Mary Travers, a Member of the 1960s Folk Trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Has Died

[Jazzgirl]

Source: New York Times

Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died Wednesday night in Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and had lived in Redding, Conn.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/mary-trave... /

No link yet.

---

I really am beginning to feel old. People are dropping like flies.

[hlthe2b]

1. Ohh.. I think I remember she had leukemia or lymphoma

RIP, Ms. Mary... I will always play your music and think of you.

[mimi85]

81. Far too sad...

I have leukemia also, so tired of fighting with insurance companies and seeing docs. Being sick is certainly a full time job when you should be enjoying whatever time may be left.

I literally cried when I heard the news. Guess the answer is blowing in the wind...

[auntAgonist]

96. welcome to D mimi, best wishes for your health.

[NecklyTyler]

99. Welcome to DU

[hlthe2b]

113. All the best to you, mimi85

and I could not agree more.... Take care.

[rurallib]

2. Makes me feel a bit older also. What a voice.

I remember hearin an interview with her maybe 20 years ago where she spoke of how she never realized what she got into when she started.

[avaistheone1]

87. She always gave a 24 karat gold performance. Mary gave it her all.

What a beauty. What a talent with an enormous heart for her fellow man.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. Link

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dead at 72

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/entertainment/2009/09/16/...

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) -- Mary Travers, one-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died.

The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, says Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She was 62 and had battled leukemia for several years.

Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s.

The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"

[Cha]

14. Your post has her at "72" and

"62"..I would think 72 is right because I was in Jr High in Denver back in the '50s when I saw them in a concert in the park.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. I see that...I copied and pasted without noticing from Salon.com, looks like 72 is correct

Wikipedia's entry:

"Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936-September 16, 2009), was born in Louisville, Kentucky). She was a member of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Noel "Paul" Stookey. Together, they formed one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s.

Travers attended the Little Red School House but she was expelled in the 11th grade. She lived in Greenwich Village, New York, as a high school student. Travers married Barry Feinstein and two daughters were born to them. The marriage ended in divorce. In 2005 she was diagnosed as having leukemia but the treatment went well.

The Associated Press reported that Mary Travers died on September 16, 2009. The cause was cancer, said her spokeswoman, Heather Lylis. She had battled leukemia for several years."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Travers_%28singer%29

[Cha]

24. Thanks,

Amerigo!

[shanti]

124. RIP, Mary!

mom loved their music and as a child of the sixties, i loved it as well. hush a bye was my favorite...

[Hawkeye-X]

21. What Jr High school?

I'm in Denver

[Cha]

28. Yes, I know you're in Denver,

Hawkeye. It was at Morey Jr High..I don't know if it's still there but the park we saw them play at was Cheesman Park named after Walter Cheesman, Denver Pioneer.

[Hawkeye-X]

32. Morey - yeah I know that school

And yes, the Cheesman Park is still there.

That park has a sordid reputation based on what I know.

[Cha]

41. That's too bad, "sordid rep"..it's in a very

NICE section of Denver..beautiful homes around there. It had a wonderful rep back in the day but I guess time has not been kind to Cheesman Park.

[Roon]

165. Before the internet

cheesman was the place to be! Every sunday afternoon the park would be packed. Now, no one goes anymore and all that are left are a handful of people driving in circles looking to hook-up.

[madaboutharry]

4. That makes me so sad.

Rest in Peace, Mary.

[Jazzgirl]

6. Me 2 Harry....me 2.

It seems like everybody is just taking off. I thought I had a few more years before I would see people drop like they are now.

[likesmountains 52]

23. my sentiments exactly..so sad.

[Sancho]

5. part of my life is gone...

[gbate]

101. Mine too.

My parents had this book around the house when I was a little girl. I remember trying to play the songs on the electric organ we had and listening to the recordings we had. I thought she was an angel.

I just uploaded some PP&M a few days ago.

[vademocrat]

7. "Leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..."

RIP Mary Travers - thanks for the wonderful music and your buoyant spirit.

[JohnnyLib2]

8. That hurts.

RIP

[El Supremo]

9. No!

I was just thinking about her a few days ago.

PP&M was a big part of my life.

[Botany]

10. Much love Mary .... as I Child I owned a "Puff the Magic Dragon"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wik2uc69WbU

Sweet Dreams Mary

[trusty elf]

84. ......

