In the 1960’s the music industry was going through several changes. Music had always told a story, however in the 60’s songwriters and performers told stories that went along with the events of the day. With worldwide events such as the Cold War, Vietnam, race riots and more, the 60’s was a decade of changes. One of the groups that told the story of this era was the folk singing group, Peter, Paul and Mary.
In 1961, Peter Yarrow, Noel “Paul” Stookey and Mary Travers were brought together to form a super folk group, by their manager Albert Grossman. During that year they started performing at small folk venues and coffee houses in the New York City area. In Yarrow, Stookey and Travers, they were 3 excellent performers and songwriters who together, changed the folk music world.
In 1962, the group recorded its first album titled “Peter, Paul and Mary”. The album was an immediate hit, with it remaining in the Top 100 album charts for three years and the Top 10 album chart for nearly one year. The album produced several hits including “Lemon Tree”, “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”
Over the next eight years, the group released twelve albums. All were written as a commentary of our time and the albums contained several hit records. They include “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”, “Tell It on the Mountain”, “Cruel War” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane”.
In 1970, the folk group disbanded so that each of the members could pursue individual careers; however they never had the success that they enjoyed as a group. The group continued to be in contact with each other and also continued to be concerned with the events of the world. In 1978, Peter, Paul and Mary re-united to participate in a protest of nuclear energy. Since that time, they have stayed together recorded several more albums and continue to tour.
Peter, Paul and Mary leave a legacy of one of the greatest folk singing groups of all time, and a large collection of hit songs and albums. The group was a source of political commentary during the 60’s, writing and performing songs against the war, in favor of equal rights and on other social injustices. They continue to be concerned about today’s issues.
· Peter, Paul and Mary: official resource of the group
· Biography: information on Peter, Paul and Mary
· Biography: details on the songwriting of Peter, Paul and Mary
· Classic Bands: info on the classic folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary
· Puff the Magic Dragon: live video of the famous song
· Story of Puff the Magic Dragon: information on the classic song
· Albums: details on the albums of Peter, Paul and Mary
· Discography: information on the recordings of Peter, Paul and Mary
· Vocal Group Hall of Fame: information on the 1999 inductees
· Song List: details on the songs of the group
· Acoustic Guitar: information on acoustic guitars
· Lyrics: song lyrics from the group
· Peter, Paul and Mary Lyrics: lyrics from the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary
· Song Lyrics: lyrics from the folk trio
· Peter, Paul and Mary Pictures: collection of photos of the trio