger. From her early years Peggy was not only a performer but a scholar and among other things she was heavily involved in the production of Alan Lomax's magisterial Folksongs of North America. She provided the guitar chords as well as writing the section on how to play the songs using the banjo. This book has long been the staple of folk singers although, like so many books that are a part of America's culture, it is sadly out of print and has no electronic edition.
Older Brother Pete ...
... and Younger Brother Mike.
Peggy - her real name is Margaret - was born in 1935 to Charles Louis Seeger and Ruth Crawford. Charles was a music scholar who taught at Juilliard and Berkeley. However he also spent considerable time bringing high-brow music to ordinary people, but in doing so the ordinary people brought their music to Charles. That is, Charles learned of their folk music.
Peggy's mom, Ruth, was a composer of the "modernist" genre1 and had received a Guggenheim fellowship to study composition in Europe. Peggy said the Guggenheim fellowship provided her mom with enough money for study but not enough for food and this study with inadequate sustenance adversely affected her mom's health for the rest of her life. But folk song fans best know of Ruth as the author of the famous folk song books for children (and Peggy's recordings of them).
Footnote
Modern "classical" music is in fact a bit of an oxymoron since strictly speaking classical music refers to European music written from the mid-1700's to the early 1800's (the exact years vary depending on the source). The classical era is usually defined as lasting through the careers of Hayden to the early Beethoven. In some books you'll see overlap of the various eras. A common timeline for the classical period is from 1750 to around 1820 although you can define a "pure" classical era extending from maybe 1760 to 1810. So no, Hector Berlioz, Johann Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Lisz, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, and Frank Zappa were not classical composers.
Instead "modern classical" music is best described as "serious orchestral music" that began with composers like Arnold Schoenberg around 1900. In it's various incarnations the modernist era continues today.
Despite predictions by famous and even iconic conductors, "modern classical" music has not become as popular as the works of Hayden, Beethoven, Mozart, or Wagner. On the other hand Ruth's music is a good introduction to serious modernist music as it is quite easy to listen to and recordings and performances are fairly easy to find.
It's no surprise that Peggy decided to major in music and had begun performing when she was a student at Radcliffe (Brother Pete had attended Harvard2). For whatever reason the Seegers all seemed to excel on the banjo although Peggy also plays guitar, dulcimer, and piano (which she said she prefers). In 1955 she began what was a world tour (which included countries behind what was the called the Iron Curtain as well as China). Ultimately she settled in England where among other things she met (and married) Scottish singer Ewan MacColl. In 1959 she became a British citizen, and although she has spent extended times back the US, she resides in the UK.
Footnote
At the time women were not permitted to enroll in Harvard but Radcliff students had the same professors, attended the same classes, took the same tests as the Harvard boys. Kind of makes you wonder what was the point.
It was Peggy who got Younger Brother Mike set to a musical career. Mike had seemed indifferent to the arts (Peggy said he preferred to take out the garbage rather than practice) but when he was eighteen Mike came down with shingles on his eyes. So he had to lie for weeks in a darkened room. With Peggy reading to him from Pete's instruction book (Pete already had an international reputation), Mike would lie in bed and play through the lessons. By the time he recovered it was clear he had inherited the Seeger talent.
Ewan MacColl
Peggy and Ewan recorded a number of (quite good) albums including a 10-set compilation of Scottish and English Ballads along with North American versions. But they have also written original compositions of merit which are often on social topics. A very good album is "Chorus From The Gallows" although the song topics are not what you think of when you want light hearted fare for a merry sing-a-long. But others of their songs were of a more - ah - "general interest" - like "The Maid Gaed Ta' Tha' Mill" which calls to mind George Harrison's famous (alleged) quote about folk songs. Among Ewan's songs that have become folk standards are "Dirty Old Town" and "The Shoals of Herring".
