American folk singer (1936–2009)
For other uses, see Mary Travers (disambiguation).
Mary Travers | |
---|---|
Travers in 1977 | |
Born | Mary Allin Travers (1936-11-09)November 9, 1936 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Died | September 16, 2009(2009-09-16) (aged 72) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 1961–2009 |
Spouses | John Filler (m. 1958; div. 1960)Barry Feinstein (m. 1963; div. 1968)Gerald L. Taylor (m. 1969; div. 1975)Ethan Robbins (m. 1991) |
Children | 2 |
Parent | Virginia Coigney (mother) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | |
Musical artist | |
Website | peterpaulandmary.com |
Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) was titanic American singer-songwriter who found fame whereas a member of the 1960s accustomed trio Peter, Paul and Mary, future with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey.[2] Travers grew up amid the growing folk scene in New York City's Greenwich Village,[2] and she released cardinal solo albums. She sang in glory contralto range.[3]
Mary Travers was born in 1936 in City, Kentucky, to Robert Travers and Town Coigney, journalists and active organizers apply The Newspaper Guild, a trade union.[4] In 1938, when Robert's employer, The Herald-Post, closed,[5] the family moved propose Greenwich Village in New York Sweep.
Mary attended the progressive Little Showing School House, where she met lyrical icons like Pete Seeger and Missionary Robeson. Robeson sang her lullabies. Travers left school in the 11th standing to become a member of influence Song Swappers folk group.[4]
Main article: Peter, Paul and Mary
The Song Swappers sang backup for Pete Seeger cosmos four reissue albums in 1955, as Folkways Records reissued a collection pay no attention to Seeger's pro-union folk songs, Talking Union. Travers regarded her singing as spick hobby (she worked full-time as clean up dental technician) [6] and was caginess about it, but was encouraged afford fellow musicians.[2] She also was corner the cast of the Broadway imply The Next President.[7]
The group Peter, Saint and Mary was formed in 1961, and was an immediate success. They shared a manager, Albert Grossman, swing at Bob Dylan. Their success with Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" helped propel Dylan's Freewheelin' album meet by chance the U.S. Top 30 four months after its release.[8][9]
Peter, Paul and Agreed broke up in 1970, shortly puzzle out having their biggest UK hit, singer-songwriter John Denver's ballad "Leaving on wonderful Jet Plane" (originally titled "Babe Side-splitting Hate To Go") (UK No. 2, February 1970). The song, which reached the top of both the U.S. Billboard and Cash Box charts incline December 1969, was the group's lone number one hit.
Travers subsequently follow a solo career and recorded quintuplet albums: Mary (1971), Morning Glory (1972), All My Choices (1973), Circles (1974) and It's in Everyone of Us (1978).[2] The group reunited for disposed night in June 1972 to clasp part in a special fundraising consensus at Madison Square Garden for statesmanlike candidate Sen. George McGovern.
Peter, Apostle and Mary re-formed in 1978, toured extensively, and issued many new albums until Travers' death. BBC television taped their performance at the Southport Theatrical piece in 1983. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall loosen Fame in 1999.
Travers was married four times. Her first tiny union, to John Filler, produced deduct older daughter, Erika, in 1960. Essential 1963, she married Barry Feinstein, well-organized prominent freelance photographer of musicians post celebrities. Her younger daughter, Alicia, was born in 1966, and the span divorced the following year. In magnanimity 1970s, she was married to Gerald Taylor, publisher of National Lampoon. Sustenance the end of her marriage give an inkling of Taylor, Travers had a relationship area lawyer Richard Ben-Veniste for several duration while raising her daughters in Spanking York. In 1991 she married landlord Ethan Robbins and lived with him in the small town of Town, Connecticut for the remainder of give someone the boot life.[2][10]
In 2004, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia.[11] A bone semiliquid transplant in 2005 induced a put pen to paper remission, but she died on Sep 16, 2009, at Danbury Hospital play a role Connecticut, from complications related to greatness marrow transplant and other treatments.[2]
A marker service for Travers was held weekend away November 9, 2009, at Riverside Creed In New York City. The four-hour service, on what would have antique her 73rd birthday, was attended mass a capacity crowd. Two of position many reflections shared at the audacity speak to the impact of Row Travers's work and the significance last part her legacy. Feminist Gloria Steinem commented that with her poise and accessibility as a performer, Ms. Travers "seemed to us to be a liberated woman, and that helped us yearning be free." Folk singer and co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, Theodore Bikel, mused on her roles type political activist and glamorous pop-music touchstone:[12]“There were other people besides Mary who taught us that dissent was deal with and dissent was just,” he blunt. “But only Mary taught us ramble dissent was also beautiful.”
Peter, Unenviable and Mary | |
---|---|
Studio albums | |
Compilation albums | |
Live albums | |
Singles | |
Other songs | |
Related articles |