The folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary formed a major part of the soundtrack of my adolescence. Mary Travers died in 2009 at the age of 72 and today came news of the death of Peter Yarrow at the age of 86. They had wonderful harmony and were also politically progressive, lending their. names to all manner of actions in support of civil rights and opposing US wars. They had a string of hits.
Below is one of their less-well-known songs I Dig Rock and Roll Music that poked gentle fun at that other genre and contained impressions of The Mamas and the Papas, Donovan and The Beatles. Travers and Paul Stookey did the vocals on this one with Yarrow providing most of the guitar work.
You say, “gentle fun”, I say, “mean-spirited jealousy”. X-D
Folk had been the coolest thing going in the late 50s / early 60s (even the Beatles started as a skiffle band) until folk rock / psychadelic rock took over. They were not happy.
The line, “if I say it, the radio won’t play it”, is the clue that this is not “gentle fun”; they’re saying the acts they are mocking are crap.
Anyway, for a song actually written by Yarrow, the most famous would be Puff, the Magic Dragon -- a song I grew up with and some dopes (see what I did there) have falsely claimed is about drugs, but is actually about the loss of childhood fantasies as one grows up.
There is also Day Is Done, with another childhood theme.
But I think Peter, Paul & Mary were best when covering Bob Dylan. Dylan was notoriously unpolished, modelling himself on Woody Guthrie, and while a brilliant songwriter, not everyone was enamoured of his delivery. Peter, Paul & Mary did more polished and accessible versions of many Dylan songs. Probably the best is Blowin’ in the Wind -- a 60s protest song that is nevertheless timeless; and their version is probably definitive. It just soars:
The convicted paedophile is dead, not long after the death of the former president who pardoned him.
Odd thing to omit from your celebratory obit, but you do you i guess. Looking forward to your Polanski retrospective when it’s time.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/07/peter-yarrow-of-folk-trio-peter-paul-and-mary-dies-aged-86