Peggy March 1963
Early January, Peggy practices her next record, I Will Follow Him, at home and her sister says it is too repetitive. Peggy in her Billboard interview of November 9th 2010 reports “I took it home to work on it - "too repetitious," I thought, but that is what makes a great hook. I recorded the song in December 1962 with a huge orchestra in Studio A on 23rd Street in New York. . In her 2006 interview in the Record Collector Peggy adds, "When they were ready to go with it we spent three hours recording. My voice was so strong they had to put me in an isolation booth. I remember standing in the booth in the middle of the whole orchestra. The backing group did their part separately. I sang the song over an over again for 13 takes, before they finally decided to pick take 10. I remember drinking my Coca-Cola and just loving it all". I Will Follow Him* was released as a single Jan. 22, 1963. Take 9 is the version on The Very Best of Little Peggy March* CD
January 6th* I Will Follow Him* is recorded (From the cover notes of ‘The Very Best of Little Peggy March’)
January 22nd * I Will Follow Him* is released in the US
February 2nd Billboard in a 'POP SPOTLIGHT' reviews Wind-Up Doll (Duchess. BMI) (2:27) RCA Victor 8139 "Memories, Another attractive ballad about wind-up doll, is song with feeling and sincerity by the young thrush, and the tune, the arrangement, and her vocal are strong enough to make the disk happen. Flip is I Will Follow Him"
March 2nd I Will Follow Him starts getting played in Detroit (reported on Regional Breakouts on the Front Page of Billboard) and in the same edition (RCAVictor Singles) reports that (the single by) Peggy March is showing some action. Peggy took her first plane trip to promote the song in Detroit.
March 23rd RCA Victor place a photo advert in Billboard "Big Hit For March I Will Follow Him c/w Wind-Up Doll.
April 6th If I Were A Princess is recorded. (Peggy thinks this was a wrong choice and would have chosen Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love but she had no say) Billboard (p.92. reports "CHICAGO-I Will Follow Him by Little Peggy March on RCA Victor and* Little Band of Gold*, by James Gilreath on Joy, were leading the city in juke box sales here last week..."
April 13th An Artist’s Biography on Peggy appears in Billboard
April 20th Photo in Billboard
April 24th Peggy is a guest on The Perry Como Show and sings I Will Follow Him
April 27th Billboard reports that " Wednesday 24th-Little Peggy March. Newcomer makes first TV appearance in the Perry Como show (NBC-TV 9-10p.m.). Her current chart topper is * I Will Follow Him * on RCA Victor.
April 27th I Will Follow Himreaches number 1 on the US Charts and remains there for 3 weeks. Peggy becomes the youngest female US No.1 beating the record held by Brenda Lee by 6 months. The song becomes an international success as well. I Will Follow Him reaches number one in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Scandinavia. In Germany the song reaches number 6 on the 20th July, spends 4 weeks in the top 10 and a total of 13 weeks in the charts.
I don't have any information on the performance below. It Is possibly from American Bandstand - see October 19th
April 27th Peggy on the cover of Music Vendor
Magazine cover from the The Philadelphia Bulletin. Peggy reports, "This photo was taken the same day as the cover of my I WILL FOLLOW HIM album (see 20th July below). Belle, adopted from the animal shelter, came into our home. Russ Smith promised me a puppy if the record would go #1. I don't know if he ever asked Mom or Dad. Belle eventually became Dad's dog....she loved him."
There is an amusing chapter in Things I Did Once: Growing up Stories by C.M. Greene (Publish America: Baltimore, 2007). Ch 12 Not Really a Date refers to a Spring 63 Performance at the Walled Lake Casino, Flat Rock Michigan by Peggy March. The author won a dance with Peggy and he recalls Peggy sang a few numbers including I Will Follow Him, signed autographs and danced with 5 boys. Apparently at the end of the evening Peggy stopped her car and spoke to the author again. ““I liked our dance,” she laughed silkily. “it’s the only time I ever danced with someone who had to fight for it.”” During an interview in 2012 Peggy confirmed that she performed at lots of these radio show or high school hops accompanied by a chaperone - she also remembered Flat Rock but not the Casino.
During his days in his studio, called “The Factory”, in NY Andy Warhol would sometimes play I Will Follow Him for hours at a time! (Original Source Warhol's friend Michael Childers reported By Nelson Davis)
May 6th Peggy’s signature against the Canadian Chart from Chum Radio 1050 (Toronto, Ontario) below was obtained by Richard Mills in December 2011 - not quite 49 years later!
May 25th If I Were A Princess is released with good marketing support in the US. The May 25th edition of Billboard has a full page (p.2) advert promoting the new record with a photo record review, p.24, “Peggy March has a follow-up here to her recent “I Will Follow Him.” She sings the bright ballad with style over stylish backing by the ork. Should do mighty well. Flip is “My Teenage Castle.
