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thatcrazycajunIt is with shock and sadness, both in exceedingly large quantities, that I must report the passing of an icon of both the folk music genre and the social justice movement. Mary Travers, for over four decades the brassy-voiced heart of the singing and activist group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at 72 following a prolonged struggle with leukemia, while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Danbury, CT. Yahoo! News reports the obituary here.
My Songbird and I have both been humongous fans of PPM for decades, and actually had the good fortune to see them in person on one of their final live tours together, here in Atlanta a few years ago. Mary was among the handful of major figures in the 1960s folk revival, along with her bandmates Noel "Paul" Stookey and Peter Yarrow, who walked their talk on marches, picket lines and sit-ins for liberal causes as much as they sang on stages and at rallies. It can be truly said of her that she changed millions of lives for the better, many of whom she never even met.
More will be added to this entry later when I have time, but for now...my heart, thoughts and prayers are with Noel and Peter, Mary's family and the rest of those who loved her. Thanks, ma'am...and may you swing that hammer and ring that bell eternally in heaven's choir. And I think the finest memorial she could have—and would probably want—would be for all of us to continue the work for justice and peace she began (as their box-set title says, "Carry It On").
UPDATE, 4:44p:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maugorn has posted an incredibly eloquent tribute to Mary's influence on his life and his music here. Like him, I have found my own singing and composition styles deriving more than a little from hers.
My Songbird and I have both been humongous fans of PPM for decades, and actually had the good fortune to see them in person on one of their final live tours together, here in Atlanta a few years ago. Mary was among the handful of major figures in the 1960s folk revival, along with her bandmates Noel "Paul" Stookey and Peter Yarrow, who walked their talk on marches, picket lines and sit-ins for liberal causes as much as they sang on stages and at rallies. It can be truly said of her that she changed millions of lives for the better, many of whom she never even met.
More will be added to this entry later when I have time, but for now...my heart, thoughts and prayers are with Noel and Peter, Mary's family and the rest of those who loved her. Thanks, ma'am...and may you swing that hammer and ring that bell eternally in heaven's choir. And I think the finest memorial she could have—and would probably want—would be for all of us to continue the work for justice and peace she began (as their box-set title says, "Carry It On").
UPDATE, 4:44p:
maugorn has posted an incredibly eloquent tribute to Mary's influence on his life and his music here. Like him, I have found my own singing and composition styles deriving more than a little from hers.
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Date: 2009-09-17 01:23 pm (UTC)