Here’s a little tribute to Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary who died just the other week on the 7th of January 2025
Peter, Paul and Mary – Some Of The Best
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American Folk Trio who were formed in 1961, in New York city. They were born of the American Folk Revival scene of the early 1960s in the city’s Greenwich Village. The Trio were formed of Peter Yarrow who played guitar and sung the Tenor Vocals. Then there was Paul Stookey who also played guitar but sung Baritone vocals. Finally was Mary, a tall blonde girl with a lovely voice. She sung the contralto vocals.
Singing to the world
The Trio were spotted by manager Albert Grossman who gave them a gig at The bitter End coffee house. This was a night spot and a popular hang out for Beatniks and Folkies in Greenwich village. They soon recorded their Debut album which was Self titled Peter, Paul and Mary. This was a huge success. The album hit the Number One in the Billboard Album Chart and stayed there for Seven Weeks. It continued to stay in the Top Ten for Ten months altogether.
The album featured a few Pete Seeger covers like “Where have all the flowers gone’ and ‘The Hammer Song’s. The group had always been big fans of the Seeger’s and liked to play a lot of the old folk songs from a previous generation of Folk musicians such as Woody Guthrie which was reflected in their music. The group were also admirers of Bob Dylan’s music. They covered a few of his songs including ‘Dont think twice, it’s Alright ‘ and ‘Blowin in the Wind’ which can be heard here in the video.
The group quickly became known faces I the civil rights movement. Many considered them them the new ambassadors of the Folk Revival, taking the helm from Pete Seeger and the Weavers.
Political Action
At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on 28th of August 1963, they played to a massive crowd. They played Pete Seeger’s ‘If I had a hammer’ and Bob Dylan’s hit song ‘Blowin in the Wind ‘.. Blowing in the Wind became one of the groups biggest hits. However, this also helped to advertise the song. It boosted sales for Dylan’s Freewheeling Bob Dylan’s album.
This event is most famously known for Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. In January 1986 the group participated i the Rally for the Boycott of South Africa in Washington D.C.. This boycott was done in a bid to pressure the South African government to end Apartheid. Each of the members were arrested.
The group were very active members of the civil rights movement. Mary Travers recalls being in handcuffs almost every other weekend at some point. They were also very active in the campaign against Nuclear Power. I 1978, they played a concert in Madison Square Gardens protesting Nuclear Energy. Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey also have always been active on the Civil Rights scene. Peter Yarrow still played on demonstrations in New York Regularly until fairly recently when he fell ill.
The Seven Year Hiatus
Peter, Paul and Mary decided to go their own ways in 1972 in order to pursue their own solo careers. However, this didn’t go off to a flying start for Yarrow when he was convicted for molested a 14 year old girl that same year. However, he was admonished in 1977 and grandad a presidential Pardon from Jimmy Carter in 1978.
It was around this time the group decided to get back together and done a Reunion Tour in 1978. They sold out everywhere they went and so decided to do another Tour on 1979 which was also popular. Warner decided to release a live album called ‘Reunion’ which featured songs from the groups Three night Concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
Later Years
They toured constantly up til 1982 when they kinda dissolved again. However, the group always remained close friends and were tight. They continued to do gigs and tours on and off for the next Twenty years
In 2004, Mary Travers was diagnosed with Leukaemia and fought a Five year battle with the illness. Sometimes she could go on tour but a lot of the time she couldn’t. Sadly she lost her battle on September the 16th, 2009. She died aged 72.
At her funeral, Peter and Paul sang a tribute to their dear friend to a packed hall of friends and celebrities who knew her. Senator New York, John Kerry gave a moving speech. Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey continued to play as a duo. But Sadly on the 7th of January, 2025, Peter Yarrow passed away after a struggle with Bladder Cancer. Paul is the last surviving member. He is aged 87.
On the 16th of September, 2009, Mary Travers sadly passed away after a long battle with leukaemia. She was aged 72.sadly, Peter Yarrow passed away just a couple of weeks ago on the 7th of January,2025. So Paul Stookey is the last surviving member. So it’ll be interesting to see if he carries on with a Solo act.
What Did You Think?
Well, what did you think of that then? Have you heard it before? Are you familiar with the music of Peter, Paul and Mary? Are you a fan? Did you like the album, or was it not for you? Whatever your thoughts or opinions on the album are, we’d love to read them in the comments below. Here at The Collective Jukebox, we just love a bit of discussion over the music and content we share here. So please feel to elaborate and tell us what you think in as many words as you need to take.
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