Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers form the American folk-singing trio Peter, Paul and Mary. They began in New York City’s coffee house cultural scene, and became one of the best-known and most successful folk groups. They debuted at The Bitter End, a club in Greenwich Village, New York, and their debut album, Peter, Paul & Mary, made it into the top ten.
The group had many hits, but only one recording reached Number One: Leaving on a Jet Plane, written by John Denver. The trio broke up around 1970 in order to pursue solo careers but never had the success as individuals as they had achieved as a group. They reunited in the late 1970s. Peter, Paul and Mary are now known primarily as being advocates for social justice and still tour together. Travers died in 2009.