Mary Travers R.I.P. 1936-2009

The distaff one-third of folk icons Peter, Paul & Mary was a songbird of rare plumage.

By Fred Mills

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary passed away yesterday in Danbury, Connecticut, following a four-year battle with cancer. She'd been diagnosed in 2005 with leukemia but a bone-marrow transplant held the disease at bay until recently; reportedly, complications related to chemotherapy contributed to her death. She was 72.

Born in Kentucky, Travers landed in Greenwich Village in time for the folk boom of the ‘60s, and after singing on the NYC circuit for several years she met fellow musicians Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow - Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman introduced the singers - and together the trio managed to bring a measure of commercial gloss to traditional folk sounds. They recorded numerous hits that are still staples of oldies radio, among them "If I Had A Hammer," a signature version of Dylan's "Blowin' In the Wind," the is-it/is-it-not-about-smoking-pot children's classic "Puff the Magic Dragon" and John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - the latter, in particular, was elevated from maudlin status (read the lyrics) to a genuine pop anthem thanks to PP&M's intuitive harmonies, Travis coating the vocals with a believable vulnerability.

Travis and her partners were also champions of myriad social causes throughout their long career, which weathered its share of ups and downs, including a breakup in 1970 tht lasted until 1978 when they got back together for a concert protesting nuclear power.

In a lengthy New York Times obituary, Yarrow and Stookey  remembered their bandmate, Yarrow calling her as "honest and completely authentic" and Stookey adding "her charisma was a barely contained nervous energy - occasionally (and then only privately) revealed as stage fright."

Scott Pascucci, President of Rhino Entertainment (Rhino issued the trio's final album, In These Times, in 2004), placed Travers in the larger perspective in a statement:

 "American music has lost one of its strongest, truest voices with the passing today of Mary Travers.  As part of Peter, Paul And Mary, she was at the forefront of the '60s folk renaissance, inspiring millions of people to greater activism on behalf of racial equality, peace, and opportunity for the oppressed.

"Surely the most successful folk trio of all time, Peter, Paul And Mary have been a loved member of the Warner Music Group family for nearly 50 years. Their 1962 debut album brought folk music of consciousness to the top of the charts and was monumental in launching the fledgling Warner Bros. Records label. Their unprecedented string of gold and platinum albums, hit singles, and Grammy® Awards was truly astonishing. In 2004, the trio performed in our offices in support of their final album, In These Times; and the joy they felt for their music and the responsibility they felt toward their audiences remained as clear as when they began nearly half a century ago.

 
"Mary was always a champion for human rights. Along with Peter and Noel Paul, she performed at the March on Washington in 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his legendary "I Have a Dream" speech. They also performed in support of Cesar Chavez and the UFW at Carnegie Hall in the late 1960s and for strawberry pickers in California in the 1990s.  They performed at national marches for women's choice in Washington and demonstrated in support of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, committing an act of civil disobedience that led to the trio's arrest in front of the South African Embassy. 

"Although society's challenges have changed since the legendary day on which "If I Had A Hammer" rang out at our nation's Capitol, the need to engage in the process of improving our world remains just as great, and Mary's music and life will continue to inspire generations to come to improve the world in which we live."