Mary Travers

<p>Mary Allin Travers was born on November 9, 1936, in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised in Greenwich Village, New York City. Immersed in the burgeoning bohemian folk music scene, she was invited by manager Albert Grossman in 1961 to form a musical trio with Peter Yarrow and Noel 'Paul' Stookey, named <strong>Peter, Paul and Mary</strong>.</p><p>With Travers's striking blonde hair, passionate stage presence, and powerful contralto harmony, the trio became the commercial and moral vanguard of the American folk revival. Their 1962 self-titled debut album spent 185 weeks on the Billboard 200, featuring hits 'Lemon Tree' and 'If I Had a Hammer' (winning two Grammys). They famously introduced the songwriting of Bob Dylan to mainstream world audiences with their chart-topping 1963 recording of 'Blowin' in the Wind'.</p><p>More than performers, Travers and the trio were on the front lines of the American Civil Rights Movement. On August 28, 1963, they stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to sing before his historic 'I Have a Dream' speech, and participated in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches. Scoring their final Billboard No. 1 hit in 1969 with John Denver's 'Leaving on a Jet Plane', Travers spent four decades advocating for social justice, peace, and anti-apartheid causes until her passing from leukemia in 2009.</p>