RIP - Mary Allin Travers (1936-2009)

Mary Allin Travers died on September 16, 2009, after a long battle with leukemia. She was an American singer-songwriter and member of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Noel "Paul" Stookey. This group was one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s.

She was born on November 9, 1936, in Louisville, Kentucky and song with The Song Swappers in high school, as a backup for Pete Seeger. Travers was also in the cast of the Broadway-theatre show, The Next President.The group Peter, Paul and Mary was formed in 1961. The group's first album, Peter, Paul and Mary came out in 1962 with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." "If I Had a Hammer" won them Grammy's for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group. It also became an anthem for racial equality. Other albums were Moving and In the Wind.

The group broke up in 1970 and Travers pursued a solo career and recorded five albums: Mary (1970), Morning Glory (1972), All My Choices (1973), Circles (1974) and It's in Everyone of Us.

In 1999, Peter, Paul and Mary were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Check out the tribute to her and Peter, Paul and Mary in Periodicals Room in the lower level of the library.