Posts Tagged ‘mary travers biography’

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies:Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died Wednesday night in Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and had lived in Redding, Conn.

The cause was cancer, said her spokeswoman, Heather Lylis.

Ms. Travers brought a powerful voice and an unfeigned urgency to music that resonated with mainstream listeners. With her straight blond hair and willowy figure and two bearded guitar players by her side, she looked exactly like what she was, a Greenwich Villager straight from the clubs and the coffee houses that nourished the folk-music revival.

“She was obviously the sex appeal of that group, and that group was the sex appeal of the movement,” said Elijah Wald, a folk-blues musician and a historian of popular music.

Mary Travers Death, Mary Died Of Cancer At 72

Mary Travers Death, Mary Died Of Cancer At 72: It will be great sorrow the next time anyone hears Leaving on a Jet Plane or immortal fairy tale of Puff The Magic Dragon  for the Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary has passed away Wednesday from cancer at 72 years old.

In 2006, Travers was still “feeling fabulous” in 2006, but her health deteriorated quickly this year as she battled leukemia. According to the Associated Press, her spokesperson, Heather Lylis, has confirmed that her death took place in Connecticut’s Danbury Hospital.

Travers was known for being the slinky, tall, leading blond in the famous folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary when she started collaborating and performing with the then two bearded men, Peter Yarrow and Noel “Paul” Stookey. However, her passion for music started early on with her natural passion for life.

After her parents moved to Greenwich Village, she quickly fell in love with folk scene and began singing backup for The Weavers. This was shortly after meeting Pete Seeger who lived in the same apartment building as her family.

However, when manager Albert B. Grossman was looking to “find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous,” Travers was selected and finally tasted stardom on her own with Yarrow and Stookey. Together, they wrote the infamous songs, “If I Had A Hammer”(a powerful song about racial equality), and “Lemon Tree.” Since Grossman was also managing Bob Dylan at the time, they were also famous for performing his song, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Another famous song they favored with a rendition was John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jetplane.”

Helping Bob Dylan launch his career as they collaborated on each other’s albums, Peter, Paul and Mary went on to earn a few Grammys. They also continued to be involved with political movements. After the band disbanded, Travers and her band members launched their own solo careers.

Linking her kindness to her music, fellow band member, Peter Yarrow, stated:

“It was, as Mary always was, honest and completely authentic,” he said. “That’s the way she sang, too; honestly and with complete authenticity.”

“I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career.”

Mary Travers is survived by her husband, Ethan Robbins and her daughters, Alicia and Erika.

Source:http://beatcrave.com/2009-09-16/mary-travers-of-peter-paul-and-mary-died-of-cancer-at-72/