Peter, Paul and Mary’s music and social activism helped to shape a generation. Through the years, the popular and inspirational folk trio who frequently sang out against war and injustice touched the hearts and consciences of millions of people worldwide, won five Grammy Awards, received eight gold and five platinum records, released six Billboard top 10 singles, had two #1 Billboard chart-topping albums and a dozen top 40 hits, and have been the subject of five PBS documentaries.

Peter Yarrow was born on May 31, 1938 in New York City. Although he took violin lessons as a child, inspired by folks like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, he later switched to guitar. After graduating from Cornell University in 1959 with a degree in Psychology (although he also was a teaching assistant in an American folklore class), Yarrow returned to NYC and began playing the folk clubs and basket houses of Greenwich Village. After meeting music impresario Albert Grossman (who managed Dylan, Janis Joplin, Odetta, and others) who was eager to work with a folk harmony group, Yarrow set about with Grossman to launch one.

Peter, Paul and Mary – featuring Yarrow (guitar and tenor vocals), Noel Paul Stookey’s (guitar and gentle baritone vocals) and Mary Travers’ (contralto vocals) — formed in 1961, having made its first public appearance that fall at the Bitter End on Bleecker Street in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The trio’s eponymous debut album, released on Warner Brothers Records in May 1962, topped the charts that summer, remained in the Billboard magazine top 10 for ten months and the top 20 for two years, sold more than two-million copies, and featured the Grammy Award-winning hit single, “If I Had a Hammer.” That song, penned by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays of The Weavers (whom Yarrow viewed as early mentors), became an anthem of the civil rights movement and was performed by the trio on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, along with its rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” during the historic 1963 March on Washington at which the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Peter, Paul and Mary’s rendition of “ Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” was released in the summer of 1963 and also became a big hit for the trio. Archival footage of the trio performing the song during the march appears in the 2014 PBS documentary 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary, produced and directed by Emmy Award-winner Jim Brown. As Yarrow observes in the documentary, it was time when “music began to inspire America, tweak its conscience, and articulate its dreams.”

Besides “Blowin’ in the Wind,” the trio also recorded Dylan’s “When the Ship Comes In” and Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” with its rendition of the latter song also landing in Billboard’s top 10. Yarrow served on the board of the Newport Folk Festival and helped to emcee the event in 1965 when Dylan went electric. Famously, as recreated in the widely acclaimed Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown that is currently screening at movie theaters, Dylan borrowed Yarrow’s guitar to play “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”

Although Peter, Paul and Mary performed together over the span of 50 years, there were times when the trio was on hiatus with each of its members pursuing solo careers and projects. The first such break came in 1970, shortly after the release of the trio’s cover of John Denver’s “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” and Yarrow’s conviction after pleading guilty to taking “indecent liberties” with an under-age girl who had come to his dressing room seeking an autograph in 1969, for which he served three months in prison.

While “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” was its last number one hit, Yarrow penned “Light One Candle” for the trio in 1982 – while war was raging in Lebanon – that has since become a popular Chanukah song. Peter, Paul and Mary performed “Light One Candle” — whose lyrics commemorate a war of national liberation fought by the Maccabees, while also calling for peace in the Middle East – for several years before recording it on its 1986 studio album No Easy Walk to Freedom. Its moving lyrics include: “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand. Light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker’s time is at hand.” The 1986 album’s title track is a civil rights anthem that Yarrow co-wrote with Margery Tabankin.

An anti-war activist, Yarrow helped to organize and produce a number of large events including peace concerts at NYC’s Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium, as well as the 1969 “Celebration of Life” march and demonstration in Washington, DC during which some 500,000 people demanded an end to America’s involvement in Vietnam.

Yarrow was a major champion of other songwriters who particularly sought to nurture the talents of new and emerging ones who, as he put it, “write from the heart.” A founding board member of the Newport Folk Festival, he also developed and hosted a Sunday afternoon concert focused on emerging folk artists and songwriters – providing earl opportunities to such artists as Eric Anderson, Tim Hardin and Buffy St. Marie. Ten years later, in 1972, he partnered with Rod Kennedy, the late founder-producer of the Kerrville Folk Festival to establish what’s now the Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.

