What is it this summer? The Rapture? Two more popular celebrities died this week, actor Patrick Swayze and Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary. Her crystalline voice was one of the strongest and most recognizable of the folk music revival of the late 50s and early 60s. In a glamorous way, she personified the look and unlike most folkies who played the coffee house circuit in Greenwich Village, she’d lived there since she was two years old. Bob Dylan is from Minnesota, the Kingston Trio were from California and Hawaii, but Mary was from the Village.
She still lived there in the mid-80s, where I would see her from time to time when I’d run downtown to splurge on food from Balducci’s and the Jefferson Market. One day I spoke to her, mentioning not only how much I loved her work but also that we knew a few people in common. Even before I mentioned our mutual friends, she was warm and gracious. After, she was relaxed and effusive and thoroughly genuine.
Then I stopped my regular runs to the Village and stopped running into her (and she always remembered me, which amazed me.) I still saw her on television — she always had time for PBS fundraisers — and when the world learned she had leukemia, I felt as if a friend, not a mere acquaintance, was sick. She had two rounds of chemotherapy that took her trademark long, blonde hair — and wore a witty tee shirt afterwards that said Chemo Sabe — and a marrow transplant, but her voice was silenced this week at 72.
For more on her life, with many videos, please see my cyberbud shoreacres’ excellent post.
Rest peacefully, Mary. Sixth Avenue’s not the same without you.
Leaving on a Jet Plane – Peter, Paul, and Mary
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Chemo sabe — well, what a brave girl.
I loved, and still love that song. What was I? Five, six, or eight? I can’t remember, and yet I’ll never forget.
I rediscovered it again when I picked up guitar — still the best and simplest three chord, three finger song around with its A-D-E verse and chorus, too.
Actually, the chorus ends with an E7, but we’ll easily forgive that introduction to the exciting world of major seventh chords. And we simply can’t afford to countenance any possible consideration of Mull of Kintyre… blurg.
Brave she was, Roads, and by all accounts had a marvelous sense of humor. I’ve never heard a word against her.
Interesting point about things we don’t forget but can’t remember exactly when they were. The when doesn’t always matter and sometimes we’re not aware the “what” will matter. And then it does. At some point. I’ve been mulling that over on a larger, broader scale regarding more significant things in life and I keep coming back to something Agatha Christie said, and I’m probably misquoting: You never know which moment will be the important one.
I’ll be chewing on that while I drive next weekend. Thank you.
Oh, my ~ aren’t you a sweetheart, Ella. Thanks so much for the mention, and thanks even more for your own memories and reflections.
Every bit of testimony seems to bear out the truth that Mary was a good person – honest and authentic, kind, generous, filled with humor and empathy. She held strong beliefs and was intensely political, but I’ve never read of her becoming nasty, disrespectful or without regard for others.
It’s easy to romanticize the past, I suppose, but during the protests of the 70s I remember my friends and I believing three things: that change was possible, that we could help to bring it about, and that singing helped
Today when I look at what passes for national dialogue I’m not always sure what I believe (well, except that some people need a good whack upside the head) but the singing still helps. And listening to Mary sing helps even more.
shoreacres´s last blog ..Picking Up Mary Travers’ Hammer
You’re very welcome, shore. I loved your post.
She certainly walked the walk. Even a few years ago she was singing for the cause of peace and being a peacenik is not a bad legacy at all. And you’re right about her avoidance of disprespecting those who believe otherwise. I hadn’t thought about it but that is the case, as far as I can tell. She aimed her message higher than the lowest common denominator, unlike the wingnuts with microphones who have all but destroyed intelligent discourse.
I had met Patrick Swayze on the sets of the movie City of Joy. I even had succeeded in getting an autograph of his. From then on he always had a special place in my mind.
Felisha Wheeler´s last blog ..Club Toys that always attract you
Swayze was incredibly brave too, Felisha. I like to think I could be brave in the face of such dire news, but I really doubt myself in that regard. Thank you for sharing your story. He seems to have been a lovely man.