[Delphinus]

103. I'm 51

and still bawl like a baby when I hear Puff - became ever-more so a crying song after I heard what the words were. Still brings up abandonment issues for me.

[cascadiance]

145. I'll be 51 in a little over a week...

Puff was the song for us kids growing up. It was my favorite 45 when I first started playing them... It does feel like part of us has died today!

[LuckyLib]

11. RIP -- she was one a group of women who were the voices of our generation.

We can track our lives by their music -- Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, Grace Slick, etc. 62 is young. Damn!

[AngryAmish]

12. Wasn't she also briefly in Black Sabbath?

[kwassa]

15. nah, she was a member of Kiss.

[AngryAmish]

22. No, she was British. Definately Sabbath.

She was replaced by Dio.

[kwassa]

46. I tell you, Gene Simmons was an imposter

It was Mary behind all that make-up.

A little-known tale.

[MrMickeysMom]

57. I love that picture of her...

When I think of PP&M, my mind plays, "Where have all the flowers gone"...

[NeoConsSuck]

97. Nope. Get your facts straight

she's only been in that famous 60's trio, Peanut Butter and Mary.

[ThoughtCriminal]

13. Very early memory

I was four (maybe five) years old and my parents took me to a PP&M concert in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 (what a time and place for that!)

What do I remember? Mary wore a green dress and they sang "Puff the Magic Dragon"

[Captain Hilts]

16. .

[CatWoman]

17. this has truly been the summer of death

RIP, Mary

[Jazzgirl]

25. It truly has been CatWoman.

I was saddened too. Puff the Magic Dragon was one of the songs I cried about when I was a kid. I loved that song.....

[njlib]

27. That song STILL makes me cry

and I'm 43 years old!

[Jazzgirl]

31. I'm 55 and I still cry too.

[bdamomma]

141. it really has, so sad from politicians like Teddy to singers like Mary

and actors like Patick Swayze. god. may they all rest in peace, they have contributed so much.

[Irishonly]

19. What a terrible loss

She was beautiful.
2009 is a terrible year for losing people.

[SlingBlade]

20. OMG, Little Mary is gone

But her song's will play in my head to my last day

RIP Mary, You will be missed, God Bless

[njlib]

26. Was just thinking of her last night when

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" came on the radio! Very, very sad news.

PBS ran one of their concerts a few years ago during their fundraising drive. It appeared to be a smaller venue and the audience was made up of parents & kids. The parents all had smiles on their faces, while they sang along, and the kids all seemed to enjoy every minute of the show...I know I did. They also seemed to really connect with the kids, which was very sweet. They looked like they were having the best time out of everyone. It made me cry to see so many different generations singing, smiling, and getting caught up in the music, just a nice evening for all. I hope PBS runs it again in her honor. It really was a great show!

[Danmel]

156. Peter,Paul& Mommy too

I have the videotape of it- my kids loved it when they were little

[unkachuck]

29. sorry to hear you've passed, Mary....you will not be forgotten....rest in peace....n/t

[barbtries]

30. the song is love

First of all,
I would like to say a word or two,
I know you won’t be thinking this applies to you,
But it’s true, and it do.

All your life you have had to sing your song alone,
Not believing anybody could have known
But it’s wrong and you know

Chorus:
I’ve found a song let me sing it with you
Let me say it now while the meaning is new
But wouldn’t it be good if we could say it together!
Don’t be afraid to sing me your mind
Sing about the joy that I know we can find.
Wind them around and see what they sound like together.
The song is love, the song is love,
The song is love, the song is love.

Last of all,
I would like to thank you for the word or two,
Spoken in the moments when I needed you
To see me through and they do.

I’ve found a song let me sing it with you
Let me say it now while the meaning is new
But wouldn’t it be good if we could say it together!
Don’t be afraid to sing me your mind
Sing about the joy that I know we can find.
Wind them around and see what they sound like together.
The song is love, the song is love,
The song is love, the song is love.

i played that album until the grooves were about gone, and played this song at the dedication of my daughter's headstone. saddened to hear she's passed on.

[madrchsod]

33. great singer....first folk music i listen to...

dam she was only 10 yrs older than me...i`m really feeling old now.

