Mary Allin Travers was born in Louisville, Kentucky on November 9, 1936. Her parents were journalists who moved the family to New York City just two years later.
She grew up in Greenwich Village, where, as a teenager, she found herself drawn to the burgeoning folk music scene. She attended the progressive Little Red School House, but dropped out in the 11th grade to join her first group, the Song Swappers. She stayed with them for six years before catching the ear of Bob Dylan in 1961.
That year, he teamed Mary with fellow folk musicians Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Between 1961 and 2009, Peter, Paul, and Mary would release nearly 50 albums and 29 hit singles. This blogger would discover them through their hit The River of Jordan, covered by Lorna Patterson in the 1980 cinematic masterpiece Airplane!.
In 2004, Mary was diagnosed with leukemia. She underwent a bone marrow transplant the following year, which led to a temporary remission, but she ultimately passed away on September 16, 2009. She was just 72 years old.
Mary Travers was laid to rest at Umpawaug Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut.
Rest in peace.
Trivia
- The inscription on Mary's headstone reads "Voice of a generation that echoes through the ages."
- At the height of their fame, the trio appeared as mystery guests on the popular game show What's My Line, brought to you by Kellogg's. You can watch the 1963 episode in its entirety (complete with commercials) on YouTube.
- Mary was co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, an annual event still conducted each year in Rhode Island.
- Mary was a frequent performer on the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon. Here she is in 1975 being introduced by the host himself and performing The Song is Love.
- The day after her death, Brian Williams filed this retrospective report for MSNBC. Shockingly, he didn't claim to have known her or to taught her how to sing.
- Can't make it to Connecticut yourself? Vlogger Fascinating Graveyard posted this video of the grave.
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