Peter, Paul and Mary

▪ American folksinging group

      American folksingers at the forefront of the folk music revival (folk rock) of the 1960s who created a bridge between traditional folk music and later folk rock. The group comprised Peter Yarrow (b. May 31, 1938, New York, N.Y., U.S.), Paul (later Noel Paul) Stookey (b. Nov. 30, 1937, Baltimore, Md.), and Mary Ellin Travers (b. Nov. 7, 1937, Louisville, Ky.).

      After meeting in New York City's , Yarrow, Stookey, and Travers formed a group in 1961. Playing in folk clubs and on college campuses, they built a youthful following with their lyricism, tight harmonies, and spare sound, usually accompanied only by Yarrow and Stookey on acoustic guitars. With their records and television appearances, they popularized both new and traditional folk songs by such songwriters as Woody Guthrie (Guthrie, Woody) (“This Land Is Your Land”), the Weavers (Weavers, the) (“If I Had a Hammer”), Bob Dylan (Dylan, Bob) (“Blowin' in the Wind”), and Laura Nyro (Nyro, Laura) (“And When I Die”).

      Prominent in the civil rights movement and the struggle against the Vietnam War, Peter, Paul and Mary included protest songs in a repertoire that also featured plaintive ballads and children's songs such as Yarrow's “Puff (the Magic Dragon),” which often is mistakenly interpreted as drug-related. After splitting up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, the trio re-formed to release the album Reunion in 1978. In 1986 they celebrated their 25th anniversary with a series of concerts.

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