by Robert Wilkinson
Our musical Sunday begins with a celebration of the lives, birthdays, and music of two talents in two entirely separate realms of popular music.
Mary Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) had so much attitude she compelled attention everywhere she went! One of the most powerful voices in the folk movement of the 60s, Mary Travers was the “Mary” in Peter, Paul, and Mary. A dedicated activist for social causes, she inspired millions to hope and sing and march for a more humane world. Though Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey wrote some of their best-known hits, Mary Travers brought a big voice, blond hair, and compelling gravitas to their trio.
I had the privilege of seeing Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey a few years ago on her birthday and they were all you could want and more! It was not an “oldies” show, but two old folk activists and consummate professionals playing on and speaking up for peace and justice without the third person in the act. But she was there. Very much so.
Someday I’ll do a spread on what they’re up to these days, since they are still very much activists in the national anti-bullying effort, and are doing major work for human rights and other worthy causes. The 60s may have ended a long time ago, but as Peter said at the show I saw, “there’s still a lot of work to do.” That takes on an even greater importance now that ignorant and fearful America has elected an unabashed fascist and proud bully as president.
So here’s a big birthday shout out to one of the strongest voices for civil and human rights in history, the awesome talent of Ms. Mary Travers! Her music is the essence of peace and justice! It’s folk city!
First, a great video from 1965! This is the BBC’s Tonight in Person, and I found the entire one hour concert with PP&M in all their glory!
Peter, Paul, and Mary Live on the BBC (Set list: “When the Ship Comes In,” “The First Time,” “San Francisco Bay Blues,” “For Loving Me,” “Jesus Met the Woman,” “Children Go Where I send Thee,” “The Whole Wide World Around,” “Early in the Morning,” “The Times are a Changing,” “Hangman,” “In My Dreams,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “Rising of the Moon,” “Great Day,” “Blowing in the Wind,” “If I Had My Way.”)
From that 1965 live BBC show, here are a few pieces if you just don’t want to enjoy yourself for a full hour! ;-) First, here are PP & M doing two timeless Dylan classics, "Blowin' In The Wind," and "The Times They Are A Changin.'" From the same show, "Early Morning Rain," and Peter's classic, "Puff the Magic Dragon." We’ll move into Noel’s "Early in the Morning" and finish with their classic, "For Loving Me."
From 1964, Peter, Paul and Mary on The Jack Benny Show performing "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Waukegan." (There’s also a gag number as part of the show. Enjoy a slice of humor from 50 years ago….)
Here's Pete Seeger doing an intro to PP & M in a clip of a live performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival doing a song Pete wrote, "If I Had A Hammer." Here's another great live performance of "If I Had A Hammer."
A live performance at Newport of Dylan's "When The Ship Comes In."
Doing Noel's composition in Oz in 1964, "Very Last Day."
Here they are in a live performance of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
From the 60s, Noel co-wrote this one with the others, "There Is A Ship."
Doing their radio hit of pop music references co-written by Noel, "Rock and Roll Music."
Here’s Mary doing a live solo in Paris in 1975 performing "Leavin' On A Jet Plane." From the same show, “Conscientious Objector - I Shall Die”
From 1969, PP&M with John Denver live on television doing a beautiful version of “Leavin’ On A Jet Plane”
A great performance of the Pete Seeger classic, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"
Here are PP & M doing the Woody Guthrie classic often proposed as a better national anthem than the one the US has now. For your enjoyment, "This Land Is Your Land."
America’s third Poet Laureate Lucky Wilbury provided them quite a few hits, this one included! "Don't Think Twice It's All Right."
I found it again! From the PP&M 1988 Holiday Concert, PP&M performing the iconic Peter Yarrow anthem, “Light One Candle.” I also found their live performance from the 1986 25th Anniversary Concert of “Light One Candle.” As a bonus, here’s an audio-only version from the 1988 Holiday Concert of “Light One Candle”
Here’s a curiosity from 1963! It’s the entire episode of What’s My Line, featuring Peter, Paul, and Mary with Woody Allen as one of the guest panelists! “Peter, Paul, and Mary on What’s My Line
For our set finale, from The Mama Cass TV Show in 1969, Mary, Mama Cass, and Joni Mitchell singing another Lucky Wilbury tune, “I Shall Be Released”
For our first encore, here’s Mary Travers singing a lullaby to her granddaughter
For our final encore, I found Mary on Mama Cass’ TV show singing the great Laura Nyro song “And When I Die”
Thanks for the tunes and inspiration, Mary! You were an impressive figure in the Civil Rights Era, and kept the flame alight for many years after! If what I experienced last night means anything, there are millions of us who love you, miss you, and are grateful for the time you gave us when you were here. And yes, as Peter mentioned, your voice was curiously there when I saw Peter and Paul. I sure thought I heard you on "If I Had A Hammer."
