 |
Mary Allin TraversAmerican folk pop singer and songwriter, member of the group 'Peter, Paul and Mary'
Date of Birth: 09.11.1936
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Mary Travers
Mary Allin Travers was an American folk-pop singer, songwriter, and member of the folk-pop group "Peter, Paul and Mary," along with Peter Yarrow and (Noel) Paul Stookey. "Peter, Paul and Mary" was a popular group in the 1960s, performing folk music. They disbanded at times but reunited in 1978 and performed until Travers' death.
Early Life and Career
Mary Travers was born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, to Robert Travers and Virginia Coigney. Both her parents were journalists and active members of The Newspaper Guild. In 1938, the family moved to Greenwich Village, New York, where Travers attended the Little Red School House. She left school in the 11th grade to pursue a singing career. Unlike many folk musicians who were part of the Greenwich Village music scene in the 60s, Travers grew up in the same neighborhood.
In school, Travers joined the group "The Song Swappers," which, in 1955, performed as the opening act for Pete Seeger's concert commemorating the reissue of the group's hit collection, "Talking Union," by Folkways Records. In the same year, "The Song Swappers" recorded four albums for Folkways, all featuring Seeger. Travers regarded singing as a hobby and was initially shy about it, but her musician friends encouraged her. She also auditioned for the Broadway production "The Next President."
Peter, Paul and Mary
The group "Peter, Paul and Mary" was formed in 1961 and immediately gained popularity. Their manager, Albert Grossman, was also Bob Dylan's manager at the time. Their successful performance of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" with Dylan helped promote Dylan's album "Freewheelin'" for months, reaching the top 30 albums in the US.
Their first album, "Peter, Paul and Mary," was released in 1962 and featured hits such as their version of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." The album won a Grammy for Best Folk Song and Best Vocal Group Performance. Their next album, "Moving," included the hit song about lost innocence, "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," which reached number two on the charts. Their third album, "In the Wind," featured three songs by 22-year-old Bob Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Blowin' in the Wind" reached the top ten, introducing Dylan's music to a wider audience.
At one point in 1963, three of their albums appeared on Billboard's list of the six best-selling records, making them the biggest stars of the folk revival movement. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality, along with Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," which they performed during the August 1963 March on Washington.
Solo Career and Personal Life
The group disbanded in 1970, and Travers subsequently pursued a solo career, releasing five albums: "Mary" (1971), "Morning Glory" (1972), "All My Choices" (1973), "Circles" (1974), and "It's in Everyone of Us" (1978). They reunited in 1978 and extensively toured, releasing many new albums. In 1999, "Peter, Paul and Mary" were officially inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Travers had four marriages, three of which ended in divorce. Her fourth husband, restaurateur Ethan Robbins, whom she married in 1991, became a true savior for her. She had two daughters, Erika Marshall, born in 1960 in Naples, Florida, and Alicia Travers, born in 1965 in Greenwich, Connecticut. She also had a stepbrother, John Travers, and a sister, Ann Gordon, a philosophy doctor in Oakland, California, as well as two grandchildren. Travers lived in Redding, Connecticut.
In 2005, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia. Although a bone marrow transplant undoubtedly slowed the progression of the disease, Travers passed away on September 16, 2009, at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Connecticut, from complications related to chemotherapy. She was 72 years old.