May 25th I Will Follow Him reaches number 1 on the Australian Charts and remains there for 2 weeks.
The US and Italian covers for I Will Follow Him followed by the Italian cover sleeve.
Markdown
May 31st Peggy appears at the Keith James in Norfolk.
June 1st If I Were A Princess reaches No 32 in the US Charts.
June 12th Appears on The Perry Como Show and sings If I Were A Princess. Billboard (15th June edn.) reports that " Perry Como will have Little Peggy March on his show (NBC-TV 9-10p.m.). Her latest release, If I Were A Princess, is on the Hot 100 chart.
June 20th Peggy performs at the Midway Ballroom, Cedar Lake
June 24th Appears at the Steel Pier Atlantic City
June 29th Billboard reports that I Will Follow Him is No.1 in Israel.
June 29th Peggy performs in a 'Summertime on the Pier' show Atlantic City. Broadcast on the NBC owned WRCV-TV channel. It was humid, and the 80 degrees temperature was augmented by 300 teenagers dancing under the added heat of kleig lights.
2nd July Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love is recorded.
3rd July Boy Crazy is recorded.
July 1963
July 20th Billboard in a 'POP SPOTLIGHT' reviews I Will Follow Him and writes that " Little Peggy March has scored twice in a row with her singles (I Will Follow Him and If I Were A Princess) and this, her first album, features both along with a flock of good ditties bound to please the teeners. Titles include As Young As We Are, Wind Up Doll, Johnny Cool and I'll Never Forget Last Night. Good performances, well arranged and all packaged with a slick cover photo of the girl, a that should add up to pretty sales."
July 20th In Germany I Will Follow Him reaches Number 6, with 13 weeks in the Charts (4 weeks in the top 10)
August 3rd J. Fukumishi, Tokyo in the Billboard 'Music Capitals of the World' section reports, that "The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported as the July bestsellers here..5..I Will Follow Him".
August Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love and Boy Crazy are released.
August 10th Advert placed by RCA in Cash Box
August Feature on Peggy in Song Hits History
August 18th Radio South Africa Hit Parade listing
August 17th Chris Hutchins (News Editor, New Musical Express) in the Billboard 'Music Capitals of the World' section reports, that "...British dates are being set for two of America's top girl singers — Lesley Gore and Little Peggy March. ... Peggy March is due in Europe next month and is expected to stop off for about 10 days on her way there for radio and TV dates..."
August 22nd - 31st Undertakes a 10 day promotional tour of the UK.
August 23rd Appears on TV show* Ready, Set Go* (Episode 3 of series 1) Peggy is a guest along with The Rolling Stones, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan
August 24th Chris Hutchins (News Editor, New Musical Express) in the Billboard 'Music Capitals of the World' section reports, that "...Little Peggy March was due in Thursday for a 10-day promotional trip. . . 24th August Billboard in a 'POP SPOTLIGHT' reviews Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love and writes that "Peggy March comes through with a tremendous effort on this side, selling the song of heartache with feeling over a first rate arrangement. Should be a big one for the fans. Flip side is Boy Crazy.
August 24th Record Mirror (p.9) reviews Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love. “From the girl who has had two big US hits but none here, comes this strong beat-ballad with Peggy on very good vocal form. She sings well on the number which moves along at a medium tempo with a lot of good backing work and altogether it’s a good disc. But we doubt commercial appeal as her others didn’t make it. A pity, because this is probably her best yet. Teen number on the flip about the girl who likes opposite sex just a little too much. But nonetheless it’s a goodly number with Peggy on top of her vocal form. And of course it’s really only ONE boy she likes. As if we didn’t know. 4 stars”. Note 4 stars was the highest rating award by Record Mirror.
August 24th Appears on the TV show Jukebox Jury hosted by David Jacobs with Tom Courtenay and Peter Noble as fellow panelists.
August 31st Appears on Thank Your Lucky Stars (Episode 10 of series 4). This episode is hosted by Pete Murray and alongside Peggy are Jet Harris & Tony Meehan, Carol Deene, Ronnie Hilton, Jimmy Justice, Jonny Sandon and the Remo Four, The Overlanders , Elaine & Derek, and The Redcaps.
August 31st Melody Maker (p.2) reports in the ‘thats’s show biz!’ Column under the heading “Following Peggy”,“Stars, especially young fans, are often fans at heart. Little Peggy March - the 15-year-old American who made the big time with “I Will Follow Him” - was thrilled when Pat Boone and his wife Shirley came over to her table at (a?) London May Fair Hotel, on Tuesday, to congratulate her on her “Ready, steady, go! TV spot. Peggy, who has been singing since she was five, says her hit disc has interrupted two things in her life - boyfriends and a leading part in a school play.”
