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Peter, Paul and Mary

Peter, Paul and Mary

The trio that turned folk music into a chart-topping, protest-singing, harmony-driven phenomenon of the 1960s.

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The trio that turned folk music into a chart-topping, protest-singing, harmony-driven phenomenon of the 1960s.

MOODS · earnest · nostalgic · politically engaged · warm · harmonious · gentle protest · folk revival · wistful · communal · acoustic · reflective · timeless

BIOGRAPHY

Peter, Paul and Mary formed in New York City in 1961, assembled by manager Albert Grossman from the Greenwich Village folk scene. Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers built their sound on tight vocal harmonies and spare arrangements, mixing traditional folk songs with early Bob Dylan material, Pete Seeger tunes, and their own compositions. Their debut album shot to number one and sold over two million copies, helping drive the folk revival into the mainstream. The group became closely tied to the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests, pairing topical songs with beloved staples like "500 Miles" and "Puff (the Magic Dragon)." "Leaving on a Jet Plane," written by their friend John Denver, gave them their only number-one single in 1969. They split in 1970, reunited for 1978's Reunion, and continued performing after Travers's 2009 death until Yarrow's passing in 2025.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Peter, Paul and Mary didn't just ride the folk revival, they helped define it, turning coffeehouse harmonies into million-selling records while staying embedded in the era's biggest political movements. Critics in purist folk circles once dismissed them as commercial dilutors of a

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