[Sukie]

34. I think everyone needs to go to

this site and squash the poster, quornholio. He wrote this about Mary:

"If I had a hammer, I'd hammer on some commies, I'd hammer on some pinkos, I hammer on some unamerican piece of shit traitor dirty hippie beatnik leftist fucks.

I hope some Vietnamese boat people desecrate your grave, Mary. "


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


I put a thumbs down, but it is back to 0.


May Mary Travers rest in peace. She will be forever remembered for her beautiful voice and soul.

[katkat]

83. Sukie

Don't waste your time on that. Life is too precious. Besides, I was just thinking, what a good life Mary had. the world is better because of her. In contrast, can you imagine what people (and I use that term loosely) like that poster and hate woman with the lion sign leave behind them? They are to be pitied, really.

[Odin2005]

35. Oh No!

(

[madamesilverspurs]

36. Tears.

Way back in high school I was part of a folk group. We performed many PP&M songs. When our thirtieth reunion rolled around we got to go together to a concert, and thanks to circumstances well beyond our control we wound up with backstage passes.

Mary Travers was born to activist parents and she carried on that tradition with graceful determination. Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey are likely devastated.

Not many performers can claim half a century of carrying a message of peace and love and hope.

To paraphrase the words Pete Seeger wrote:

She had a hammer, and she had a bell, and she had a song to sing all over this land. It's the hammer of justice, it's the bell of freedom, it's a song about love between the brothers and the sisters all over this land.

We'll miss your voice, Mary. And the humanity that empowered it. Go into the peace that you celebrated with so many of us.

[Kadie]

37. .

[femmocrat]

38. They were my favorite folk group. That is so sad....

I remember her tossing her long blonde hair as she sang. I saw them in concert a couple of times. Always wonderful.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[harvey007]

40. She was beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8U6Oh9uSY8

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

43. Huffington Post has it here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/16/mary-travers-d...

[tpsbmam]

143. Man, that video brought on the tears. n/t

[RFKHumphreyObama]

42. Oh no, no, no...

We're losing too many of our talented and gifted musicians and artists this year.

I loved "Puff the Magic Dragon" when I was young and still do. And I liked the other songs of theirs that I heard as well.

My deepest, sincerest and most heartfelt thoughts, prayers, condolences and sympathies are extended to Mary Travers's family and friends. We have lost a good soul. RIP Mary

[Wizard777]

44. I am heart broken

[benny05]

45. If I had a bell

I'd be ringing it tonight for Mary Travers.

[jwirr]

47. Good night Mary - rest in peace. Thank you for giving us your soul

in the 60-70s when we most needed it.

[burrowowl]

48. RIP Mary!

[George II]

49. So sad, I miss her already.....

...we always wanted to see them when they appeared together in recent years, but never did. Now we won't be able to.

One of the first true progressive liberals...God bless you, Mary!

[defendandprotect]

50. Oh . . . lovely group -- and she was a lovely part of it all --

there's a generation moving by ....

[enigmatic]

51. Safe Passage, Mary

What a voice she had..

[DrZeeLit]

52. oh... I'm so sad. Peace, Mary, Peace.

At least twenty songs just flooded my memory banks.
I'm in Love with a Big Blue Frog == seems apropos of late

My youth lives on as long as I can sing those songs.
Thank you, Mary Travers and Peter and Paul.

[JanusAscending]

74. Oh my God!

I thought no one but me remembered that one! My babysitter used to sing it to my 39 yr. old "baby" girl, and she loved it! Also coming to mind is one of my favorite Albums of that era called "HYMN" On it was the "Wedding Song". I think every wedding I went to in the 70's had that for their "song" "where ever two or more of you are gathered in His name... there is LOVE... there is LOVE" The world could use a whole lot more of that right now, couldn't we?

[DrZeeLit]

111. OMG... I think that played at my wedding. You're right... EVERY wedding of my college class '73

It's a beautiful song for a wedding, soft, light, spiritual.
Thanks for the memory boost.

[mindwalker_i]

53. Today is ending on a sour note

[sonias]

54. Rest in peace Mary Travers

She will join a great chorus in the sky. My condolences to her family.

Sonia

[FightingIrish]

55. She's all over my iPod.

Peter, Paul and Mary were the first concert I attended in college. Now she's with me on the way to work. Their version of "Where Have all the Flowers Gone" is forever beautiful and so relevant still.

