01 Peter Paul & Mary (Only The Greatest Folk Group Of All Time)

In Singapore, we have Orchard Road for the hip and happening and Bugis Junction for the local ah bengs'; we have clubs Clarke Quay for the middle to upper class people out for a night of revelry along with good music and KTV pubs at Boat Quay for ah bengs and ah peks whose idea of good music revolves around people who sing karaoke badly and know it and those who don't know it.

Well in New York between the Hudson River and Broadway, there is a place called Greenwich Village. More popularly referred to as simply "The Village", Greenwich Village was the place to be if you were a musician - especially if you were into folk music. In fact, it was the place where almost every successful folk musician had his/her break and not surprisingly, many of them continue to sing freedom and peace songs till this day despite being in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

So it is really not surprising that out of a place seething with so much musical energy was born what I personally regard (and dare say that not many people would disagree with) as the greatest folk group of all time - Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey & Mary Travers - Peter Paul & Mary.

Peter Paul & Mary was created by Albert Grossman who somehow got the idea of putting a tall blonde with a funny guy and handsome man to form a folk group. It turned out to be a good idea (or a really good trio) because when PPM released their self-titled first album in 1961, they were nothing short of fantastic. Words cannot describe what was so good about them so I will leave you with a few videos and you can see for yourself.

Leaving On A Jetplane (written by John Denver)


If I Had A Hammer (written by Pete Seeger)


As you might have noticed, PPM was more famous for songs written by other singers/songwriters - Leaving On A Jetplane, If I Had A Hammer, Blowin' in The Wind etc.

While it may be tempting to say something like "eew.. that's a cover band", but PPM are the perfect example of what the folk movement in Greenwich Village was about - taking someone else's work (if you appreciated it) giving it your own interpretation and spreading the message to more people. Few songs of those times were ONLY about love and romance; they were about peace, equality and above all, meaningful human existence that challanged the rising capitalism and materialism by which we have all been consumed today to some extent.

Many of the songs PPM chose to 're-interpret' are timeless pieces that, despite time-specific references, are still very relevant in today's world. Here are two of those:

The Times They Are A Changing (written by Bob Dylan)


Where Have All The Flowers Gone (written by Pete Seeger & Joe Hickerson)

It was this video of Mary Travers with the Kingston Trio that made me fall in love with a beautiful lady who is now 72 years old and still singing.

But while they certainly were more well known for their 're-interpretations', PPM did have their own stuff... and here's my favourite one. Once banned in Singapore during the hippie era for containing drug references, PPM maintains that it's a children's story about a boy and his dragon (now doesn't that sound wrong already? =p).

Puff! The Magic Dragon


But one of the things that I hold Peter Paul & Mary in high regard for is the tremendous amount of chemistry three amazing performers can have. Artistes are known for their individualism and generally speaking, great performers don't perform well with each other. Of course there are many exceptions but credit still has to be given to these three 'great folks' who have given their life to music. In fact the next video will show you just how much they love music.. so much that they will probably never give it up.

With that, the question of the century..

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
(yes, it's the song you heard earlier, but its many years later!)

(with Pete Seeger)

The last video never fails to move me to tears at the conviction of Peter Paul & Mary as well as Pete Seeger. Despite being grandparents many times over, they still arouse audiences all around the US, spreading messages of peace, love and humanity.

So then, when will we ever learn?