Most Americans of a certain vintage will remember Little Peggy March from her huge hit “I Will Follow Him.” The song topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts in the spring of 1963. Only 15 at the time, March stood four foot, ten inches, hence the “little” connotation. She scored a couple more minor US hits until fading into obscurity. But did she?
What many don’t realize is that March enjoyed tremendous success in Europe, especially Germany, for the rest of the 1960s and well into the 1970s. In fact, she moved to Germany in 1969.
She transformed from the perky, petite, brunette “Little” Peggy, to a svelte, blonde vivacious German chanteuse, with a clear, power-packed voice.
She won the Deutscher Schlager Contest in 1965 and her song “Mit 17 hat man noch Träume” (“At 17 you still have dreams”) placed No. 2 in the German Singles Chart. Search for her on YouTube and you’ll many of her German recordings.
One of my favorite of her performances is this one from 1971. She sings “A Banda” (“The Band”—also recorded in German by French ye-ye Girl France Gall in 1968) and the soulful, driving Motown-inspired “Lieben Ist Schoener Als Traumen,” which was a German single for March in 1971. Both songs showcase her powerful voice and versatility. Note the Jay Leno lookalike on guitar at the top of “Lieben…” 😉 Enjoy!