Peggy Gram, née Barnes, is a world-champion women's

barbershop music Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1930s–present), is a style of a cappella close harmony, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a primarily ...

singer, leader of

Sweet Adelines International Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers, established in 1945, committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education ass ...

(SAI) and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Musical background

Gram was awarded the SAI lifetime achievement award in 2010 for her long association with the organization including; being its international president, achieving "master director" status and becoming a certified competition judge. She has twice won the SAI International quartet championship – with "Ginger 'n' Jazz" (1987) and "Rumors" (1999). At the age of 22, Gram became the director of the SAI affiliated Top of the Rock chorus in 1972, and retired and became co-director in 2006. The Top of the Rock chorus has recorded three of its songs, in 1995, 2001, and 2002; which was a Christmas album. She also has been honored with the Top of The Rock Peggy Gram Scholarship, which is awarded yearly to women in

Music Education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

or Vocal Performance Education at the

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

level to assist in the furtherance of their music education.

Education

She has a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in English/language arts education from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. Attending University of Arkansas from 1967 to 1971.

Political career

Peggy Gram held the title of chief deputy to

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...

while he was Land Commissioner (1985-2003), Secretary of State (2003–2011), and

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

(2011–2015) in the state of Arkansas. Gram has worked for the State of Arkansas for over 30 years. She has been chair of the board of the Information Network of Arkansas.

Personal life

Gram lives in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, Arkansas. Her family includes husband Robert Gram and two daughters, Kerri and Kristen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gram, Peggy Musicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Women in Arkansas politics Barbershop music University of Arkansas alumni Living people Sweet Adelines International Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women