Peggy Gordon

"Peggy Gordon" is a Canadian folk song that has become popular in many English-speaking countries. As a folk song it was first collected in the 1950s and 1960s in Canada, mainly in Nova Scotia.

History

In the 1820s and early 1830s, a song called "Peggy Gordon" was published on American song-sheets: in New York and in Boston (available at the libraries of Brown University, RI and the New York Historical Society).

A couple of decades later, a song called Peggy Gordon was mentioned in Fitz-Hugh Ludlow's story The Primpenny Family. The story was published in serial form in the magazine Vanity Fair in 1861, mentioning the song in chapter VI in a conversation between Mr. Kineboy and Miss Primpenny: .

"I have read about it, and often thought I'd like to hear it," said Miss Primpenny with enthusiasm.
"What key do you sing it in? I'll play the accompaniment for you."

The chorus of Kineboy's performance is very similar to the chorus of present-day versions:

Another version of this song, in the form of a vaudeville song called Sweet Maggie Gordon, was published in New York from 1880. The song tells a story of a man who is madly in love with a woman of this name and how he longs to be with her.

Peggy Gordon (singer)

Peggy Gordon is a singer/songwriter best known for her role as Peggy in the original 1971 Off-Broadway cast of Godspell.

Gordon wrote the music By My Side with fellow CMU student Jay Hamburger writing the lyrics. It was the only song that survived the re-scoring of the show by Stephen Schwartz. She sang this song in the musical production, with Gilmer McCormick providing harmonic vocals.

References