Yarrow believed that music could be a transformative tool for informing the ethical sensibilities of children. In 1999, he established Operation Respect — an educational nonprofit organization and program that seeks to teach children about tolerance and respect for each other’s differences – using music, video, and conflict resolution curricula developed by Educators for Social Responsibility. In an interview with AcousticMusicScene.com in 2010, Yarrow maintained that “all kids deserve to grow up accepting each other,” expressing concern that 160,000 American children refuse to go to school because of cruelty, according to the American Association of School psychologists. Citing “our need to inherit a peaceful world,” he noted that peace education was regarded as “seditious” when the Operation Respect program was launched. It has since been incorporated into the curriculum of some 22,000 U.S. elementary and middle schools.

A former board member of the Connecticut Hospice, where he also periodically sang for patients and staff, he was long active on behalf of the hospice movement.

Last April, Yarrow joined Stookey in in performing in Boston during a Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Peter, Paul and Mary were among the inaugural class of inductees.

As Yarrow told AcousticMusicScene.com in 2010: “”Music can be used as a powerful force in a world where we desperately need it … Music is something that binds the hearts and can bring us together.” Here’s a link to read that article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2010/11/27/the-peter-yarrow-sing-along-special-airs-on-pbs-stations/

Many of Peter Yarrow’s songs and those by other songwriters that Peter, Paul and Mary covered over the decades have a timeless quality to them and multigenerational appeal. For Peter Yarrow, “Day is Done,” yet his music and that of Peter, Paul and Mary lives on. So too do his widow Mary Beth (the niece of the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-MN), whom he met during a 1968 Democratic presidential primary campaign event and married the following year), his daughter Bethany, son Christopher, granddaughter Valentina, and lots of adoring fans.

Our folk community mourns his passing, as well as the recent deaths of Mike Brewer (a Missouri-based folk-rock singer-songwriter who, with his musical partner Tom Shipley, recorded the hit song “One Toke Over the Line”), David Mallet (the Maine-based singer-songwriter best known for “Garden Song”), and Josh White, Jr. (a Michigan-based singer and guitarist who followed in his late father’s folk and blues footsteps for decades).

Besides several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps/in-the-rounds, open mics and informal jam sessions, the NERFA conference will also feature a children’s concert, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, communal meals, awards presentations, an exhibit hall, a community meeting with NERFA’s volunteer board of directors, a community sing, a welcoming party, a 25th anniversary celebration, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. Singer-songwriter Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) will be the conference’s keynote speaker.

Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the conference; and many presenters and folk DJs do scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections, building community, and taking advantage of learning opportunities that can help enhance and enrich their professional and personal lives.

Workshops and Panel Discussions Abound

The conference’s programming committee, under the leadership of Ethan Baird, NERFA’s board secretary, has arranged a diverse array of workshops and panel discussions. Recognizing the popularity of its On the Griddle instant critique sessions during which a panel of folk DJs and presenters listen to the first 60 seconds of a number of songs and provides snap feedback, NERFA will offer two new panels inspired by them and focusing on artist blurbs/bios and videos.

Among some two-dozen other scheduled workshops and panel discussions are A-OK: Mental Health & Well-Being for Working Artists, A Dynamic Duo! – Artists & Venues Working Together to Create Unforgettable Shows, F rom Cents to Sense: Smart Financial Planning for the Independent Artist, Gold Records! – Learn from he Masters & Produce Dynamic Audio Projects that Shimmer & Shine, Good Vibrations: Your Voice, Singing & Powerful Vocal Techniques, Home Sweet Home: Best-Laid Plans to Create Magical & Successful House Concerts, The Insider’s Guide to Music Management, The Jack Hardy Songwriter’s Method, Start a Creative Revolution! – Using the Arts to Start Creative Change, Vance Gilbert’s Famous Performance Critique, and Women in Folk: A Multigenerational Reflection. Sonny Ochs, a longtime folk DJ and sister of the late troubadour and activist Phil Ochs, will again host a Wisdom of the Elders session; this time it will feature veteran folk DJs Wanda Fischer, John Platt and Rich Warren. Yoga sessions also will be offered each morning, while MusiCares will be on site again to fit folks for custom earplugs.

Noel Paul Stookey Keynotes the Conference on Saturday Night

Today, Noel still performs occasionally with Peter Yarrow (Mary passed away in 2009), as well as doing solo shows in which he continually introduces new songs that deal specifically with major issues facing us in these times. He also invests time and energy in his national nonprofit organization, Music to Life, founded with his daughter, Liz Stookey Sunde, which connects activist artists of all genres with the resources they need to revitalize their communities through music. In reference to the well-known Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times,’ Noel laughs: “Well baby, we are there. We communicate
these days through social media about those.

