Margaret Graeme Canning was born on August 19, 1941, in Knoxville, Tennessee to Mary Margaret Hoskins and Graeme Canning. In 1949, her family moved to Tucson, Arizona. Upon graduating from Tucson High School in 1959, she began her opera career at the University of Southern California. Here, she performed in such productions as Jenufa and Peter Grimes while a part of the music program. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in music in 1963 and with her master's degree in 1970. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she went to Europe to pursue her operatic career. In 1964, she debuted as Santuzza in the Bayerische Staatsoper München's production of Cavalleria Rusticana. She then went to work with the Landestheater Detmold, a small house in Northern Germany, as its lead soprano.

In 1966, while on vacation in Tucson, Margaret Graeme was struck by a car and sustained serious injuries to her back. The brace she needed to wear as part of her recovery was detrimental to her ability to perform, but she was able to finish her contract in Detmold. Through the early 1970s, she sang guest roles with the Bulgarian and Belgian National Operas.

Margaret Graeme returned to Tucson permanently in 1973. That year, she made her American debut in the Tucson Opera Company's production of Tosca. She stopped singing opera professionally a few years later and turned to producing and directing. Margaret Graeme was also active in the Tucson community, serving as a teacher's aide in the Tucson Unified School District and competing at local and state events. She died on August 6, 2001.

Margaret Graeme's mother, Mary Margaret Hoskins Canning, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on December 22, 1904, to Lynn Wood and Bettie Ayres Hoskins. She attended Knoxville High School and then enrolled at the University of Tennessee where she graduated with her bachelor's degree in history in 1927 and her master's degree in 1929. Margaret was an avid writer during this period, writing for the Knoxville Journal and various UT publications, including Mugwump and The Orange and White.

On June 22, 1931, Margaret Hoskins married Graeme Alexander Canning (1900-1987) in Knoxville. Although Margaret ceased writing professionally during this period, she was very active in Knoxville social groups including the Ossoli Circle and the Junior League. In 1949, the Canning family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Graeme Canning worked as a land developer. In addition to raising three daughters (Margaret Graeme, Harriet, and Andrea Lynn), Margaret was active in the Tucson community and became an avid golfer. Once her children were grown, Margaret began writing again and taught classes at the Instituto Allende in Mexico during her family's annual summer vacations there. Margaret Hoskins Canning died on December 15, 1997.