Ewan MacColl: Life and times
1915
A son, James, born to Betsy and William Miller of Salford, Lancashire
1918
End of World War One
1926
General Strike
1929
February 2nd, Jimmy Miller leaves school, a week after he turns 14.
April - gets job at Anaconda Wire
Joins the Clarion Players , later called the Workers Theatre Movement
Joins Young Communist League
October - Stock Market crash triggers massive economic depression
1929 - 1934
Temporary jobs, self-education, socialist politics, agit-prop theatre, rambling...
1931
'National' government formed by right wing Labour, Tories and Liberals
March - back on the dole.
Unemployed members of the Manchester W.T.M. form the Red Megaphones
1933
First radio work
1934
Red Megaphones change name to Theatre of Action
Meets Joan Littlewood who joins Theatre of Action
Joan and Jimmy marry
1935
Jimmy and Joan head for Moscow, make it to London...
1936
Back in Manchester, form Theatre Union
1940
The Last Edition 'a living newspaper' has performance halted by police.
Jimmy and Joan bound over for two years for 'breach of peace.'
1940 - 1945
Throughout the war, Theatre Union members keep studying their craft
1945
Theatre Workshop is formed
1945 - 1953
Theatre Workshop touring productions
Jimmy Miller becomes Ewan MacColl
Joan and Ewan divorce
Ewan marries Jean Newlove, they have two children, Hamish and Kirsty
1953
Theatre Workshop settles in Theatre Royal, Stratford, E. London
Ewan starts to separate himself from Theatre Workshop, concentrating more on promotion and performance of folk-music.
First Ballad and Blues concerts
1956
Meets Peggy Seeger
1957 - 1989
Life and musical partnership with Peggy Seeger.
Ewan and Peggy have three children, Calum, Neill and Kitty
1958 - 1964
Production of Radio Ballads
1960
Ballad and Blues Club is renamed the Singers Club
1965
The Critics Group forms
1965 - 1971
Critics Group organises annual Festival of Fools
1968 - 1985
Peggy and Ewan publish 21 issues of New City Songster
1985
Seventieth Birthday Concert
1989
After several years of illness, dies, aged 74.