Margaret Annemarie Battavio ( Little Peggy March) was born on
March 8, 1948, in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. She was discovered at age
thirteen singing at a wedding and was introduced to the record producer
duo Hugo & Luigi. They gave her the nickname Little Peggy March
because of her 4'10" height, the fact that she was thirteen, the
first record she did with them was "Little Me". In April 1963,
her single "I Will Follow Him" had soared to number one on U.S.
charts. Recorded in early January 1963 and released January 22 of that
year, Peggy was only 14 at the time. Little Peggy became the youngest
female artist with a number one hit, a record that stood for 35 years.
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 away,
leaving her with $500. Peggy graduated from Lansdale Catholic High School
in 1966. She soon had a new manager, Arnie Harris, who, later on, became
her husband. They had one daughter, Sande, born in 1974. Peggy March also
currently performs at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri.
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