Peggy March
Peggy March (born Margaret Annemarie Battavio, March 8, 1948) is an American pop singer. In the United States, she is primarily known for her 1963 million-selling song "I Will Follow Him". While she had only a few further chart successes in the United States, she achieved numerous hits in European countries, especially Germany, well into the 1970s.
Also recorded as Little Peggy March
Peggy March

Olaf Kosinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Name
- Peggy March
- Birth Name
- Margaret Annemarie Battavio
- Born
- 8 March 1948
- Birthplace
- Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Occupation
- Singer
- Full name
- Margaret Annemarie Battavio.
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- pop · blues · schlager
- Education
- Lansdale Catholic High School
- Honours
- Goldene Stimmgabel
- Languages
- English · German
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Peggy March (born Margaret Annemarie Battavio, March 8, 1948) is an American pop singer. In the United States, she is primarily known for her 1963 million-selling song "I Will Follow Him". While she had only a few further chart successes in the United States, she achieved numerous hits in European countries, especially Germany, well into the 1970s.
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gnd · 1112562346 · wikidata · Q467288 · wikipedia · Peggy March
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Peggy March • Birth Name — Margaret Annemarie Battavio • Other Names — Little Peggy March • Born — 8 March 1948 • Birthplace — Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Occupation — Singer • Years Active — 1962−present
Career
Career
Born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania to an Italian-American family, March was discovered at age 13 singing at her cousin's wedding and was introduced to record producers Hugo & Luigi. They gave her the nickname Little Peggy March because she was tall (though she later grew to be 5ft 4in), she was only 13, the record she did with them was "Little Me", and her birthday was in March. On April 24, 1963, her single "I Will Follow Him" soared to number one on the United States chart. She recorded the song in early January 1963 and it was released on January 22, when she was 14. March became the youngest female artist with a number one hit, at 15, in late April 1963, a record that still stands for the Billboard Hot 100. The recording also reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and Scandinavia. It failed to chart in the United Kingdom. It was a translation of the French song "Chariot" recorded a year earlier by Petula Clark. March also became the first white female solo artist to hit number one on the Billboard R&B chart. March's success also came with financial trouble. She was a minor and the "Coogan Law" prevented her parents from managing her money. The responsibility was placed on her manager, Russell Smith. It was discovered in 1966 that he had squandered the fortune, leaving her with $500. March graduated from Lansdale Catholic High School in 1966. • Illustration — Billboard advertisement, July 27, 1963 Although she is remembered in the United States by some as a one-hit wonder, her singles, "I Wish I Were a Princess" and "Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love", made the top 30 in the US, with the latter also reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. As with many American artists, March's career in her native country was derailed in part by the British Invasion, which at the time was pushing many American acts out of popularity, and she had no hits at home once the Invasion began in 1964. Recording for RCA Victor, March made 18 singles from 1964 to 1971. She also cut several albums, none of which sold well in the United States. She began having a strong presence in the European and Asian music markets and moved to Germany in 1969. She won the Deutscher Schlager Contest in 1965, and her song "Mit 17 hat man noch Träume" ("At 17 you still have dreams") placed number 2 in the German Singles Chart. This was followed by German songs like "In der Carnaby Street", "Einmal verliebt – immer verliebt", "Romeo und Julia" ("On Carnaby Street", "Once in Love – Always in Love", "Romeo and Juliet"... number one in German Chart), "Der Schuster macht schöne Schuhe" ("'The Cobbler Makes Beautiful Shoes"), "Telegramm aus Tennessee", "Die Maschen der Männer", "Wie ein Tiger" and "Das sind die Träume, die man so träumt". Her commercial success in Germany continued through much of the 1970s; she tried her luck in representing Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, only to be placed second in the national final with the song "Hey! Das ist Musik für mich". March