Mary Travers, one third of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, lost her battle with leukemia Wednesday night in Connecticut; she was 72.
With songs like “If I Had a Hammer,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Peter, Paul and Mary were the harmonious voice of the 1960s peace movement.
Ms. Travers brought a powerful voice and an unfeigned urgency to music that resonated with mainstream listeners. With her straight blond hair and willowy figure and two bearded guitar players by her side, she looked exactly like what she was, a Greenwich Villager straight from the clubs and the coffee houses that nourished the folk-music revival.
“She was obviously the sex appeal of that group, and that group was the sex appeal of the movement,” said Elijah Wald, a folk-blues musician and a historian of popular music.
Fun facts about Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary:
- Born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Expelled in the 11th grade
- Lived in Greenwich Village, New York as a teenager
- Recorded five solo albums after Peter, Paul and Mary broke up in 1970
- Along with Peter Yarrow and Noel “Paul” Stookey, Marty Travers was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
Peter, Paul and Mary also sang “Puff the Magic Dragon” which is the song I personally think of when I hear the trio mentioned.