Juried Showcases Slated for Friday and Saturday Nights

Taking center stage during the conference will be 14 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges – with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set on Friday and Saturday nights – the most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Friday night’s lineup includes (in order of appearance) The New Students, Meghan Cary, Tui, Corey Laitman Trio, Les Royal Pickles, Roger Street Friedman, and Megan Burtt. Slated to showcase their talents on Saturday night are Damn Tall Buildings, Annie Sumi, Alastair Moock, Sophie Buskin, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Alisa Amador, and Matt Nakoa Trio.

Following the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference ballrooms in close proximity to one another to catch short sets by 30 additional artists/acts who also were selected by the judges. Performing in these semi-formal showcases on Friday night are (in alphabetical order) Marc Berger, Blue Plate Special, The Bombadils, Katie Dahl, Marion Halliday, Lily Henley, JANTURAN, Mara Levine, James Maddock, Jeffrey Martin, Peter Mulvey, Kalyna Rakel, Martin Swinger, Tragedy Ann, and Rupert Wates. Saturday’s semi-formal showcase artists include Jeremy Aaron, Cricket Blue, Kala Farnham, Kora Feder, Matt Harlan, Lynne Hanson, Diana Jones, MOSA, David Newland with Siqiniup Qilauta/Sunsdrum, Ordinary Elephant, Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints, Piper & Carson, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Katherine Rondeau, and Ken Tizzard. Like the formal showcases that immediately precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the semi-formal showcases during the conference.

On Thursday evening, the conference’s opening night, the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase will feature short performances by 16 artists/acts chosen by DJs. Listed in order of appearance, they are The Scooches, Kalyna Rakel, Willa Mamet, The Promise Is Hope, Scot Krokoff, Mark & Jill, Nico Padden, John John Brown, Heather Mae, Robinson & Rohe, Eli Smith, Kathleen Healy, Dan Whitener, Jenner Fox, Carol Crittenden, and Mark Stepakoff.

Judges for this year’s official juried showcases were Sarah Craig (Caffe Lena), Dan Gottfried (Voices in the Heights), Joe Mercadante (Steeple Coffeehouse), Ron Olesko (Folk Music Notebook), Jess Razzi (Razzi Entertainment), Kimberly Sinclair (SpinCount), and Matt Smith (Passim).

Following the juried and folk DJ showcases each evening, AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting guerilla showcases in their hotel rooms that extend through the early morning hours. Some guerilla showcases also are slated for Friday and Saturday afternoons. Musicians also may well stake out other areas of the hotel and jam.


AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Nearly 50 Artists and Singing Folk DJs


An overflow crowd will likely descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com suite (2031) on Thursday overnight for its popular Midnight Hoot. Extending from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., this hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Wanda Fischer, Ellen Stanley and Jon Stein) and some 45 artists/acts – each performing one song.

Now in its 13th year, the Midnight Hoot is intended to shine a spotlight on several folk DJs who also enjoy singing, while providing them, presenters and others with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time. A house band comprised of Bob Beach (harmonica), Mark Dann (bass), Genevieve (keyboards), Lily Henley (fiddle), ad Nick Russo (banjo and other instruments) will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

While Michael Kornfeld, AcousticMusicScene.com’s editor & publisher, hosts the Thursday-Saturday overnight showcases, his friends Mira Shapiro and Hank Stone will serve as guest hosts on Friday afternoon. A series of song swaps on Friday overnight will be topped off by a Long Island Sounds celebration featuring performances by nearly a dozen LI-based artists. As in recent years, the musical festivities in the AcousticMusicScene.com suite will wrap up on Saturday overnight with an extended “O Canada” song swap. Carrying their instruments and the maple leaf, a number of talented Canadian artists and acts will march into the room at 2 a.m. singing their national anthem.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot (Room 2031)

Thursday Night 11 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

(One song per artist/act and folk DJ, not listed in order of appearance.)