made another Eurovision attempt in 1975, when she performed the Ralph Siegel composition "Alles geht vorüber" in the German national contest. Again, she was placed second. In 1979, she experimented with disco on the album Electrifying, but it failed to achieve commercial success. By 1981 EMI did not renew her contract, and she moved back to the United States. In 1984, however, Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora achieved a major European hit single with the track "When the Rain Begins to Fall", co-written by March. Although not a hit in the UK or in the US, it went to number one in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In 1998, the song entered the German Top 10 again when covered by rapper Pappa Bear. The cult film Hairspray featured "I Wish I Were a Princess" in 1988, and a retro fad in Germany brought her some continuing success starting in the mid-1990s with the album Die Freiheit Frau zu sein (1995). Her song "I Will Follow Him" was featured in the 1992 movie Sister Act. • Illustration — Peggy March in 2024 March currently works largely in Germany and in the Las Vegas music scene and has also performed at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri. In 2004, she was the headliner in Riff Markowitz's Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theater in Palm Springs, California. In 2005, she released an album of standards, Get Happy, followed by the album Meine Liebe ist stark genug (2008). In March 2010, March went into the recording studio to record her first album of new, original material in English in over 30 years. A collaboration with Scandinavian songwriter and producer Soren Jensen, the album Always and Forever was released on October 13, 2010. It was followed by a special edition for the German-speaking countries in April 2012, including two duets with the Dutch singer José Hoebee, one of them being a cover version of "I Will Follow Him"; which had also been a number one single in the Netherlands and Belgium for Hoebee in 1982 (March further recorded a subsequent recording in 2012 for a 2013 release to commemorate the song's 50th anniversary). March also recorded another version of "When the Rain Begins to Fall" as a duet with the German singer Andreas Zaron.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1969, March married Arnie Harris, her longtime manager. They had one daughter, Sande Ann, born in 1974. After living in Germany since 1969, March and her husband moved to Florida in 1999. In 2013, Harris died.
Singles
Singles
US Singles • Year — Title — Peak Chart Positions — Album • US — GER — AUS — HK — FIN — PER — UK • 1962 — "Little Me" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single • 1963 — "I Will Follow Him" — 1 — 6 — 1 — 1 — 2 — 2 — — — I Will Follow Him • "I Wish I Were a Princess" — 32 — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love" — 26 — — — — — 1 — — — — — 29 — Non-album singles • "The Impossible Happened — 57 — — — — — 10 — — — — — — • "(I'm Watching) Every Little Move You Make" — 84 — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1964 — "Leave Me Alone" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Oh My What a Guy" — — — — — — — 10 — — — — — — • "Can't Stop Thinkin' About Him" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1965 — "Let Her Go" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Losin' My Touch" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — In Our Fashion • "He Couldn't Care Less" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Non-album singles • 1966 — "He's Back Again" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Try to See It My Way" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — No Foolin • 1967 — "Foolin' Around" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Non-album singles • "This Heart Wasn't Made to Kick Around" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1968 — "If You Loved Me (Soul Coaxing-Ame Caline)" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1969 — "Boom Bang-A-Bang" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 2013 — "I Will Follow Him (50th Anniversary Edition)" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Always And Forever German Singles • Year — Title — GER — Album • 1964 — "Lady Music" — 12 — Non-album singles • "Wenn der Silbermond" — 15 • "Hallo Boy" — 17 — Tagebuch Einer 17-jährigen • "Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye" — 8 • 1965 — "Er schoss mir eine Rose" — 23 • "Mit 17 hat man noch Träume" — 2 — Laß Mir Meine Träume • "Kilindini Docks" — N/A — Non-album single • "Die schönen Stunden gehen schnell vorbei" — 25 — Tagebuch Einer 17-jährigen • 1966 — "Tausend Steine" (with Benny Thomas) — — — Laß Mir Meine Träume • "Hundert Jahre und