[gauguin57]

56. I'm so glad I got to see them in concert while Mary was alive.

I saw them in concert, and at a nuclear freeze rally.

Here's a Mary song I really loved:

I'm in Love With a Big Blue Frog
As recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary


I'm in love with a big blue frog
A big blue frog loves me
It's not as bad as it appears
He wears glasses and he's six foot three

Well I'm not worried about our kids
I know they'll turn out neat
They'll be great looking 'cause they'll have my face
And great swimmers 'cause they'll have his feet

I'm in love with a big blue frog
A big blue frog loves me
He's not as bad as he appears
He's got rhythm and a Ph.D.

Well I know we can make things work
He's got a good family since
His mother was a frog from Philadelphia
His daddy an enchanted prince

(instrumental and froglike bubbling)

The neighbors are against it, it's clear to me
And it's probably clear to you
They think value on their property'll go right down
If the family next door is blue

Well I'm in love with a big blue frog
A big blue frog loves me
I've got a tattoo on my chest
That says P-H-R-O-G, that's frog to me
P-H-R-O-G

[MrsBrady]

58. I saw PPM at the Kerrville Folk Festival a few years ago...

I think it was right before she was sick or right before she quit performing...
anyway...

the amphitheater was sardine packed....and when they sang John Denver's "Leavin"..
they had everyone...grown men in tears...

I knew they were great, had listened to my mother's albums,
but I never understood HOW good they were...
and man, they still had it. Awesome set.

[joeybee12]

59. So sad, I recently took out my PPM cd's...I'd forgotten how great some of the

music is and what a beautiful voice she had...RIP.

[KyleA]

61. This really touchs the soul....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjy2HCdV6BA RIP Mary, these words are true now more than ever

[joeybee12]

121. Thanks!

[Vidar]

60. This makes me sad. Vaya con Dios, Gentle Spirit. Fly on, Mary.

[Gemini Cat]

62. RIP!

Beautiful woman of our youth, one of the flowers.

[CBHagman]

63. Went looking for videos on YouTube...

...and found a number of interesting clips, including a vintage one of PP&M doing "The Rising of the Moon" on the BBC. Think about that for a minute.

What I could not find was their wonderful rendition of "Give Yourself to Love." Nor could I locate "The Cherry Tree Carol" from their holiday concert of the 1980s -- an amazing program which included everything from Tom Paxton's "The Marvelous Toy" to Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus."

I'm so sorry to see her go, and glad I got to hear her and the guys at the Lincoln Memorial in recent years...

I hope she's singing to the angels...

[Bluenorthwest]

64. Bye Mary

Thanks for puff and all.

[Spacemom]

65. Godspeed Mary

You will be missed.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

66. How sad.

She suffered from leukemia in her later years.

Peter, Paul and Mary was probably the first popular group I remember hearing. We used to sing "Puff the Magic Dragon" on the bus on the way to kindergarten. I feel old.

RIP Mary.

[DFW]

67. I met Peter and "Paul" just this past June, and they avoided the subject of Mary

We all knew how sick she was, but apparently few knew how close to the end she was, and it was not their
favorite subject, understandably enough. My heart goes out to them. Her voice inspired a generation.


Music lives forever. Not so little girls...........

[Ilsa]

68. RIP, beautiful Mary. I feel old these days. nt

[marasinghe]

69. Goodbye Mary; go to the peace you fought for; part of our youth goes with you. (n/t)

[WinstonSmith4740]

70. I know what you mean...

I remember going to their concert in Philly back in the mid 60's. My best friend and I were very folksy at 15 so their concert, along with The Kingston Trio, Chad Mitchell, and of course Joan Baez, was naturally a must.

RIP, Mary. You sure could sing. And I'd have killed for your hair.

[gopiscrap]

71. I loved Peter, Paul and Mary

What a singer, what an activist RIP!!!!!!

[CBHagman]

72. It's strange to think that three of the Weavers have outlived her.

Anyone here who's seen the documentary The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time! knows what I'm talking about. Except for Lee Hays, the Weavers live on, but maybe he and Mary are singing with Woody and Leadbelly in the next life...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084894 /

[KT2000]

73. Oh no....this is sad

PP&M gave us some of the best folk music is a sweet way that we just don't have today.
She was an icon for the peace and civil rights movements too.
Peace to her family.

