Folk Icon Mary Travers Has Died

Born in Louisville, Kentucky on November 9, 1936, Mary spent most of her childhood and teen years in Greenwich Village in New York. While attending Elisabeth Irwin High School, Travers joined the "Song Swappers", singing backup for Pete Seeger on Folkways Records "Talking Union" in 1955. The "Song Swappers" would record 4 albums for Folkways records, and appear twice at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger.

Peter Yarrow, Noel "Paul" Stookey, and Mary Travers would form the group "Peter, Paul and Mary" in 1961, first performing in Greenwich Villages "The Bitter End" coffee house. By 1962 they released their first album, "Peter, Paul, and Mary", which remained in the top ten for ten months. In the groups nearly 50 years of performing together they would amass 5 Grammy's, 13 top 40 hits, 8 gold albums, and 5 platinum albums.

Peter, Paul, and Mary would not only become the voice of both the civil rights movement, and the anti-war movement, but were very active within them among other social issues. They performed "If I Had a Hammer" at Martin Luther Kings history making march on Washington in 1963. The song would become the anthem of the civil right movement.

Outside of Peter, Paul, and Mary, Travers recorded 4 solo albums, hosted a syndicated radio shows, and lectured at colleges. Her activism continued unabated. Her commitment to human rights would lead her to participate in fact finding missions to Nicaragua and El Salvador, and efforts to raise the consciousness of her fellow Americans concerning the actions of the US in those countries.

The trio would continue through the 1980's performing, and lending their time and them selves to various marches and campaigns. From woman's choice, homelessness, to protesting Apartheid, Peter, Paul, and Mary were there.

Mary was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005. She received a bone marrow transplant, and appeared to be winning her battle, but died on September 16, 2009 due to complications from chemotherapy.

A statement released by Peter Yarrow reads in part:

"I have no idea what it will be like to have no Mary in my world, in my life, or on stage to sing with. But I do know there will always be a hole in my heart, a place where she will always exist that will never be filled by any other person. However painful her passing is, I am forever grateful for Mary and her place in my life."

The Peter, Paul, and Mary website can be found here.