98.5 ONE FM Podcasts

Whatever Happened To? - Peter, Paul and Mary

One FM presenter Josh Revens and Steve Dowers present 'Whatever Happened To?'

This week's topic is the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary.

This program originally aired on Monday the 24th of June, 2024.

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Duration:: 13m
Broadcast on:: 24 Jun 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

You're listening to a 1 FM podcast. And it's that time of the week again. I've got him on the line. You're there, Steve. Oh, absolutely. And George, how much are you doing? Just from the land, Gillivon, for a challenge today. So there you go. Not lurking in a car park. No, I'm not lurking in any car park. So you're looking at things suspiciously in any way. That's good. I'm not having myself sitting in my big chair at home. That's been very good. That's good. Ah, just being at work for another station today. And I just got here this Wednesday. Gotta do a lot more work. So it's fun. Better to be up your sides than not, mate. I can take it. Yeah, I suppose. Yeah. Sometimes I don't know. But yeah, no, it's true. You got it. So it gives you a trouble. Yes. But anyway, who are we talking about today? Well, today, I think everybody will know who these people are. Could he quick and easy? Peter Paul and Mary. Ah, yes. I know all about Peter Paul and Mary. Well, not all about them, but I know about them. Yeah, 500 miles and few good songs. That's one of the song choices. So, well, come please. We're on the same page for a change there. George, that's good. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Yes. No, they're quite a good little folk band, aren't they? Ah, very good. Very popular. And fortunately, Mary's not with us any longer. But the other two guys are still around. Yep. And they're not performing these days. I don't think. We'll get rolling, I reckon. Sounds good. Well, Peter Paul and Mary, what I've actually done here is I've done a little spiel on each of them separately and then just joined it up together later on as a group. Well, start with Paul Stuches, actually born Knoll Paul Stuches. He was born on the 30th of December 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland. And there he was, one wondering which ones, which were Paul Stuches, a tall one of the two. And now, the family moved to Birmingham, Michigan when he was 12. And he graduated from the University there in 1955. In 1963, he was married to, and I was in a barnyard, and they had three daughters. I had, by this stage, I've got him living in Maine, which I still think he's there. Now, he's just been involved with a Jesus music movement, which later became the Christian music industry. He later involved himself with composing songs for musical therapy to address special needs of children. Now, he wrote the wedding song There Is Love, which was a hit call for Chula Clark. And he and a daughter, a little bit of a found-a-day non-profit organization called Music to Life, which I suggest readers read about him, Wikipedia. That was a little bit about Paul. Now, Pooter, he was born on May 31, 1938 in Manhattan, graduated second amongst male students with a physics prize from the New York High School of Music and art. But he ended up graduating with a BA in psychology because he changed his mind and went into psychology and said that he graduated in 1959. Now, after graduating, he played in folk clubs in New York City, and especially around Greenwich Village, where a lot of these great groups came from. Now, he met a fellow by the name of Albert Crossman, who was a folk music entrepreneur, who was interested in forming a new folk group for the Baby Boomer's era. Now, after seeing a picture of Mary Travers, Peter Yarrow decided to go to her apartment where they harmonized on a song and decided that their voice is actually blended. Mary then suggested that perhaps Paul Stuking might be a good person to come in as a third member, and which did actually happen. And they adopted the Pooter, Paul, and Mary name, and then decided that they would rehearse extensively for six months after which time they developed real following. And they signed a contract with Warner Brothers. Now, Peter Yarrow, he actually wrote "Pup the Magic Dragon" and also co-wrote and produced a song called "Torn between two lovers," which was a number one bit for Mary McGregor later on. And he produced "Pup the Magic Dragon" three CBS specials involving that particular name, actually earned him an Emmy nomination for him at that time. Well, the famous drug anthem, is that they talk about and meet the parents. Yes, I did actually mention this later, but that wasn't actually, supposedly, what it was all about. But I'll mention that later. Now, he was heavily involved as a social activist and a political agitator. He actually participated