Mary, I will follow you.

Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary died tonight.  Her passing hit me far harder than I expected.  After all, she wasn't young, she hadn't performed in years, and I don't even own any PPM albums at the moment.  But I can't stop crying.  She didn't have the inhuman vocals of Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell.  Her one stab at being a solo artist was a disaster, she was always a part of a trio. And yet...she is a part of my soul.

These statements, by Peter, Paul, and her family are far more eloquent than I could ever be.

Mary Travers was a part of my childhood.  I will be forever grateful to my parents for raising me on Peter, Paul, and Mary, Joan Baez, The Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and other musicians who believed that music could make a difference in the world..  I could (and still can) sing along to most PPM songs by the time I was 10.

I saw her live several times, first in about 1978 in Fresno, CA, most recently in Waterfront Park in Portland, OR., about 15 years ago.  She had grown heavy and slow, lost her physical beauty, and couldn't quite hit the high notes of her youth.  She was still VITAL, in the core sense.  Still pissed off at the world, and loving it at the same time, still hoping beyond hope to make the world a better place.  Still furious, smart, generous, acerbic,  and funny. Still someone you felt graced to have heard.

The world has grown a bit colder without her.  She was not the greatest voice of her day, but she was a vitally, hugely important one.

Dad, mom, thank you for making her a part of me.

Mary, thank you for being part of who I am.  I hope, in some small way, my life can honor yours.


"If religion was a thing that money could buy.  The rich would live, and the poor would die."

Here are a few videos, then I'm going to cry some more.
The first time ever I saw your face
The rising of the moon
Blowin' in the wind
If I had a hammer
How many times?
500 Miles
Follow me
Early in the morning
Would you like to learn to dance?
And when I die
I'll end on a light note.  One of their earliest recorded shows.  My god she knew how to have fun!
Blue