[Tansy_Gold]

77. RIP

I'll walk in the rain by your side
I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand
I'll do anything to help you understand
And I'll love you more than anybody can.

And the wind will whisper your name to me.
Little birds will sing along in time.
The leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime.


For Baby (For Bobbie)
by John Denver
but forever in Mary's voice


peace, sweet soul

[japple]

134. That one really brought tears to my eyes. Such a sweet, sweet

song.

[nolabear]

75. Oh! This one really hurts.

My God. I've listened to Peter Paul and Mary my whole life. I sang Puff the Magic Dragon 1.8 million times to my oldest son when he was little. Leaving on a Jet Plane made me cry when I was a lonely teen.

This'll take a little time to absorb. Rest, dear lady.

[DesertDiamond]

76. As the report says, her voice was so earnest... it always made me want to fight for justice

Peter, Paul and Mary played at the street fair that was part of the inaugural celebration in 1996. I met her after the show and, somewhere in a box, I have a photo of me and Mary Travers together.

[Hekate]

78. Oh no. Oh no. Mary was a powerful singer, and PP&M were stalwarts of liberal causes....

Their songs more than anything were the songtrack to MY 1960s -- not psychedelia, but social consciousness, civil rights, antiwar....

I heard PP&M live 3 times in my life, the last time about 20 years ago when my boss gave me 4 tickets someone had given him. I think he had no interest in folk music, and probably guessed that I would like their performance very much. I was able to take my husband and 2 kids to an outdoor performance. Rare for our area, it poured rain. We were under tents probably designed to shield us from excess sun, and the ground was soaking, as was the stage. I worried about all that wet electrical equipment, but it must have been well-insulated, because they just carried on with their performance. It was wonderful.

Oh, how sad to see her go.

Rest sweetly in the Summerlands, Mary. Thanks for the music.

Hekate

[stillrockin]

79. Love you Mary. RIP and thanks for all the joy you brought.

I used to stand in front of my mirror in my bedroom singing my heart out to songs like "Autumn to May", "Wasn't That a Time" and "Spring HIll Mining Disaster", fantasizing that I was Mary Travers. Seems like yesterday.

[Oldtimeralso]

80. RIP Mary

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see PP&M at Ravinia in Highland Park IL. They were GREAT! Folk Music was the sound of me and my friends. Steve Goodman was a friend of a friend and I had the pleasure if meeting him several times before he too passed.

Yes I am getting old, but life is a trip to be enjoyed and not a destination.

[katkat]

82. rest in peace, a good life, lived well, helping others, n/t

[avaistheone1]

85. She could have been a beauty queen or just another rich songtress,

but she gave to others and kept her ego intact despite her enormous beauty, smarts and talent.

She was a classy lady who truly cared about others.

I will miss Mary.

[man4allcats]

86. This one is very painful.

I am very sorry to learn this. With her passing, I feel that a part of myself has died; more than that, that a part of all of us of that generation, of who and what we were, is now gone. These days I am ever aware that the clock is ticking, but with this I realize not only that the clock is ticking but that the alarm also has now been set. Rest In Peace, Mary.

[Jim Lane]

88. Question about Mary Travers as songwriter

Obviously, she was much better known as a singer. Still, I have a dim recollection of having heard a performance (probably PP&M) of "There but for Fortune", by Phil Ochs, with a new verse added, co-written by Mary Travers. It was about hunger -- something like "show me the famine that shows how we've failed" -- and was written in honor of Harry Chapin.

I find a glancing reference to it here but the video has been removed.

Does anyone have the words to this extra verse?

[Jim Lane]

90. Some info about my own question

In further searching, I found two YouTube URL's -- here and here -- from what's labeled as a 1981 performance where PP&M sing this verse (beginning at about 2:00). Unfortunately, the sound quality is poor, I'm listening on tiny laptop speakers, and my hearing has deteriorated a lot from what it was 45 years ago when I first heard PP&M. Can anyone discern and report the lyrics?

There's nothing at the YouTube links about the provenance, but I'm pretty sure that I heard some time ago that Mary Travers co-wrote the verse, probably with Peter Yarrow.

