In the early 1960s, folk and rock were vying for the attention of music lovers everywhere and though rock came to dominate the decade, folk had its own considerable influence on the pop music scene. Peter, Paul and Mary became iconic examples of that genre and the turbulent events of the time.

Albert Grossman set out to create a folk tour-de-force group and handpicked Peter Yarrow, Noel “Paul” Stookey and Mary Travers. The group debuted at the heart of hip Greenwich Village in New York City in 1961 and released a self-titled album the following year. Peter, Paul and Mary swiftly climbed the charts, stayed in the Top 10 for ten months and continued to hover in the Top 100 for three years. Hit singles from that album included “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and “If I Had a Hammer,” both written by Pete Seeger.

Off to a very good start, the folk trio released two more albums that joined the debut album in the Top 10. Moving featured Woody Guthrie’s folk anthem “This Land is Your Land” and the whimsical “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” In the Wind packed a punch with a few Bob Dylan songs like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” both of which brought well-deserved attention to Dylan’s work. The trio joined Dylan at the forefront of the civil rights movement, performing at the 1963 March On Washington and appearing at rallies, marches and benefits for social causes.

Peter, Paul and Mary broke up in 1970, after scoring a final #1 hit with John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” All three pursued solo careers after the break up but they couldn’t quite recreate their success as a trio. They reunited in 1978 for a concert and stayed together, recording more albums, touring and continuing in their roles as social activists. Mary Travers’s recent ill health has put a damper on their popular concert series but they are still very popular among folk music fans.