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Biographical Note - Ewan MacColl
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1915 January 25 | Born James Henry Miller in Lower Broughton, Salford, England, to William Miller and Betsy Hendry Miller |
| 1929 | Joined the Young Communist League |
| 1931 | Helped form the Salford branch of the Workers Theatre Movement (manifestations include the Manchester Workers Theatre Movement, Red Megaphones, and Theatre of Action) |
| 1932 | Wrote first protest song, "The Manchester Rambler," in response to the Kinder Trespass protest |
| 1935 | Married Maudie Joan Littlewood (1914 October 6 - 2002 September 20) in Pendleton |
| 1937 | Wrote a rendition of "Jamie Foyers" in response to the Spanish Civil War |
| 1940 July | Called up for military service |
| 1940 December 18 | Left military service; officially deemed a deserter |
| 1941-1945 | Began writing plays Hell Is What You Make It, Rogues' Gallery, and Blitz Song (also known as The Long Winter) |
| 1945 | Changed name to Ewan MacColl |
| 1945 June | Founded the Theatre Workshop with Joan Littlewood and associates in Kendal |
| 1945 August 13 | Premiered Johnny Noble and The Flying Doctor with the Theatre Workshop |
| 1946 | Wrote Uranium 235 |
| 1946 December 16 | Arrested for desertation |
| 1947 February 26-1947 June 4 | Relocated to Northfield Military Hospital, Birmingham, after a cancelled court-martial based on medical grounds; formally discharged from the military after release from hospital |
| 1948 | Began radio work at the BBC North of England Home Service, Manchester Divorced from Joan Littlewood (by mutual consent) Wrote and premiered The Other Animals |
| 1949 April 13 | Married Jean Mary Newlove (1923 June - 2017 May 16) in Manchester |
| 1949 July | Wrote and premiered Rogue's Gallery |
| 1950 July 15 | Birth of son Hamish MacColl to Jean Newlove |
| 1950 | Recorded first two singles "The Brewer Laddie"/"The Ballad Of Stalin" for the Workers Music Association on Topic Records |
| 1951 February 12 | Met Alan Lomax while working on the BBC Third Programme radio program Traditional Ballads |
| 1952 | Wrote The Travellers which premiered at the 1952 Edinburgh People's Festival Recorded first two solo recordings "Sir Patrick Spens"/"Eppie Morrie" and "Van Dieman's Land"/"Lord Randall" with assistance from the English Folk Dance and Song Society |
| 1953 | Broadcast Ballads and Blues radio program on the BBC National Home Service |
| 1953 January | Ended association with Theatre Workshop after its relocation to the Theatre Royal Palace of Varieties, East London |
| 1954 | Edited The Shuttle and Cage: Industrial Folk Ballads for the Workers' Music Association Opened Ballad and Blues Club in the Princess Louise Pub, London |
| 1956-1989 | Released more than 100 albums including: solo albums Scots Street Songs, Songs of Robert Burns, and British Industrial Folk Songs; The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) series with A. L. Lloyd, and The Long Harvest and Blood and Roses series, Second Shift – Industrial Ballads and At The Present Moment with Peggy Seeger |
| 1956 March 25 | Met Peggy Seeger at her audition for the group Alan Lomax and the Ramblers |
| 1956 | Recorded songs for Shuttle and Cage with Peggy Seeger for Topic Records |
| 1957 November 24 | Relaunched the Ballads and Blues Club with Malcolm Nixon |
| 1957 | Wrote "The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)" with Peggy Seeger |
| 1957-1964 | Presented radio ballads "The Ballad of John Axon," "Singing the Fishing," "The Big Hewer," "The Fight Game," and "The Song of the Road" on the BBC National Home Service |
| 1959 March | Birth of son Neill MacColl to Peggy Seeger |
| 1959 October 10 | Birth of daughter Kirsty Anna MacColl (died 2000 November 18) to Jean Newlove |
| 1960 July | Performed at the second annual Newport Folk Festival with Peggy Seeger |
| 1960 | Awarded the Prix d'Italia for "Singing the Fishing" |
| 1960 December 3 | Performed at Carnegie Hall with Peggy Seeger for the first time |
| 1960 | Separated from Jean Newlove Published The Singing Island: A Collection of English and Scots Folksongs with Peggy Seeger |
| 1961 | Singers Club opened (disbanded in 1992 January) |
| 1963 | Birth of son Calum MacColl to Peggy Seeger |
| 1964 | Formed Critics Group (disbanded in 1971) |
| 1965 | Published Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland |
| 1965-1971 | Wrote and performed in Critics Group annual Festival of Fools |
| 1972 | Birth of daughter Catroina (Kitty) MacColl to Peggy Seeger Received Song of the Year Grammy for the Roberta Flack recording of "First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)" |
| 1973 May | Received Ivor Novello Award for Best Ballad or Romantic Song for Roberta Flack's recording of "First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)" |
| 1976 November 9 | Divorced from Jean Newlove |
| 1976-1989 | Established Blackthorne Records label with Peggy Seeger and Hamish MacColl; released eleven albums including Cold Snap, Different but Equal, Kilroy Was Here, Penelope Doesn't Live Here, and Saturday Night at the Bull and Mouth |
| 1977 January 25 | Married Peggy Seeger Published Travellers Songs from England and Scotland with Peggy Seeger |
| 1986 | Published Till Doomsday in the Afternoon: The Folklore of a Family of Scots Travellers, The Stewarts of Blairgowrie with Peggy Seeger |
| 1987 June | Awarded, with Peggy Seeger, the Gold Badge of the English Folk Dance and Song Society |
| 1987 July | Awarded Gold Badge of Merit by British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors |
| 1989 October 22 | Died, London |
| 1990 | Publication of Journeyman: An Autobiography. London: Sidgwick & Jackson |