Singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow, a former member of the folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary, will appear in concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 3 at Pepperdine’s Smothers Theatre in Malibu.
The names Peter, Paul & Mary still resound with lovers of classic folk music. As one-third of that group, which won five Grammy Awards and recorded several albums that were certified Gold and Platinum, Yarrow contributed his talents as both performer and songwriter.
Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers made their professional debut as Peter, Paul & Mary in 1961 at The Bitter End coffeehouse in New York City’s Greenwich Village, center of the mid-20th-century American folk music revival. The following year Warner Bros. Records released the trio’s first album, “Peter, Paul & Mary,” which included “Lemon Tree,” “500 Miles,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” The album remained in the Top 10 for 10 months and the Top 20 for two years.
The group disbanded in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but in 1972 they reunited for a concert at Madison Square Garden to support George McGovern’s presidential campaign, and again in 1978 for a concert to protest against nuclear proliferation. A subsequent summer reunion tour proved so popular that the group decided to reunite more or less permanently in 1981. They continued to record albums together and tour, playing around 45 shows a year, until Travers’ 2009 death.
Over the years, many issues have moved Yarrow to commit his time and talent: equal rights, peace, the environment, gender equality, homelessness, hospice care and education. All have utilized his skills as both a performer and an organizer.
For tickets ($10-$40), call (310) 506-4522. —LIBBY MOTIKA
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