in countless demos against the Vietnam War with both Paul and Mary also. And he helped start a, this was an interesting thing that he actually started an organization called Operation Respect. And that was a non-profit organization designed to teach respect in schools rather than the scourge of bullying, which he had noticed that it increased quite a bit. And of course, that still goes on these days, but he actually got some acknowledgement for that later on from Congress that they should, because he'd done such a good job in bringing it to people's attention and reducing the amount of bullying in school. Now, he was married in divorce with two children. He acknowledged bringing an alcoholic at one stage, but be near considered himself as clean, but that was up until the time that I had the article on it anyway. And then he received an award for his remarkable efforts in advancing the causes of, quote, in advancing the causes of human rights, peace and freedom. So he's done a lot of good work outside seeing soul-making that he did. Now, Mary Travers, he was born on November the 9th, 1936 in Louisville, Kentucky. And the family has removed the Greenwich Village in New York in 1938. So this is where they all met up. She left school in the 11th grade to become a member of a group called the Song Swappers. folk group who sang back up for Pete Siegel on Paul Reissure albums in 1955, which were a collection of his pro-union songs. Now, she actually regarded herself singing as a hobby, because a full-time job was actually as a dental technician, but which he eventually gave away, of course. Now, after the group broke up in 1970, she actually pursued a solo career in English, actually released five albums during that time for 1971 to 1978. So another interesting thing, which I found out about Mary was that she was married four times, would you believe? So I mentioned the people's names. It's 1958 to 1960, 1963 to '68, and then 1969 to '75, and then 1991 to 2007, which was when she passed away. She actually was diagnosed with lecenia in 2004 and died on the 6th strength of September 2009. There's actually a four-hour memorial service was held for her, and that was, on what would have been her 70th, 3rd birthday on the 9th of November 2009 in New York. Now, Peter Paul and Mary, getting back to them now, they've done their little stories on each of the three of them, they actually recorded and released on the Warner Brothers label, their first self-titled album in 1961. And here, and I'll start with the discography. Barely here, while we'll go through this, through the multiply's list. 1962, lemon three, 36 in the US, four in Canada, if I had a hammer 10 in the US, 26 in Australia, 17 in Canada, 500 miles. I've done the listing of where that song actually finished on the charts, but I may not have been released. It may have been a B-side somewhere along the Warner Brothers. I couldn't find it. 1963 puffed the magic dragon, which everybody knows. It was two in the US, six in Australia, five in Canada, three in New Zealand, flown in the wind, two in the US, 11 in Australia, 25 in Canada, two in New Zealand, and 13 in the UK. And that thing twice as to all right was nine in the US and 15 in Canada. 1964, tell it on the mountain. 33 in the US, eight in Australia, 22 in Canada, 33 in UK. The times are a change in 17 in Australia. 1965, for loving me, 30 in the US, 36 in Australia, four in Canada, early morning rain, 34 in Australia, and 39 in Canada. 1967, I did rock and roll music, nine in the US, four in Australia, 16 in Canada, and the only number one song in the US in 1969 was leaving on a jet plane written of course by John Denver, and was one in the US, 30 in Australia, one in Canada, and two in the UK. The original album, which is the self-titled album, which is Peter Paul and Mary, did include Mentry 500 miles. And if I had a hammer set over there, a couple of early hits for them. And this particular album was listed in Billboard's top 10 for 10 months, including seven weeks at number one, and did sell over two million copies, and there was double platinum in the US alone. So it was highly successful first album, that's for sure. Now, I'm written down here about, was incorrectly interpreted by many as being about drugs, or maybe it wasn't, but it was supposedly about lost innocence of children. And that's the image I prefer to go with, and if people want to get a drug source over here. Well, they discussed it in this movie, "Meet the Parents" don't they, so which? Yeah, that's correct. So I'll let lots of the listeners of the YouTube side, which interpretation they prefer, that's fine. Now, in 1963, they sang at the march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and that was the famous Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Now, they recorded quite a few Bob Dylan songs, which of course we would