August 31st Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love reaches No 26 in the US Charts. Peggy believes that the turmoil at RCA at the time meant that the promotion of this track in the US was much below the earlier RCA standard.
August 31st Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love reaches No 29 in the UK Charts and spends a total of 7 weeks in the UK Charts. This is Peggy’s only appearance in the UK Charts!
August 31st Article on Peggy in New Mirror Record
September 2nd Peggy is a guest on the UK TV show Discs a Go-Go transmitted on this date.
September 4th-5th and 10th Tino and Bobby Küsst Wunderbar are recorded in Berlin.
September 5th Peggy is a guest in the UK TV show A Swingin' Time hosted by Rolf Harris. Since Peggy was in Berlin this must have been recorded.
September 8th Peggy flies to Rome. The blurb accompanying the Keystone, Roma photo (below) reads "8th September 1963 - Arrived from the United States the young American singer Peggy March considered one of the best new American singers; she was met at Fiumicino by Italian singer Rita Pavone the "Queen of Twist" who will give hospitality to Peggy March in her beautiful house at Ariccia a little country in the Castelli Romani." A lot of publicity talk here Peggy recalls that "....she was on RCA at the time also. I don't remember going to her house, but I do remember that we did some shows together."
September 28th Jimmy Jungerman in the Billboard 'Music Capitals of the World' section reports, that "... Peggy March, Bob Moore, Roy Orbison and Peter, Paul and Mary will guest star at the Berlin Radio and Phono Fair'" The photo below appears in Billboard (28th Sept) with the caption "THE INTERNATIONAL SET: Visitors to the German Radio Exhibition in Berlin recently were U. S. artists (left to right) Bob Moore, Little Peggy March and Roy Orbison. Schedule included television appearances, recording sessions, plus outing to riding school."
October 5th Billboard lists Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love at No 3 in Hong Kong.
October 11th The Impossible Happened is recorded.
October 12th Every Little Move You Make is recorded. Billboard has a photo of Peggy with Rita Pavone and her manager Teddy Reno. "Peggy was introduced to Italian audiences over Rita's television show. When Rita comes to the U. S. Peggy promises her a guided tour." Billboard reports that I Will Follow Him is No. 2 in Finland.
October 16th Article on Peggy in the magazine Everybody
October 19th Appears on American Bandstand and sings I Will Follow Him and Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love. (Bill Anderson, the Country singer, also appeared on this show) This was Peggy's second appearance on American Bandstand she had appeared earlier in the year and sang I Will Follow Him but I don't know the date of the show and the video tapes of both shows were over recorded.
October 26th Peggy performs at the Cobo Hall, Detroit Mi
October 29th The Impossible Happened/Waterfall is released (RCA Victor 47-8267).Him
October I Will Follow Him and Wind Up Doll are used in the soundtrack of the Film Scorpio Rising
November 1st Peggy is a guest on The Mike Douglas Show
November 9th Billboard list Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love at No 2 in Hong Kong but show that it was No.1. the week before.
November 14th The magazine Musikparade has material on Peggy.
November 16th The Impossible Happened reaches No 57 in the US Charts. RCA Victor places a large advert in Billboard promoting the new single. "UPWARD MARCH! Get in step with Little Peggy March's new high-rising single The Impossible Happened c/w Waterfall.
November 23rd Billboard report that * I Will Follow Him* is at No. 3 in Peru
December 7th Skip Voogd (Holland) in the Billboard 'Music Capitals of the World' section reports, that "... Little Peggy March cut her first German language single "Bobby Kusst Wunderbar..." (This seems very later reporting - see Sept 4th above.)
December 11th Lady Music, Spiel Nicht Mit Meine Leibe, Bei Dem Dudel-Di-Dei-Dei, Wenn Der Silbermond and Wer Die Junge Leibe Kennt are recorded in Berlin.
December 21st Billboard reports that "While RCA is back in the San Remo Festival it is also pushing its own winter disk event, "Festival at Home", which is tied to a nationwide contest. ..Of the 15 artists participating in this winter counterpart of the summer record activity the only non-Italians are Neil Sedaka and Little Peggy March."
December 28th Billboard, in an article titled 'Music As Written', reports that "The Hague. Little Peggy March, the 15- year-old American girl singer, well known in Holland by her hit "I Will Follow Him," visited the low countries last week. She is making a tour of Europe and will visit Belgium, Germany, Austria, Rome and France. She will also make some TV appearances..."
December 31st Every Little Move You Make is released.
Below are some of the awards Peggy received during year.
