Folk Singer Mary Travers Dies
Member of Peter, Paul, and Mary Died After Battle With Leukemia
Sep 17, 2009
Mary Travers, the female component of the folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary, has passed away after a long battle with Leukemia. She died in Danbury Hospital, Connecticut, at the age of 72.
At the height of the American Folk Revival of the 1960’s, Peter, Paul, and Mary were among the most popular of folk musicians. Their early cover of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” written by a little known folkie named Bob Dylan, helped spark his career.
Peter, Paul and Mary were also major voices of the Civil Rights Movement, and after the sabbatical of Peter, Paul, and Mary (and their many reunions), Travers would go on to champion other social issues, such as homelessness and the Anti-Apartheid movement (marytravers.com).
Mary Travers’ Early Life In Greenwich Village
Quoting from Mary Travers’ personal website, “Mary Travers was born in November 1936, in Louisville, KY, but spent the majority of her childhood and teen years in New York City’s Greenwich Village, a crucible of creativity and progressive thought.” Travers was one of the few folk singers to actually be from Greenwich Village, and as such, became part of the Folk Revival well before it became popular.
During the 50’s, Travers often sang at the Sunday hootenannies held in New York City’s Washington Square Park. She also recorded with a group known as The Song Swappers, who at times backed up Pete Seeger in concert.
The Formation and Career of Peter, Paul and Mary
According To Ronald Lankford in his book Folk Music USA, Peter, Paul and Mary was the brain child of local manager Albert Grossman. His idea was to put together a group like the Kingston Trio, but replacing one of the men with a woman (like Ronnie Gilbert from the Weavers) and one man with a comedian (like Lou Gottlieb from the Limeliters).
The trio of folk singer Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers, and singer/comedian Noel “Paul” Stookey first got together in Stookey’s East Village apartment. Since Stookey did not know as many folk songs as Yarrow and Travers, they settled on trying the children’s song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to see how well their voices meshed.
As Lankford says, “When Yarrow, Stookey, and Travers hit the first notes of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” it seemed as though the gates of heaven had been thrown asunder and the angels broke out the trumpets.” From there began a group that would change music forever and span 50 years.
Their first album, Peter, Paul and Mary, was released in 1962. The album rose quickly to the top of the charts, powered by two hits, “Lemon Tree,” and a cover of the Weavers’ song “If I Had a Hammer,” which became an anthem of the Civil Rights movement (marytravers.com). The trio performed at the March of Washington in 1963, and became an important part of the musical branch of the Civil Right’s Movement.
Peter, Paul, and Mary had several more hits through their career together, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Leavin’ On a Jet Plane,” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” In 1970, the group went on sabbatical, but would often reunite in the next 40 years.
Illness and Death of Mary Travers
In 2005, Mary Travers was diagnosed with Leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow that affects blood cells. Despite a bone marrow transplant that seemed to defeat the disease, Travers’ health declined and she passed away from complications of chemotherapy. She was 72.
Peter Yarrow, in a statement after her death, said “In her final months, Mary handled her declining health in the bravest, most generous way imaginable.” he went on to praise her deep devotion to her husband Ethan, and her honestly and authenticity, both while singing and in all aspects of her life.
Noel “Paul” Stookey said, eloquently, “I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career."
Mary Travers will be missed, and there is a hole in the musical tapestry of America.
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