[Tansy_Gold]

159. lyrics

http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/music/f-13-06.htm


THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE
Phil Ochs- Appleseed Music

Show me the prison, show me the jail
Show me the prisoner whose face is growin' pale
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or go I
You and I.

Show me the alley, show me the train
Show me the hobo who sleeps out in the rain
And I'll show you a young man with many reasons why
there but for fortune, go you or go I
You and I.

Show me the famine, show me the frail
Eyes with no future, that show how we've failed
And I'll show you the children with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or go I
You and I.

Show me the country where bombs had to fall
Show me the ruins of buildings once so tall
And I'll show you a young land with many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or go I
You and I.
You and I.

There but for fortune, go you or go I
You and I.

[Jim Lane]

160. Terrific, thank you! (n/t)

[icymist]

89. Oh man..... That puts a bummer on my night.

Tonight the sky does cry Mary.
Godspeed Mary.

[Mopar151]

91. Truly a beautiful person, and an unforgettable performer

I saw her in Unity, NH, in a muddy horse pasture "festival". After her set, she came back to sing "Blowin' in the Wind" with Arlo Guthrie - and I got to see it from 10 feet away! The world is diminished without her.....

[Shoelace]

92. we grew up with your songs Mary, we will always love you!

Tears and sadness that you had to leave us but what a legacy of songs that I continue to listen to these days. We so love you Mary!!!
You mothered us during such trying times. Thankyou for your gift of song.

[Ken Burch]

93. Damn.

Well, we can keep singing the songs and keep working for what she lived for.

Thanks for all the good that you were about, Mary.

[Are_grits_groceries]

94. Oh Mary,

I hate to see you go! I'll have a beer and sing "Stewball" in your honor.

RIP kind one.

[Paper Roses]

98. Stewball is one of my all time favorite PP&M songs and I will best

remember the group by that fantastic song. Wonderful voices from a much more simple time.

Thank you Mary, you are a folk icon and will be missed. I have to go find that album and listen for the day.

RIP.

[Are_grits_groceries]

112. Now that I think about it,

I will have some wine instead of a beer. Stewball would appreciate that.

[OneBlueSky]

95. Pete Seeger, the person who taught Mary to play guitar, . . .

recently celebrated his 90th birthday, and she passed away at 72 . . . strange how things work out sometimes . . .

I was a PP&M fan way back when they first started recording . . . I remember Lemon Tree was their first hit record, and that in the early 60s they as much as anyone were responsible for bringing Bob Dylan's music to the American public . . . ditto Pete Seeger's music . . . some thought they were too commercial, but at the time that's what sold records -- and they sold a lot of them . . .

fortunately PP&M have a great catalog of songs that will live on after they're all gone . . . Rest in Peace, Mary Travers -- and thanks for all the great music . . .

[mlevans]

129. some also thought the Kingston Trio were too commercial,

but they were also awesome.

[NecklyTyler]

100. Sad

[Le Taz Hot]

102. I just saw this!

OMG, I learned to play guitar by playing PP&M songs. Forty years later I'm still introducing "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "The Marvelous Toy" to a new generation of little ones and they still love it. She had such a perfect voice for folk music -- little or no vibrato but a strong and steady tone.

My goddess, this Boomer is starting to feel her mortality. Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze and now Mary Travers.

I never met you, Mary, but I knew you well. Go with the goddess, my beautiful musical friend.

[Not Me]

104. This so saddens me.

I have admired her and her work for over 40 years.

"Well now each man is a pilgrim,
Yes, we all must make the journey
And it seems that time is telling us to be all that we can
To help lift up the fallen, we must sow the seeds of goodness
The torch is passed among us now to light the way of man. "

I will miss you dearly Mary.

[RoccoR5955]

105. RIP Mary. You touched my life in so many ways. n/t

[Festivito]

106. Thanks for the music. /nt

[liberal N proud]

107. Where have all the flowers gone

[unapatriciated]

108. My children and later my grandchildren loved their album Peter, Paul and Mommy

This was my children's favorite song,
Marvelous Toy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLYefZkOMB0
This a later version the kids in the audience are great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIl8JMkPylM

[WillyT]

109. Rest In Peace Mary...

[BobRossi]

110. I had the honor of taking my children to see Peter, Paul and Mary.

In 2007, Peter, Paul, and Mary did a concert at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Michigan. My wife and I took our two daughters.
It was quite emotional singing "Puff the magic dragon" with my girls, a song that I had first sung as an elemetry school student 40 some years earlier.

