The Other Day the Music Died

Don McLean sung of the the day the music died reflecting on the death of Buddy Holly. I recently learned that Mary Travers of the musical group Peter, Paul & Mary died at the age of 72. It saddens me to the core not only that she died but that the major icons of my youth have died or are dying. I guess this happens for each generation when their idols, heros, icons of their youth die and I'm sure if you live long enough, relatives and friends die off leaving you alone and lonesome for those familiar people or heros. Peter, Paul & Mary formed in 1961 - the year I graduated from HS -  mixed complex melodic guitar lines with their distinctive harmonies to bring folk into the mainline musical scene with songs about social justice and protest. From the silly drug song "Puff the Majic Dragon" to "Blowing in the Wind",  their songs stuck in your head with words easy to remember and in many ways anti-establishment. Their harmonies still strike me as being as distinctive as that of Don and Phil, the Everly Brothers. Once you've heard them, you can pick them out of any musical sound.

As an undergraduate student at University of Florida in the mid 1960's, Peter, Paul & Mary appeared at the coliseum. I loved their sound and was way into photography owning a Pentax SLR 35 mm camera and had my own darkroom at home. At their concert I had my camera and without using a flash roamed all around the stage taking shots from the front, sides, and back. The pictures were terrible because the general light was too low with garish spotlights on PP&M. I wasn't close enough, and didn't have a long lens. Nevertheless, I was beside myself with excitement to be that close to the performers and to hear those songs that I loved (and still do). At that performance, I remember it being mostly white students who sat in their chairs without rushing the stage or moving around too much actually. The crowd was dressed pretty well with plenty of ties and dresses in view. Mary was a heart stealer with her long straight platinum hair that she constantly rippled with her trademark head shakes. She was thin and pretty in an earthy kind of way. I later heard they broke up and got back together and were still performing up until a year ago when they stopped due to her cancer.  I already miss Mary, I miss those times.