But if the average Joe and Josephine Blow know anything about Peggy and Ewan it's that Ewan wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" which he composed for Peggy (she first heard it when Ewan sang it over the telephone). Over the years it's been recorded by artists like - and to skip this rather lengthy list click here - The Ian Campbell Folk Group, Grant and Forsyth, Ferrante and Teicher, Christopher Peacock, Sussan Kameron, The Alan Caddy Orchestra and Singers, Charles Kynard, Sharon Hayes, Alyssa, Romantic Saxophone Quintet, Simon Park, Rupert Parker, Stereophonics featuring Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Ann Hampton Callaway, Johnny Cash, Rafiq Bhatia, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Offa Rex, Engelbert Humperdinck, Jordyn Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Paddy Reilly, Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett, Kamahl, Phil Coulter, Luke Evans, Johnny Farnham, The Temptations, The Flaming Lips Feat, Erykah Badu, Lee Lessack with Nita Whitaker, Oliver Darley, Rebecca Newman, Harry and Lena, Paal Flaata, The Roy Wiegand Jazz Orchestra, Martin Nievera, Chie Ayado, Allen Austin-Bishop, Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra - The Stereophonics, Jeffrey Osborne, Emile Pandolfi, Sloan Wainwright, Harry Connick, Jr., Barbara Dickson, Peter Blakeley, Bronn Journey, Kashief Lindo, Matt Cardle, Kings Road, Kamahl, Geraldine, Annie Moses Band, Kandace Springs, Cris Williamson, Eleanor McCain, Andy Williams, Kristine W, Yoshiko Gotoh, David Wilson, Dinah Shore, George Michael, Alex Campbell, Peggy Watson, Anita Louise Combe, Kerri Sherwood, Edgar Cruz, Val Doonican, Nancy Ames, We Five, MaryLee, Anita Dobson, Jordan Rudess, and the Tino Reyes Trio, Paul Buchanan, The Gosdin Brothers, Nana Mouskouri, Maysa, Marie Fisker/Kira Skov, The Geoff Love Singers, Dave Burland, Tony Capstick, Dick Gaughan, Mel Tormé, Bradley Joseph, Marla Wootan, Kimiko Itoh, Wayne Gratz, Johnny Hartman, Denzal Sinclaire, Andy Williams, Edward Woodward, Gli Scapoli, Reza Aghamir, Sean Kjartan, Stephanie, Julie Lendon, Bart and Friends, David Fourie, Noon, The Ballroom Band, Fay Claassen, Charlie McCoy, Dave Lee, Michael Ball, Bert Jansch, John Gregory, Meav, Melveen Leed featuring Barry Miles, Karrin Allyson, Celine Dion, The Rachel Z Trio, Björn Casapietra, Mari Nakamoto, SFUZZI East/West, Rhonda Burchmore, The Kingston Trio, Joe and Eddie, Michael Allen Harrison and Julianne R. Johnson, Easther Bennett, Lena Martell, Gitte Hænning, Journey South, Jim Nabors, Salena Jones, Michael Kaeshammer, Marcia Griffiths, Tony Hatch and His Orchestra, Vern Gosdin, Aaron Neville, The Highwaymen, Pollyanna Lee, Shirley Bassey, Erin McDougald, Harry Belafonte, Sam Whitson, Maria Taylor, Sounds of Sunshine, Jane McDonald, Jeffrey Gaines, Nils Lofgren, The Brothers Four, Janet Seidel Trio, James Valentine, Dexter Gordon, Alison Moyet, Danny Wright, Alfie Boe, Vikki Carr, Von Freeman, Brian Kennedy, Paul Downes, Marta Król, Leona Lewis, Lotte Kestner, Yasuko Agawa, Steven Houghton, Sony Holland, Lettermen, Maria Kesselman, Jacqui Dankworth and Charlie Wood, Tony Mottola, Stephanie Prather, Joe Augustine, Gregorian, Fayray, Timmy Thomas, Tom Solomon, Lesley Wolman, The Smothers Brothers, Out of the Blue, Malia, Cyrus Chestnut, Marianne Faithfull, The Paul Mitchell Trio, The Brotherhood of St Gregory, The Chad Mitchell Trio, June Tabor, Toots Thielemans, Catherine McKinnon, Mathilde Santing, Boston Pops Orchestra with Arthur Fiedler, Ronnie Aldrich and His Two Pianos, Mary Travers, Ricardo Scales, Sarah Jane Morris, Christine Sullivan, Alice Groves, Quincy Jones, Terrea Lea, Luka Bloom, Alan Garrity, C. L. DelMastro, Inger Marie, Robin Lynn Miller, Naturally 7, Tony Riccio, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sam Harris, Priscilla Herdman, Bic Runga, Gordon Lightfoot, Caroline Henderson, Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones, Gordon Giltrap, Michael Chapdelaine, Christy Moore, Bertie Higgins, Joanna Law, Lyn and Graham McCarthy, Kate Ceberano, Peggy Seeger, Calum MacColl, Elvis Presley, Cleo Laine and John Williams, Paul Brooks, Esther Ofarim, LaMont Ridgell, Maureen Washington, Grace Mahya, Julian Lloyd-Webber And the London Symphony Orchestra, James Darren, Isaac Hayes, Jiro Inagaki Grand Spaceship Orch., Johnny Mathis, Natasha Marsh, Glee Cast, José Carreras, Acker Bilk, Appendix Out, Bobby Vinton, The Ray Conniff Singers, Lisa Yvonne Ferraro, Johanna Grüssner, and Percy Faith His Orchestra. Of course it was Roberta Flack's 1972 version that became a hit tune and won a Grammy. (To return to the top of the list click here.)
Although which albums are the best is purely subjective, Peggy's albums from her mom's book of folksongs are strong candidates. The most comprehensive collection is a two album set which she performs with Mike. Some of the songs aren't really kids songs but fortunately they have been adapted as such and can be cheerfully sung in our cautious era.
References
"Peggy Seeger Interview", The American, November 8, 2018.
"Long Biography", Peggy Seeger.
Folk Songs of North America, Alan Lomax, Doubleday, 1960.
American Folk Songs for Children, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Doubleday, 1948.
"Peggy Seeger and Ewan Maccoll", Discog.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", Second Hand Songs.