There is no doubt that Peter, Paul, and Mary were an influence on my liberal path.

Though the years hadn't been kind to Mary, she will always remain beautiful in my heart.

[noel711]

114. She was my role model....

When I was in high school, I yearned to be like her..

she was tall, lean, with that straight as a stick blond hair,
that wide smile, and that kick ass attitude toward authority.

she didn't subscribe to the roles that women played then,
she didn't concern herself with looking fashionable or chic-
but damn she was!

It was her passion, her voice, her perspective for the world
that made a statement.

In high school we had a little folk type group,
sang some of her songs, wore black tights,
and carried our guitars around. It was the height of cool.

That kinda cool is rare today. That kinda passion for the world,
with no self-serving egoism. She was an icon.

[sybylla]

115. I fell in love with "If I Had A Hammer" when I was three, maybe four.

RIP Mary. Your voice was my first love.

[LWolf]

116. Another icon gone.

I will remember her.

As a matter of fact, she's always somewhere on my playlist, even today.

[Botany]

117. Oh Babe i hate to go ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa3h3pnhg8s&NR=1

Rest well Mary

[Mrs. Overall]

118. Oh, very sad.

[NinetySix]

119. I have loved Peter, Paul and Mary since I was a child.

This is terribly sad news. Rest in peace, dear Mary. You are beloved, and will be missed.

[rasputin1952]

120. Sadly, another voice from the past has been lost...

Mary had a wonderful life, was active in many areas, particularly in seeking social justice and equality. The songs that PP&M did still resonate and are, essentially timeless.

RIP Mary, it's been a wonderful journey, and I thank you for all you've brought into this world.

[rbilick]

122. Mary's passing...

She lived in Redding, Ct not far from where we lived in Bethel, Ct.
One day my wife and I were at the local Garden center near Redding. No one else was there except this woman. I recognized her and went over to speak to her. We shared past remembrances of the Village in ’61 when she, Paul and Peter were playing at the Bitter End café. My wife finally came over and appeared jealous and as soon as I introduced her she understood our conversation. Those were magical days and I’ll never forget them. She was a wonderful person and we lost another one of them.

[Kajsa]

123. RIP, dear Mary.

You were one of our pioneers
for change in the '60s.

[DinahMoeHum]

125. Thanks for all the great music, Mary. . .

Think I'll play the DVD Carry It On tonight.

[eagertolearn]

126. We sang many of their songs every year in our high school choir.

I hope she had a good life.

[swilton]

127. A GREAT, GREAT LOSS

[mlevans]

128. gee, this is so disheartening.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to see them several months ago at Shippensburg University; they gave a dynamite performance, but Mary was pretty obviously unwell. Now all of us in my band are devastated. They were such an inspiration to us, and we played a lot of their songs. Did I mention the two women in the band both are named Mary? Anyway...we weren't as good as they were, but here's our tribute from our first cd...Puff.

Puff the Magic Dragon played by The Lite Side
(you may need to do a Right click, Save As to get the mp3)

[pleah]

130. :(

[Arugula Latte]

131. She was a wonderful person.

I was always amazed at P, P & M's dogged determination to keep singing, keep fighting for what is good and fair, through years and years and decades and decades. Rest in peace, Mary.

I'll always remember my "Peter, Paul and Mommy" album from my own childhood and then and how my daughter loved the CD. I took it into her kindergarten class and the teacher was so happy to get it. She played it several times for the kids.

Another memory: Walk for Choice march in Washington, DC in '92. They sang: "Which Side Are You On?" They were always on the side of justice and peace.

[LeftishBrit]

132. That is sad. RIP Mary.

[Joey Liberal]

133. RIP and thanks for the music nt

[japple]

135. Thank you, Mary, for lending your light to this planet for so

many years.

Early Morning Rain was one of my favorites. Here it is from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iblAzv4pDJg&feature=rela...

[JitterbugPerfume]

136. I am so sorry to hear of her passing

I really did love Peter Paul and Mary---especially Mary

[Honeycombe8]

137. I'm so sad about this. An era has passed. Is this a year of DEATH or what? nt

[uppityperson]

138. RIP Mary, I loved your singing when I was growing up, and since

how the hell could there be a deleted subthread here?

