NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ewan MacColl

Ewan MacColl (25 January 1915 - 22 October 1989) was a British folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was the father of Kirsty MacColl. is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 â€“ 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter. ...

Early history

MacColl was born James (Jimmie) Henry Miller in Salford, Lancashire in England, to Scottish parents, William and Betsy Miller. He left school in 1929, joined the Young Communist League and the socialist amateur theatre troupe, the Clarion Players. He began his career as a writer helping produce, and contributing humorous verse and skits to some of the Communist Party's factory papers. He was an activist in the unemployed workers campaigns and the mass trespasses of the early 1930s. One of his best-known songs, "The Manchester Rambler", was written after the pivotal mass trespass of Kinder Scout. He was responsible for publicity in the planning of the trespass. For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world such as the Young Communist League in Britain and the Young Communist League, USA. In the Soviet Union the youth organization under control of the Communist Party of the... The Clarion was a weekly newspaper published by Robert Blatchford, based in the United Kingdom. ... The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist party in the United Kingdom. ... Commemorative plaque at Bowden Bridge Quarry The mass trespass of Kinder Scout was a notable act of willful trespass by ramblers. ...

In 1932 the British intelligence service, MI5, opened a file on MacColl, after the Chief Constable of Salford told them that the singer was a Communist Party member. For a time the Special Branch kept a watch on the Manchester home that he shared with his wife Joan Littlewood. MI5 caused some of MacColl's songs to be banned from the BBC, and blocked the employment of Joan Littlewood as a BBC children's programme presenter. MI-5 redirects here. ... Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ... For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Special Branch is the arm of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police forces that deals with national security matters. ... Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 - 20 September 2002) was a theatrical director, famous for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

MacColl enlisted in the Army in July 1940, but deserted in December. Why he did so, and why he was not prosecuted when he re-surfaced after the war, remain a mystery.

Acting career

In 1931, with other unemployed members of the Clarion Players he formed an agit-prop group, the Red Megaphones. In 1934 they changed the name to Theatre of Action and not long after were introduced to a young actress recently moved up from London. This was Joan Littlewood who became Miller's wife and work partner. Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 - 20 September 2002) was a theatrical director, famous for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop. ...

In 1936, after a failed attempt to relocate to London, the couple returned to Manchester, and formed Theatre Union. In 1940 a performance of The Last Edition - a 'living newspaper' - was halted by the police and Miller and Littlewood were bound over for two years for 'breach of the peace'. The necessities of wartime brought an end to Theatre Union. This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ...

In 1946 members of Theatre Union and others formed Theatre Workshop and spent the next few years touring, mostly in the north of England. Jimmie Miller had by then changed his name to Ewan MacColl. In Theatre Union roles had been shared but now, in Theatre Workshop, they were more formalised. Littlewood was the sole producer and MacColl the dramaturge, art director and resident dramatist. Theatre Workshop is a theatre group most notable for their devised pieces that included Oh, what a lovely war, and their leader, Joan Littlewood. ... In the theater, a dramaturg holds a position that gained its modern-day function through the innovations of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, a playwright and theater practitioner who worked in Germany in the 18th century. ... A dramatist is an author of dramatic compositions, usually plays. ...

The techniques that had been developed in Theatre Union now were refined, producing the distinctive form of theatre which was the hallmark of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop as the troupe was later known. They were an impoverished travelling troupe, but were making a name for themselves.

Music

In this period MacColl's enthusiasm for folk music grew. In 1953 Theatre Workshop opted to settle in Stratford, London, and MacColl, who was opposed to the move, left and began to concentrate on the promotion and performance of folk music. His long involvement with Topic Records was first obvious in 1950 when he released a single "The Asphalter's Song" on the label. Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... , Stratford, historically Stratford Langthorne, is a place in the London Borough of Newham in East London. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Topic Records began as an offshoot of the UK Communist Party in 1939. ...

As well as writing and performing, MacColl followed in the footsteps of his colleague Alan Lomax and collected traditional ballads. Over the years he recorded upwards of a hundred albums, many with English folk song collector and singer A.L. Lloyd. The two together released a series of eight records of the Child Ballads, many of which appeared on his other albums. MacColl also produced a number of LPs with Irish singer songwriter Dominic Behan. Lomax playing guitar on stage at the Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, North Carolina, sometime between 1939 and 1950. ... A ballad is a story in song, usually a narrative song or poem. ... A. L. Bert Lloyd (1908-1982) was a British folksinger and collector of folk songs, and as such was a key figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ... Dominic Behan (22 October 1928 - 3 August 1989)(Gaelic: Doiminic Ã“ BeachÃ¡in) was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. ...

In 1956, MacColl caused a scandal by leaving his then second wife, Jean Newlove, the mother of his children, Hamish and Kirsty, for Peggy Seeger, who was many years his junior. It was for her that he wrote the classic, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". The song was written at Seeger's request for a play she was in. He wrote it on the spot and taught it to her over the phone.^[1] This song became a #1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1972; MacColl won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for it, while Flack won the Record of the Year award for it. 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. ... Alternate covers Promotional single The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is a 1957 folk song written by Ewan MacColl for his wife Peggy Seeger. ... Roberta Flack Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. ... The Song of the Year is one of the two most prestigious awards in the Grammies, if not in all of the American music industry. ... The jejejeje Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. ...

