One can’t think about the protest movements in the ’60s without including the music of Peter, Paul and Mary. Formed in 1961, the trio of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers popularized songs by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and others as well as adding some of their own rich tunes into the vibrant mix. Among their special performances was playing at the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
The group broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers. They periodically reunited for special occasions until Mary contracted leukemia and died 2009.
Their early version of Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” became a classic:
“If I Had a Hammer” was one of the anthems of the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war movement in the ’60s.
Peter Yarrow’s Hanukkah “Light One Candle” issues a call for faithfulness in our time:
Noel Paul Stookey’s “El Salvador” didn’t get the wide play of their classic 1960s numbers, but it spoke powerfully about the violence during the war there in the 1980s.