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And now for one of the great rockers of all time, Tom Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990). With his more famous brother John, these two founded a Bay Area band called the Golliwogs, who later changed their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival, or as they were known, CCR. Tom was the original leader of the band and sang a lot of their tunes, but when CCR took flight, Tom played rhythm on all those major swamp rock tunes until the band fragmented over all kinds of problems. He went on to a solo career before dying too young at 48 due to complications from AIDS contracted by a blood transfusion during back surgery.
For your enjoyment, Tom Fogerty’s rhythm guitar on some great tunes and some of the best swamp rock ever created!
First, a rare treat! CCR live at Woodstock in 1969 doing
“Born on the Bayou” (from their second album Bayou Country)
“Green River” (from Green River)
“Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do” (from Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Commotion” (from Green River)
“Bad Moon Risin’” (from Green River)
“I Put A Spell On You” (from Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Keep On Chooglin” (from Bayou Country)
Here’s a score! It’s 30 minutes of CCR’s Woodstock set live and in color! Creedence Clearwater Revival at Woodstock 1969 (“Born on the Bayou,” “Keep On Chooglin’,” “Bad Moon Risin’,” “I Put A Spell on You,” “Keep On Chooglin’.”
Here’s the audio of the 11 song hour plus set! Creedence Clearwater Revival at Woodstock 1969
From 1969, a live performance of a hit from their fourth album Willy and the Poor Boys, “Down On The Corner”
Live on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, CCR cranking out another hit from Willy and the Poor Boys, one of my favorites, “Fortunate Son”
From American Bandstand in 1969, CCR performing “Green River” (from Green River)
From that era, a live performance of “Bad Moon Rising”
Live sometime in 1970 at Oakland, “Fortunate Son”
From April 1970, videos of their show at the Royal Albert Hall! We begin with “Traveling Band,” followed by “Fortunate Son,” and close this short set with “Bad Moon Rising”
From a TV show, most likely 1970, CCR performing their hit from Bayou Country, “Proud Mary”
From KQED, CCR live doing the incredible rave up of a hit from their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory, “Traveling Band”
Here are three interesting clips taken from a mid-70s documentary on the band, including shots of their live 1970 performance in Oakland at an outdoor festival with crowd shots. For your enjoyment, rousing live performances of “Traveling Band,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary,” and “Fortunate Son.”
Picking up where that left off, from the same gig, more kinetic energy! “Fortunate Son” and “Commotion”
We’ll close with 8+ minutes from that Oakland festival of ”Keep On Chooglin’”
These are the original audio-only studio versions of some of their big ones!
These two were from their first album Creedence Clearwater Revival with this their first big one! “Susie Q”
Their second big one! “I Put A Spell On You”
These are from their third album Green River “Green River”
From Willy and the Poor Boys, “Fortunate Son”
From their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory,
From their sixth and final album with Tom, Pendulum, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Hey Tonight”
From his solo career post-CCR, a 1982 live audio-only version of Tom doing “Lodi”
We’ll close this tribute with three of his post-CCR solo albums! First, an audio-only set in order from his first solo album, Tom Fogerty.
Here's his third studio album from 1974, the last time all 4 members of CCR played on one album (even though John never played with the others, and only did a guitar track for one tune.) Zephyr National
Here's his fourth studio, also from 1974, said to be even better than Zephyr National, Myopia (This has some seriously great tunes, written in CCR style and performed by three of them!)
From 1976, Tom and the band Ruby gave us these two great albums! First, Tom Fogerty and Ruby and the second, Rock and Roll Madness
Last year I had a 51 minute 1970 documentary of the band with lots of amazing performances titled Creedence Clearwater Survival – In Concert but it’s disappeared. So instead, here’s an hour and 3 documentary titled Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Golden Era (2015)
RIP Tom. Sorry you died too young from a medical screw-up, and sorry things melted down so badly with CCR. But when you flew, you flew to the top!
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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