English singer, songwriter, author, producer, and Communist activist who released twenty solo folk albums between 1956 and 1985.
He was a member, in his youth, of both the Young Communist League and the Clarion Players, a theater company with a socialist bent.
He wrote the 1972 Grammy Award-winning song, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which was performed by both Peggy Seeger and Roberta Flack.
His first two marriages were to theater director Joan Littlewood and dancer Jean Newlove. Following his second divorce, he wed American folk singer, Peggy Seeger, with whom he collaborated on numerous songs and albums.
His daughter, Kirsty MacColl, also had a successful career as a singer and songwriter.