Peter Yarrow, a beloved member of the iconic folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary, passed away Monday at his New York City home from bladder cancer at the age of 86. Yarrow, along with Noel Paul Stookey and the late Mary Travers, left an indelible mark on pop music with their harmonious melodies and poignant lyrics. The trio's legacy includes five Grammy Awards, two number one albums, and six Top 10 hits, such as the timeless "If I Had a Hammer," their heartfelt cover of Bob Dylan’s "Blowin’ in the Wind," and their chart-topping rendition of John Denver’s "Leaving on a Jet Plane."
Peter, Paul & Mary were known for their ability to capture the spirit of the times with songs like "Lemon Tree," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," and their soulful take on Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." Their music not only entertained but also inspired social change, becoming anthems for the civil rights movement and other social causes. Yarrow's contributions to the group were instrumental in shaping the folk music landscape and bringing its transformative power to a wider audience.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yarrow really discovered his passion for folk music while attending Cornell University, where he earned a degree in psychology. It was there that he began teaching a class on folk music, recognizing its potential to bring about social change. Reflecting on his journey, Peter once said, “That’s the real reason I entered the folk field, because in that class I saw the transformational power folk music had. It was a very, very backward time in our country, and certainly on the Ivy League campuses. When the kids at the college took this course, their humanity emerged, and it was palatable and clear. I was in tune with the fact that the world was going to go through a big change and that folk music was going to become an important part of it. It became the soundtrack of that change.”
[Source: Classic Hits Today]