Host: Michael Kornfeld

Artists: Jeremy Aaron, Andy & Judy, Jordi Baizan, Bob Beach, Carol Crittenden, Alyssa Dann, Amy Dee, Neale Eckstein, Jane Fallon, Lindsay Foote, Gina Forsyth, Jenner Fox, Freebo, Gathering Time, Genevieve, Claudia Gibson, Kyle Hancharick, Matt Harlan, Gerry Hazel, Lily Henley, Gina Holsopple, Alice Howe, Brian Kalinec, Fiora Laina, Corey Laitman, Peter Lehndorf, Mara Levine, Rob Lytle, Kipyn Martin, Mosa, Mother Banjo, Dan Navarro, The Promise Is Hope, The Rix, Stephen Robinson, Tina Ross, Rachael Sage, Eric Schwartz, The Scooches, Hank Stone, Garret Swayne, Kristina Vaughn, Rupert Wates, Dan Whitener & Blue Plate Special, Billy Woodward

Folk DJs: Wanda Fischer, Ellen Stanley, Jon Stein

House Band: Bob Beach (harmonica), Mark Dann (bass), Genevieve (keyboards), Lily Henley (fiddle), Nick Russo (banjo & other instruments)

Hosts: Mira Shapiro and Hank Stone

2:00 Marc Berger
]2:15 Nathans & Ronstadt
2:30 Lily Henley
2:45 Connor Garvey
3:00 The Rix
3:15 Lea Morris
3:30 Steve Robinson and Hank Stone
4:00 Alice Howe
4:15 Rob Lytle
4:30 The Malvinas
4:45 Freebo

Friday Night

Host: Michael Kornfeld

11:45 MMM Good Music: Meghan Cary, Gathering Time, Marion Halliday, Mara Levine

12:30 Texas Troubadours: Jordi Baizan, Matt Harlan, Brian Kalinec

1:00 A Trio of Duos: Gathering Sparks, The Levins, The Promise Is Hope

1:30 British New Yorkers: James Maddock, Rupert Wates

2:00 Long Island Sounds: Roger Street Friedman, Scott Krokoff, Ray Lambiase, Nico Padden, Matt Ponsot, Quarter Horse, Steve Robinson, Nick Russell, Hank Stone, Linda Sussman, Christine Sweeney

Saturday Night

Host: Michael Kornfeld

11:45 All Keyed Up: Genevieve, Matt Nakoa, Rachael Sage, Eric Schwartz

12:30 A Pair of Duos: The Early Risers, Ordinary Elephant

1:00 Banjocentric: Banjo Nickaru & The Scooches, Mother Banjo, Dan Whitener

1:30 Women’s Voices: Abbie Gardner, Sharon Goldman, Grace Pettis

2:00 O Canada: Noah Derksen, Ken Dunn, Gathering Sparks, James Gordon, Lynne Hanson, Graham Lindsey, John Muirhead, David Newland, Piper & Carson, Kalyna Rakel, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Saffron A, Angela Saini, Siqniup Qilauta/Sunsdrum, Greg Smith, Annie Sumi, Ken Tizzard

“I hope that attendees will share a meal and/or a song with new friends they don’t yet know, embrace the spirit of community that NERFA represents, and have a great conference experience,” said Michael Kornfeld, president of NERFA’s board of directors and editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com. He expressed thanks to Courtney Rodland, who assumed the role of interim conference director one year ago when Dianne Tankle, NERFA’s founder and conference director since its inception, stepped down. “Aided by a core group of key volunteers, Courtney has sought to create a conference that builds upon what has been successful in the past, while moving NERFA into our second quarter-century,” he said.

[Here’s a link to a short song video by Neale Eckstein featuring images and scenes from the 2017 NERFA Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt-A_DnX1OY.]

NERFA (www.nerfa.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. More extensive information on the organization and its annual conference may be found online at www.nerfa.org.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Hank Stone for his assistance in setting up the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase room and for guest-hosting Friday afternoon song swaps, along with Mira Shapiro — and to Amy Blake, Arpie Maros and Sybil Moser for the loan of folding chairs.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases and leading a community meeting with the NERFA board of directors as its president, I will moderate a workshop entitled Write It Right, Alright? – Blurbs On The Griddle and participate in a panel discussion on self-promoting your project to the Folk DJ Chart. New this year, I also was among a small group of people offering pre-conference mentoring sessions via phone for conference attendees. Mine focused on strategic communications and public relations topics for artists, as well as how to get the most out of the conference.