have worked out by now. Times are a change in blowing in the wind, and don't think twice it's all right. They're very much a fan of Dylan's, and he was quite happy to give them some of his music, too. Now, living on the jet plane, as I mentioned before, was their only number one billboard. It was written by John Denver, who also had a version. Yeah, they broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers. That was just an agreeable thing for you, because there was no rift or anything to my knowledge. And in the same year, unfortunately, Yarra was convicted on a sex charge, and I suggest readers make their own interpretation on once they've read what happened. But eventually later got pardoned by Jimmy Carter, and it was very interesting. And he was a fan guilty of the charge, but then got pardoned. So I'm not quite sure how all that works, but anyway, we'll let it go. Now, during 1971 and 1972, a Warner Brothers actually released their individual solo album, which they were recording at the time. And as I mentioned before, Mary Kervis did five albums in that time, and she did a lot of concerts and tours across the US. But she started to join up again in 1978, and that was a very successful reunion tour. But I didn't agree, you know, that permanently in 1981, recording albums, and playing about 45 tours a year. So they were doing a fair bit of work, and until Mary's passing in 1999. But while she's quite often while she was ill, Peter and Paul just did the performance on their own. Now, Peter Paul and Mary, they got inducted into the Hitler 8, all the fame in 2009, which is the only accreditation that I could find for them, which I find quite amazing, but that is all of their is. But to me, I think in our great trio, the songs were memorable. Okay, they might have done quite a few covers. I think the covers were also very, very good indeed. And I'm selecting one of those as my first choice, George Blowing in the win. And here it is, and they released this when Bob Dylan was still unknown, wasn't it? That's correct. Yes, right. Here we go. And Peter Paul and Mary with their version of "Lowing in the Wind", of course, Bob Dylan's famous song. Yes, and also, my other choices are 500 miles. I've done it twice, it's all right. And leaving on the jet plane, George, but I could have picked another three or four, and I don't think people would have been disappointed. Yes, and I don't think choice is obviously another Dylan one. 500 miles, was that an original of this? I don't think so, but I couldn't find anything. I don't know, actually, but I actually looked up the information on that now. Hang on, I've got it here. You probably find something there that might have missed there, George. It's being credited as written by Heidi West. Looks like Bobby Bear had the first one. Bobby Bear, that's the one. Yes, I didn't make him the right amount on it yet. Comes back in what, '61 or something? Was it? Yeah, '64, but they released it in. Hang on, oh, it's a bit confusing, because it says here, "Bobby Bear's version was in '63, but Peter Pollum-Mary had theirs on their debut album in '62, so it's a bit of a mystery." That's probably why I didn't put it in, because I wasn't sure which came through. No, no, it's confusing. But it was used very well in the TV show, 'Mister in Between', if you're seeing that show. Ah, right, okay, all right. I'm sure about that one. No, as soon as I learned to love that song through, it's using that in an episode of that, but anyway. Yeah, it is. Look, Mary Travers was so then, as I suppose, a bit like Julie Darling of a circus in many respects, when they were in, no, no, no, it was good. But the guys were very good on their own, also, so it's certainly while they were around the music, the sound of the music was always be remembered as far as I'm concerned anyway. Yeah, but anyway, thanks very much, Steve, and I guess we'll talk next week. Well, we'll probably talk next week, but I think I'll be more inclined to be in the studio. Oh, yeah, you will, yes. So, well, we won't do it whatever happened to, 'cause you'll be here for the whole three hours. Yes, and I'll be passing out on my multitude of friends, huh-huh. We'll see how many people I can round up to see if I can move, get them to listen. Yes, I feel we've got a few new listens, so that'll be good. And I'll certainly send a copy of the recording out to them anyway. Whether they like it or not, they can download it, although they don't have to download it, that's fine for me. Awesome. We have fun now and I can assure you. Yes, but anyway, thanks very much. All right, have a good one. Josh and good health and good luck to everybody. We have to look forward to catching up very soon in the studio with you. We're very good. Oh, good. Take care, thanks. Have a good one, all the best. See ya, bye. You've been listening to a 1FM podcast.