Folk music and the perpetually identifiable acronym PP&M are inextricably woven into the fabric of post-war American culture.
Hardly a baby boomer alive is unfamiliar with the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary. And these fans have played the trio?s recordings for their children ? and their children for their children. Four generations have listened, sung along and believed in the trio?s message of love, peace and a “land called Honah Lee”.
“Folk music is a family experience, timeless and enjoyable,” said Noel Paul Stookey, on a break from romping with his three grandchildren. “It?s an ongoing attraction that connects us with the experience of life through one very personal event.”
“Ongoing,” for Peter, Paul & Mary, consists of a career that spans 45 years of performing, touring and recording. No American folk group has lasted longer, or amassed a more loyal following. The trio has won five Grammys, produced five Top 10 albums and thirteen Top 40 hits, of which six soared into the Top 10. They also have six gold and three platinum albums gracing their walls.
Perhaps most important to them, is having achieved their commercial success without compromising their values and beliefs. Theirs is a message every bit as political as personal. As an example, Stookey points to the song “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
“It was one of our [most pop], and yet it became one of the sub-anthems of Vietnam,” he said.
Indeed, much of their music reveals folk?s potency as a social, cultural and political force. “The role of folk music is to put a face on pain.” Stookey added.
But not always. The fundamental message is and always will be optimistic and uplifting. Or, as Stookey says, “Music of the heart.”
IF YOU GO
Peter, Paul and Mary
» Venue: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore
» Time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
» Tickets: $36 to $52
» More info: 410-783-8000, www.baltimoresymphony.org
