Peggy March is a national treasure. Known in 1963 as “Little Peggy March,” she rocketed to fame with her million-selling single, “I Will Follow Him.” The record rose to number 1 in the U.S., Australia, and Hong Kong charts.
She has two ties to The Beatles that are both so interesting!
One is her 1975 rendition of the song “John, Paul, George, and Ringo,” which she recorded for the album Männer. The producer, Ralph Siegel, wanted to create an album about important men, so there were songs about Salvador Dali, Napoleon, Cassius Clay, John Kennedy, and others. Siegel added The Beatles with a song named “John, Paul, George, and Ringo.” March recorded the song in German at a studio in Munich and released the album in Germany.
“The album may have sold three copies in the U.S.,” March laughed, “but it did well in Japan, Italy, and other countries.”
But her other fab claim to fame came on an evening television show that, when looked back on, had a fantastic impact on music history. She was invited to be a panel member on August 24, 1963, on the U.K. television show Juke Box Jury. Her fellow panelists that night were Tom Courtenay, Peter Noble, and an up-and-coming performer named Liza Minnelli. “She hadn’t done much at all up to that time,” March said.
The show’s premise was that new songs were played, and after a brief opinion, the panel voted hit or miss by holding up placards. The producers played eight songs that night.
The show started with two songs: The Dreamer by Neil Sedaka (RCA) and Judy’s Turn To Cry by Lesley Gore (Mercury). The panel voted both “HITS.”
The fourth number was A Doodlin’ Song by Peggy Lee (Capitol), voted a MISS. The rest were: You Must Be Jokin’ by Wee Willie Harris (HMV), voted a HIT, Wait’ Til My Bobby Gets Home by Darlene Love (London), voted a MISS, Frankie and Johnny by Sam Cooke (RCA), voted a HIT, and Summertime, Summertime by The Fortunes (Decca), voted a MISS.
But what will forever be a footnote in history was the third song that evening. It was from a Liverpool group making a name for themselves all over the region: The Beatles. The song was “She Loves You” (Parlophone – released the day before), and after some deliberation, it was voted a “HIT.”
“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure at that moment, just hearing it for the first time, if I liked it or not. But I voted it a “HIT” and said if this came to the states, it would be a huge hit.” It never dawned on me that they would be the phonemes that they were. March laughed,” As I looked back, I never realized what a genius I was at that moment! They were brand new artists, and I was a part of this!”
But there was another twist to that evening. “Who was backstage in the wings, but Liza Minella’s mom, Judy Garland, was such an icon to me. I was so impressed that her mother was there. I met her, and I remember there was smoke everywhere because of her cigarettes. I was so nervous about meeting here that I could only say “hello.”
Asking if March collected Beatle memorabilia herself, she answered, “No, I didn’t collect any. I was always on the road, hardly ever in a regular school, and was never home to keep it anywhere!”
Still working and singing, her incredible voice and wide range of songs and language have kept her busy, while her Beatle connection will always add to her legacy as a fan favorite.
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