His other best-known song is "Dirty Old Town", written about his home town of Salford in Lancashire. It was written to cover an awkward scene change in his play "Landscape with Chimneys" (1949), but with the growing popularity of folk music the song became a standard, part of many a singer's repertoire. Recordings include The Spinners (1964), The Dubliners (1968), Rod Stewart (1969), the Pogues (1985), Simple Minds (2003), Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (2003), and Frank Black (2006). Dirty Old Town is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949, and made popular by The Dubliners. ... For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Spinners were a folk group from Liverpool, United Kingdom. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962, making them one of the older bands still playing music today. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roderick David Stewart, CBE (born January 10, 1945), is a singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... The Pogues were a popular Irish folk/punk band of the 1980s. ... This article is about the year. ... Simple Minds is a rock band from Scotland, which had its greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Touch and Go Records. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons named Frank Black, see Frank Black (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Among his other songs was The Ballad of Ho Chi Minh (1954), which is rather famous in Vietnam. There was also "The Ballad of Tim Evans" (also known as "Go Down You Murderer") about how an innocent man, Timothy Evans, was executed for a crime he did not commit. Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Timothy John Evans (November 20, 1924 â€“ March 9, 1950) was a young man, possibly mentally retarded, who was hanged in the United Kingdom in 1950 for the murder of his infant daughter. ...

He is credited in Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is an English singer-songwriter who was the winner of the third series of the popular television talent show The X Factor. ...

Radio

MacColl had been a radio actor since 1933. By the late thirties he was scripting as well. In 1957 producer Charles Parker asked MacColl to collaborate in the creation of a feature programme about the heroic death of train driver John Axon. Normal procedure would have been to use the recorded field interviews only as source for writing the script. MacColl produced a script that incorporated the actual voices and so created a new form that they called the radio ballad. Charles Parker (1919-1980) was a BBC Radio producer based in Birmingham from 1954-1972 who specialised in Documentary Radio and Theatre. ... John Axon GC (4 December 1900 â€“ 9 February 1957) was an English engine driver from Stockport (Edgeley Depot) who died while trying to stop a runaway freight train on a 1 in 58 gradient near Buxton in Derbyshire after a brake failure. ... The radio-ballad is an audio documentary format created by Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, and Charles Parker in 1958. ...

Between 1957 and 1964, eight of these were broadcast by the BBC, all created by the team of MacColl and Parker together with Peggy Seeger who handled musical direction. MacColl wrote the scripts and the songs, as well as, with the others, collecting the field recordings which were the heart of the productions. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Songwriting

Seeger and MacColl recorded several albums of searing political commentary songs. MacColl himself wrote over 300 songs, some of which have been recorded by artists (in addition to those mentioned above) such as Planxty, The Dubliners, Dick Gaughan, The Clancy Brothers, Elvis Presley, Weddings Parties Anything, and Johnny Cash. In 2001, The Essential Ewan MacColl Songbook was published, which includes the words and music to 200 of his songs. Planxty was an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s by Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine (a founder of the Irish mid-sixties group Sweeneys Men), and Liam OFlynn (piper). ... The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962, making them one of the older bands still playing music today. ... Dick Gaughan is a Scottish singer-songwriter. ... The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem from left to right: Tom, Pat, Liam, and Tommy Makem The Clancy Brothers were an Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, who are often credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. ... â€œElvisâ€ redirects here. ... Weddings Parties Anything is an Australian rock/folk band formed by Mick Thomas in 1985 and continuing until 1998. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ...

There is a plaque dedicated to MacColl in Russell Square in London. The inscription includes: "Presented by his communist friends 25.1.1990 ... Folk Laureate - Singer - Dramatist - Marxist ... in recognition of strength and singleness of purpose of this fighter for Peace and Socialism". In 1991 he was awarded a posthumous honorary degree by the University of Salford. Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Mascot Lion Affiliations University Alliance Association of Commonwealth Universities Northern Consortium United Kingdom North West Universities Association Website http://www. ...

His daughter from his second marriage, Kirsty MacColl, followed him into a musical career, albeit less traditionally. Kirsty MacColl was killed in an accident in Mexico in 2000. Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 â€“ 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter. ...

Bibliography

External links

Categories: British male singers | British folk musicians | British communists | British dramatists and playwrights | British record producers | Popular Theatre companies and practitioners | Communist Party of Great Britain members | Anglo-Scots | People from Salford | 1915 births | 1989 deaths | Grammy Award winners The Working Class Movement Library (WCML) is a collection of English language books, periodicals, pamphlets, archives and artefacts relating to the development of the political and cultural institutions of the working class which was created by the Industrial Revolution. ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... BBC News website in June 2007. ...