I am a child of the Sixties. Little wonder that my idols are those show compassion, kindness, empathy, and common sense. Mary Travers (1936-2009) has been one of those idols.
Before there Peter, Paul and Mary there was The Song Swappers, a group of (mainly) high school friends who sang backup for Pete Seeger on several Folkways records. By the time they recorded this song in 1955, Mary Travers was in her late teens and working as a dental technician, regarding her singing as merely a hobby. Little did she know.
"Solidarity Forever" - Pete Seeger with the Almanac Singers and The Song Swappers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwcL5H2Im0
Travers then made it ever so briefly (it closed after thirteen performances) to Broadway in the musical The Next President in 1958.
Then, in 1961, she joined Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey to form Peter, Paul and Mary to instant success. The group became a leading voice in the folk and pop music fields and acted as a conscience for a generation. The trio dissolved in 1970, reforming in 1978 until Mary Traver's death. Travers also released five solo albums. Here's a small sample of the woman with the strong voice -- and the conscience -- of an angel.
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" - with The Kingston Trio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNKnoLMKYo
"I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMYtuXphJiY
I Shall Be Released" - with Mama Cass Elliott and Joni Mitchell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEZFt5ZZj9s
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6x3mRbZo3k
"There Is a Ship"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTEdhMwXiM4
"Early Morning Rain"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OCnHNk2Hac
"Follow Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXBvN50XH58
"Lonesome Valley" - with Joan Baez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt64OQETmO0
"Finlandia (A Song of Peace)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTBiRiHnRmM
"The Conscientious Objector"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iiRU0vt1xE
"Blowing in the Wind"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6fAO4idaI
"Home Is Where the Heart Is" - with Holly Near
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLBk__ptOzE
"The Times They Are Changing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSOoJiKbpWs&list=PLFaKjSxM-zLgrOSq-wUQASkaLukDyV5i0&index=19
"House of the Rising Sun" - with BB King
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5LCW74lNp4&list=PLFaKjSxM-zLgrOSq-wUQASkaLukDyV5i0&index=15
"For Baby (For Bobbie)" -- the most powerful version of this song EVER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW7NE1CpeA4&list=RDIW7NE1CpeA4&start_radio=1
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