Weekend Economists' "If We Had a Hammer" Edition, September 18-20, 2009

[Demeter]

Sorry to be tardy, folks. The week caught up with me, and Mr. Sandman did his best to see that I catch up with myself.

And what a loss this week has brought us. A loss not in dollars, but sense.

Mary Travers, the woman who brought us through the 60's with some hope intact, has passed into history, leaving behind her a legacy to be honored: activism, art, and understanding. But let her music say it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKvpONl3No



The group was created and managed by Albert Grossman, who sought to create a folk "supergroup" by bringing together "a tall blonde (Mary Travers), a funny guy (Paul Stookey), and a good-looking guy (Peter Yarrow)". He launched the group in 1961, booking them into The Bitter End, a coffee house and popular folk venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. They recorded their first album, Peter, Paul and Mary, the following year. It included "500 Miles", "Lemon Tree", and the Pete Seeger hit tunes "If I Had a Hammer" (subtitled "(The Hammer Song)") and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?". The album was listed in the Billboard Magazine Top Ten for 10 months, including 7 weeks in the #1 position. It remained a main catalog seller for decades to come, eventually sold over two million copies - earning Double Platinum certification from the RIAA - in the United States alone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter,_Paul_and_Mary

Rest in Peace, Mary. We will soldier on.