Childhood & Early Life
Pebe Sebert was born on 17 March 1956 in Michigan City, Indiana, and spent her growing up years on a farms owned by her parents.
She started singing when she was just four years old and began performing publicly by the age of six. She also trained herself to be an instrumentalist, attending classes in guitar and piano.
In the initial years of her career, she performed as a solo artist as well as sang in groups and bands.
She attended the celebrated Interlochen Arts Academy, a pre-professional arts boarding school under the aegis of Interlochen Center for the Arts in Northwest Michigan, as a teenager. While studying in Interlochen Arts Academy, she went on a trip to Europe as part of the elite Interlochen Arts Academy Music Band.
She was still in high-school when she started performing in the coffeehouses and restaurants of Europe and Chicago.
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Career
Pebe Sebert first into limelight when she co-wrote the song “Borderline” for the album, ‘Walkin on the Moon’, with Pat Hubbard and John Fitzgerald, in 1976. The song was sung by Katy Moffat.
She gained widespread acclaim, when she penned the track, “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You”, together with country singer, Hugh Moffat, in 1977 for Joe Sun’s (another well-known folk singer) album’ Old Flames’. Pebe had married Hugh Moffat a year before she co-wrote the number with him.
The song, “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” reached the no. 14th position on the ‘US Billboard Hot Country Singles’ chart and was a runaway hit. The abiding popularity of the track inspired the highly celebrated singer, actress, songwriter, and author Dolly Parton to cover the song for her album ‘Dolly, Dolly, Dolly’.
The cover song by Parton topped the Billboard Hot Country singles chart in 1980 and the original track was later on reprised by several singers, including Pebe Sebert’s daughter Kesha.
In 1984, Pebe Sebert wrote the song, “Someone is Falling in Love” for Kathy Mattea, a ‘bluegrass’ and country singer.
In 1986, she co-composed, “Trail of Tears” with Lee Doman for the album, ‘New Trails’ by ‘Riders in the Sky’, an American Western music band.
In 2004, she sangf the song, “If I was an Angel” (which she composed with Mark Mangold) alongside Monty Lane Allen, Jerry Williams and Ned McElroy for X-Mass Balls’ first album, ‘She Left Me For Rudolph’.
Pebe, along with her children, Lagan and Kesha, shared small screen space with fashion designer, authoress, and actress Nicole Camille Richie and socialite Paris Hilton for the Fox reality TV series, ‘The Simple Life’. She appeared as herself in ‘The Simple Life’ in an episode titled, ‘The Wedding Planner’
Pebe Sebert has co-written numerous hit songs to which her daughter Kesha has lent her vocals. She co-scripted the number, “Animal” with Kesha, Lukasz Gottwald, and Greg Kurstin, for Kesha’s album, “Animal” in 2010; co-wrote the songs “Stephen” with Kesha Sebert, Oliver Leiber, and David Gamson and “Your Love is My Drug” with Kesha and Joshua Coleman for the same album.
The track, “Your Love Is My Drug” was a big hit in the US earning a triple-platinum and went on to figure in the ‘Top 10 Singles’ in at least nine countries.
Pebe Sebert co-composed a total of sixteen songs for her daughter’s albums like ‘Cannibal’ (2010), ‘Warrior’, (2012), ‘Rainbow’ (2017)’ and ‘Animal’ (2010). Many of the tracks written by Sebert, including those written for Kesha’s records were covered by highly acclaimed singers like Miley Cyrus, Miranda Cosgrove, and Pitbull for their albums titled, ‘The Time of Our Lives’, ‘Sparks Fly’ and ‘Meltdown’ respectively.
Some of the songs that Pebe Sebert co-composed for Kesha’s albums which notched up record sales include, ‘Disgusting’, ‘Time of Our Lives’, ‘Crazy Beautiful Life’, ‘Dirty Love’, ‘Wonderland’, ‘Warrior’, ‘Out Alive’, and ‘Timber’.
Pebe Sebert starred in a reality TV show based upon Kesha Sebert, ‘Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life’ in April 2013. Lagan Sebert recorded this reality show that was telecast on MTV where Kesha’s early professional life and her preparation for the debut solo were featured in the opening season.
Pebe Sebert aided her daughter in making a grand comeback in 2017 by co-producing the latter’s third album titled, ‘Rainbow’ that included two brand new back-to-back tracks. The new songs, “Learn to Let Go” and “Hymn” were scripted together by Pebe and Kesha amongst others. “Learn to Let Go” was released before the album for promotional purpose.
Personal Life
Pebe Sebert married American songwriter and singer, Hugh Moffat, in 1977. They separated after seven years in 1984. Together, they had a son, Lagan Sebert,
In 1987, she gave birth to a daughter, Kesha Sebert. Pebe relocated to Nashville, Tennessee with her son and daughter in 1991. Signing a publishing contract for her scripted songs enabled her to make the move to Nashville.
There was a lot of brouhaha surrounding Kesha Sebert’s paternity. While Pebe and Kesha denied having any knowledge regarding who Kesha’s father was, Bob Chamberlain claimed that he was Kesha’s father. He also claimed that he had been in regaular contact with Kesha ad father and daughter.
