R.I.P., Mary Travers

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Mary Travers has died.

She was the Mary in Peter Paul and Mary, principals of the folk revival of the 1960s.

They marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma and appeared with him at the March on Washington in 1963. They were early adopters of Bob Dylan’s protest songs and sang probably the most popular version of “Blowing in the Wind.”

This Pete Seeger composition may have been their most well-known song.

This is a blow. I loved their music when I was a teenager.

5 Comments

  1. In tribute to Mary, thought I’d post the following lyrics to the public domain “Woman of Experience” biographical folk song I wrote about her during the 1980s:
    “Women of Experience”
    (chorus)
    She’s a woman of experience
    She’s a woman who is strong
    She’s a woman of intelligence
    And she likes to sing folk songs.
    (verses)
    She was born in Old Kentucky
    And raised in Bohemia
    Her childhood was so lonely
    But she found some joy in nature
    Her parents taught her well
    To always think for herself
    And resist the Establishment
    And that’s why she sang folk. (chorus)
    Around her was a crowd of rebels
    Writers with words intense
    Artists who hoped to change the world
    And outfox the government
    She rebelled against dumb authority
    And refused to ape TV clones
    Alienated and abandoned
    She sang folk songs at home. (chorus)
    She wandered in Washington Square
    And sang along in the park
    She read her quota of books
    And sat in the coffeshops
    She sang with a couple of men
    And belted out her deep feelings
    And fought for a better world
    And they called her the “new folk queen.” (chorus)
    She’s been through her family
    And she’s got some new lessons to share
    And she’s collected a lot of wisdom
    And it’s still fun to touch her hair
    And she’ll give you a passionate hug
    And her spirit is still untamed
    And she brings some love to the world
    And sings folk songs in the middle of rain. (chorus)

  4. Great embedded video , Link, though I like the Hammer Song from Newport ’63 as the quintessential video of MT singing with passion as the wind tousles that impossibly blond hair of hers…
    Thanks also for the Sandburg comment – I’m running down the ref on your site here…

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