RIP Peter Yarrow
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/01/07/peter-yarrow-dead/
Peter Yarrow, a member of the influential trio Peter, Paul and Mary, which popularized folk music in the 1960s with “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and other protest anthems, but who saw his reputation tarnished when he pleaded guilty to a morals charge involving a minor, died Jan. 7 at his home in Manhattan. He was 86.
The cause was bladder cancer, his publicist Ken Sunshine said.
From 1961 to 1970, Peter, Paul and Mary — two bearded guitarists and a soulful blonde — became one of the signature acts of the era’s folk revival. In addition to playing guitar and singing alongside Mary Travers and Noel Paul Stookey, Mr. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group’s best known songs, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Controversy over its supposed references to marijuana may have boosted its popularity.
The group’s self-titled first album, released in 1962, sold more than 2 million copies. It spawned several hit singles, including Will Holt’s “Lemon Tree” and then “If I Had a Hammer,” written in 1949 by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays.
Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1963 album “In the Wind” included three songs by the then-relatively unknown Bob Dylan. As they continued to pour out hits, such as John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain,” they became a familiar sight on TV variety shows.
The trio’s success gave Mr. Yarrow a platform to promote social causes. He was involved in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, then later worked on behalf of efforts to secure women’s rights, free Soviet Jewry, alleviate famine, end apartheid in South Africa and curtail bullying in schools.
Of Peter, Paul and Mary, he said, “We weren’t there just to entertain.”
