Talk:Peter, Paul and Mary

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Discussion[edit]

"improper liberties"? Oh God... someone needs to expound. TheCoffee 17:49, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I so agree, even though I don't know what your sayin'. Chill. , — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.232.145.68 (talkcontribs) 20:50, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They used to get their laundry done in Salinas, CA! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.26.6.143 (talkcontribs) 17:44, 24 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Missing hit list[edit]

The listing of top-hit songs and albums is confusing. This is an example of the bad effects of the Official Policy Against Lists (OPAL) at WP. What could be organized and accessible turns into just a confusing mush of sentences.-69.87.204.178 22:03, 14 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bad link[edit]

The link for "500 Miles" (in the first paragraph of the History section) redirects to a totally different song - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," written and performed by Scottish pop band The Proclaimers. 12.76.136.92 (talk) 05:34, 22 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Why such focus on Australian concerts ?[edit]

I think someone should correct (or erase) such lines about Australian concerts. I don't think this is the point of such page to list every tour of the band in a specific country, unless significant event :

  • In May 1964 Peter, Paul & Mary made their first tour of Australia playing only one concert in each of Sydney (Stadium) and Melbourne(Festival Hall). Their Australian Impressario was tentative about their potential but this was unfounded.
  • Their first visit sparked a massive folk music interest which survives today. Folk Clubs were opened in the most unlikely places and folk festivals were founded. Many hitherto ignored Australian Folksingers were able to make modest livings from their careers and recordings.
  • Both concerts were sell-outs and the group revisited Australia in 1965,1967,1968 and 1970 each time increasing their itinerary and always to capacity business, until their break-up in 1970.
  • Since their reformation Peter, Paul & Mary have visited Australia three times for concerts. Noel Paul Stookey is the only member of the group to visit Australia as a solo performer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aldejerph (talkcontribs) 08:54, 25 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Why such focus on a lost TV interview ?[edit]

Admittedly, the recollection that "the trio chatted amiably" is intriguing. Even so, the attention lavished on this now obscure event, which is not even claimed to have any great significance if we had the tape, seems wildly disproportionate. What it seems to be is padding for a Wiki article that is painfully lacking in significant information. 74.242.247.150 (talk) 21:42, 31 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Peter and Paul were interviewed earlier this week (8/19/2009) by radio station WTOP, under the title Audio: Peter, Paul & Mary No More. This interview reveal's Mary's health issues prevent her singing concerts, and they have probably performed as a trio for the last time. http://wtop.com/?sid=1743466&nid=93. Tomligon (talk) 19:23, 21 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Citations & references[edit]

See Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags Nhl4hamilton (talk) 06:13, 3 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Mary's death[edit]

The wording of Mary Travers death could be a little misleading. The trio may have lost a member, but the group has been touring without her. Have they announced that the group is done? if not then the wording should be changed from:

The Peter, Paul and Mary trio came to an end on September 16, 2009, when lead singer Mary Travers died of complications from chemotherapy, following treatment for leukemia, at age 72.

72.10.215.230 (talk) 14:43, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Don't be an idiot. You can't have Peter, Paul and Mary without Mary. 98.220.41.194 (talk) 19:06, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Didn't say you can have a Peter Paul and Mary without Mary. but the current wording makes it appear as though the group will never perform again when in reality they have been touring without Mary for quite a while. While they won't be Peter Paul and Mary, but Peter and Paul, which they have been using as their name without Mary. I think the wording should be changed. 72.10.215.230 (talk) 17:24, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I don't understand your dilemma. You admitted they have toured as Peter and Paul, which is different. So then what's wrong with the wording "The Peter, Paul and Mary trio has ended"????? Peter and Paul may have been touring, but the GROUP Peter Paul and Mary has not toured recently, and they will never tour again, obviously. The wording is fine. The Peter, Paul and Mary trio in fact did come to an end with Mary's death. Peter and Paul may continue to perform together, but there's no way on God's green earth they'd tour as Peter, Paul and Mary since Mary has died. 98.220.41.194 (talk) 19:06, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Arguably the trio came to an end before Mary's death, since Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey were performing concerts without Mary, billed as "Peter & Paul," prior to her death. The problem is that the "end" of a musical group is not always a well-defined event. I'd avoid saying that the trio ended on September 16, 2009, although perhaps for different reasons than 72.10.215.230. It would be appropriate to mention the date of their last live performance together, or their last recording, I think. Chuck (talk) 19:43, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Picture from the Sixties needed[edit]

They were an icon of the Sixties, and there should be a picture of them as they were then and will always be remembered. The picture of elderly folk 40 years later is a bit absurd. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.21.65.42 (talk) 02:38, 16 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I agree if you can find one that is of free use feel free to upload it on wikipedia commons. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 23:29, 12 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Early Years section[edit]

The trio appeared as a lounge act performing "A Soalin'" on "77 Sunset Strip," episode number 159, titled, "Shadow on Your Shoulder", which aired on 7 December 1962.

I'm not sure if this is important enough to be added to the main article. (Was this their first television appearance?)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.5.131.205 (talk) 09:18, 22 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest the reference to "Leaving on a Jet Plane" as being their only #1 song be modified to specify #1 on billboard Hot 100, as the discography chart clearly states they had 2 additional #1 songs, albeit on the Adult contemporary charts. ShelbyMarion (talk) 13:48, 31 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]


I have added "Eugene McCarthy For President (If You Love Your Country)" and their support for his campaign to this section. Peter Yarrow has noted that he met McCarthy's niece at this time and they later married, so this should be included here. I hesitate to add the single to the discography chart because I fear screwing it up, but it was released, it is a part of their history, and they did perform some version of the song from time to time.Doctor Franklin (talk) 23:46, 11 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Political Activism[edit]

Should there be a separate section for their political activism? In addition to their endorsement of Eugene McCarthy, they were active in the anit-war movement and civil rights, etc. I remember that they campaigned for Walter Mondale in 1984 as well.Doctor Franklin (talk) 19:05, 12 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

"two beards and a blonde"[edit]

Should include that nickname, which was apparently fairly widely known in the 1960s... AnonMoos (talk) 15:22, 2 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

"Reconciliation"[edit]

From the content appearing in the article, it sounds like "reunion" would be more appropriate.

Reconciliation seems to imply something more significant than an amicable split and people going their separate ways to solo careers (especially since we're all used to bands splitting up in very ugly ways). On the other hand, if there did occur major conflicts between the three, which would justify using this word, that should be indicated somehow in the previous section.

-P — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A0D:6FC0:2839:7500:F89C:BF80:2B89:5B23 (talk) 20:17, 22 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

rinky dink reggae??[edit]

The following passage:

A reunion album, Reunion, was released by Warner in 1978. In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said the group's decision to cover Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" as a "rinky-dink reggae like these three geezers means you've been middle-aged and liberal since you were fifteen."

is not very clear.

Well, actually, I have no idea what it means. :-)

I went to see the source, and the quote is accurate, but the present sentence (mixing quote and original content) is difficult to parse, and even afterwards I'm left wondering what on earth was meant by that. I guess it sounds like criticism?

I would suggest saying something like "their reunion rendering of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" has been criticized as too conventional", and then the exact quote. Or simply remove that line, because frankly I don't see what it brings to the overall article.

Jrob kiwi (talk) 15:07, 9 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

We have - or had - a very prolific and assertive editor who insisted on inserting Christgau's opinions into every conceivable article. Best to remove that sentence, in my view - it adds very little. Ghmyrtle (talk) 18:08, 9 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 19:43, 9 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]
thanks :-)
Jrob kiwi (talk) 11:44, 10 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]