noch mehr" — 18 • "Sweetheart, schenk mir einen Ring" — 40 • 1967 — "Memories of Heidelberg" — 2 — Hello Boys! • "Romeo und Julia" — 1 • "Telegramm aus Tennessee" — 15 • 1968 — "Canale Grande Number One" — 18 • "Das ist der Musik für mich" — 21 — Non-album singles • "Mississippi Shuffleboat" — 30 • 1969 — "Yesterday Waltz" — 37 • "Hey" — 29 • "Bahama Lullabye" — 13 • "In der Carnaby Street" — 16 — Einmal Verliebt - Immer Verliebt • "Mister Giacomo Puccini" — 33 — Non-album singles • 1970 — "Vor dem Buckingham Palast" — — • "Einmal verliebt - immer verliebt" — 23 — Einmal Verliebt - Immer Verliebt • " Die Maschen der Männer — 29 • "Carmen aus Sevilla" — — — Non-album singles • 1971 — "Sing, wenn du glücklich bist" — 35 • "Hallo Partner" — — • 1972 — "Ich weiss, ich verlieb mich noch heute in dich" — 38 • "Es ist schwer, dich zu vergessen" — 30 — Für Dich • 1976 — "Du, mach mich nicht an" — 47 — Costa Brava • "Costa Brava" — 42 • 1977 — "Fly Away Pretty Flamingo" — 8 — Fly Away Pretty Flamingo • 1978 — "Oklahoma Bay" — 44 • 1980 — "Dreh' die Uhr zurück zum Anfang" — 37 — Non-album single Italian Singles • Year — Title — IT — Album • 1964 — "Te Ne Vai"/"Così" — 1 — Little Peggy March • "Passo su Passo/""Carillon" — — • "Gli Occhi Tuoi Sono Blu"/"Eh bravo" — — • 1969 — "Che figura ci farei"/"Ci vuole coraggio" — — — Non-album single
Albums
Albums
US Albums • Year — Title — Peak Position • US • 1963 — I Will Follow Him — 139 • 1965 — In Our Fashion (collaboration with Benny Thomas) — — • 1967 — No Foolin — — • 2005 — Get Happy — — • 2013 — Always And Forever — —
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Peggy March was recorded at birth as Margaret Annemarie Battavio. Her recorded languages were English and German. She married Arnold Harris.
Identity
Identity
Peggy March is recorded as having received Goldene Stimmgabel.

Peggy March als Gast beim ZDF-Fernsehgarten am 24. Juni 2018 in Mainz.
Olaf Kosinsky

Billboard ad, July 27, 1963.
RCA Victor · Billboard, July 27, 1963, page 53
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1948
Peggy March born at Lansdale.
Discography
• Illustration — An advertisement for March's 1968 RCA Victor single "If You Loved Me (Soul Coaxing- Ame Caline)"
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q467288: Peggy March
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Peggy March”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1112562346, Costa Brava (Zusammenstellung, Peggy March).
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.AllMusic.com. Biography by Bruce Eder and Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
- 2.Murrells, Joseph. The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. 161/2. 1978. 0-214-20512-6.
- 3.Peggy March, the Youngest Woman to Top the Hot 100, Looks Back on 'I Will Follow Him'. Billboard.
- 4.Billboard - May 12, 2001 - Page 60 "... RCA introduced its own teen queen, Little Peggy March. Her first single, a cover version of the song "Little Me" from the Broadway show of the same name, didn't go anywhere, but the follow-up was a different story. "I Will Follow Him" topped ..."
- 5.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. This Day in Music.
- 6.Roberts, David. British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Limited. 349. 2006. 1-904994-10-5.
- 7.Jermaine Jackson & Pia Zadora — When The Rain Begins To Fall. Swisscharts.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-15.
- 8.Archerd, Army. Just for Variety. Daily Variety. Reed Business Information, Inc. March 23, 2004.
- 9.Peggy March - Meine Liebe ist stark genug. Swisscharts.com (2009-07-17). Retrieved on 2012-04-15.
- 10.March, Peggy :: Always and Forever - Artnr 876227-2DA MUSIC Deutsche Austrophon GmbH & Co.KG. Da-music.de. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
- 11.March, Peggy- als dem Jungstar die Knie zitterten- Musik & Events- SWR4 Baden-Württemberg. swr.online. March 6, 2018.
- 12.Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Record Research. 440. 2002. 0898201551.
- 13.Peggy March. Offizielle Deutsche Chart.
- 14.Little Peggy March. Officialcharts.com.
- 15.TE NE VAI/COSI. Discografia.dds.it.
- 16.LITTLE PEGGY MARCH. Discografia.dds.it.
- 17.PASSO SU PASSO/CARILLON. Discografia.dds.it.
- 18.DGLI OCCHITUOI SONO BLU/EH BRAVO. Discografia.dds.it.
- 19.CHE FIGURA CI FAREI/CI VUOLE CORAGGIO. Discografia.dds.it.
- 20.Whitburn, Joel. Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. 94. 1973.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1112562346, Costa Brava (Zusammenstellung, Peggy March).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q467288: Peggy MarchWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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