[bdamomma]

139. we have lost alot of people this year.

[kestrel91316]

140. RIP, Mary. It's a sad day for anyone with a heart and soul.

[David Zephyr]

142. For Mary.

I grew up with Peter, Paul and Mary. I had the good fortune to see them several times in concert and have their LP's and CD's.

Mary Travers is in my DNA.

Thanks for your tribute.

K&R.

[flakey_foont]

144. Rest in Peace, Mary

Thanks for the music and the beautiful soul that you were

[slackmaster]

146. Her voice and their songs come into my head almost every day

I saw them perform live in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s.

RIP Mary!

[nevergiveup]

147. RIP Mary and thanks for the music that helped end a war

and galvanize the movement for social justice. Hearing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" stops me in my tracks regardless of what I am doing. It is my favorite song of all time.

[Dr Fate]

148. What a wonderful voice. One of my favortie groups when I was a small child.

RIP, Mary.

[whopis01]

149. I guess little girls don't live forever either...

Hope to see you when I get to Honalee.

[Piwi2009]

150. Sad news

Loved her terrific voice. A deep rich womanly voice, like Carly Simon's. Todays "singers" sound like they haven't even gotten their periods yet.

[Piwi2009]

151. Reminds me of a quote about Vivien Leigh

She's so beautiful she wouldn't need any talent, and so talented she wouldn't need any beauty. She rocks!

[Raine]

152. Such sad news

I love their music ... R-I-P Mary.

[Sancho]

153. I saw PP&M a few years ago...I'm glad I did...

It's impossible to say at the time you are young and listening to voices like Mary's. In hindsight, it was a great influence in my life. She got it right.

[BJ10]

154. Was Puff The Magic Dragon really about smoking herb?

Just wondering...RIP.

[MountainMamma]

158. Mary, you were the glue that held Peter and Paul together.

I am so sad to have lost Mary and her lovely tones and guess we will have lost the wonderful blend of Peter, Paul and Mary too. I know that PP&M made many trips to El Salvador during the civil war there in the 80's. I always thought that Puff the Magic Dragon was about the helicopters (gifts of the US) dropping bombs on the small Salvadorean villages. Anyone have a better recollection? They always loved songs that had strong messages of social justice. We will miss their energy and musical advocacy.

[Jim Lane]

162. The timing is off concerning El Salvador

"Puff, the Magic Dragon" was a hit in 1963. The Salvadoran Civil War didn't start until 1980.

The PP&M song that is about U.S. intervention there is "El Salvador".

[Jim Lane]

161. No, according to Peter Yarrow

I was at a performance where he said that, not only did he not intend the song to be about drugs, but that interpretation never even occurred to him until other people read the song that way. Then he added, "So if anyone asks you, you can tell them you heard it straight from the dragon's mouth."

Then he made fun of the whole thing by explaining how "The Star-Spangled Banner" is really about drugs. It went something like this:

"O, say can you see" -- "See" (that is, "C") means cocaine
"By the dawn's early light" -- a reference to "light"ing up
"What so proudly we hailed" -- meaning "inhaled"
"At the twilight's last gleaming" -- the last light of freedom before being arrested
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars" -- the "broad stripes" of the prison uniform and the "bright stars" worn by the law enforcement officers.

and so on

[Jakes Progress]

155. God I loved her singing.

When the three would start to blend and Mary would rock back and forth with her almost liquid metallic hair rippling to the beat, I was lost.

My group never missed a single PP&M concert. Starting to feel old.

[texanwitch]

157. Here you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oU7M4OeSRM

[dipsydoodle]

163. They jumped on a bandwagon.

Personally I though Peter, Paul and Mary were dire.

Mike Seeger passed away almost unnoticed by most here a few weeks back. He was one of the New Lost City Ramblers, along with John Cohen and Tom Paley, without whom the folk revival may not even have occured.

RIP Mary just the same.

[mvd]

164. RIP, Mary

She was one of music's greats.

[teh strawman meme]

166. I went on Youtube when this was announced last week

They had the trio singing a Gordon Lightfoot song and it must have been around 1965...Mary was such a cool performer to watch because of her energy.