RIP Mary Travers

Sad news. Mary Travers has passed. I do not know the number of times I sat on the lawn at Pier 6 in Baltimore or Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia singing along with Peter, Paul, and Mary. It was always wonderful for me because I felt at home. Unlike Dead shows, where the crowd was a fairly thin demographic slice, Peter, Paul, and Mary concerts always felt like a family reunion with aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandparents. It was a peaceful place full of hope, love, and joy.

Performing for decades with two men, she would constantly be asked which one she was married to. Her answer was always "both." Even though she was legally married to neither, theirs was a relationship of love and respect. Mary would tell stories between songs of her beloved granddaughter, claiming it was the only thing her son-in-law, usually referred to as "that Republican," ever got right.

For the countless plays of "Peter, Paul, and Mommy" on late nights trying to soothe a crying infant, for helping bring harmony to an inharmonious world, thank you Mary Travers. You will be missed.