Mr. Grossman wanted to create a new group that would expand and update the model of the Weavers, a folk harmony group of one woman and three men (one of whom was Pete Seeger) that had achieved success in the 1950s. A huge success. He paired Mr. Yarrow with Ms. Travers, who had appeared at the country club and worked with Mr. Seager on several occasions. At Ms. Travers’s suggestion, they added Noel Paul Stookey, who had performed with her at a local club, and the duo became a trio. Using Mr. Stookee’s middle name, they settled on the catchy, biblical nickname.
The trio presented a striking visual image: two men in dark ties, beatnik goatees and stern expressions, flanking Ms. Travers, who had blond hair. Set off the noble cheekbones. Mr. Grossman caused a stir by arranging for them to run at the Bitter End on Bleecker Street. In 1961, the band signed with Warner Bros. Records and released their debut album, simply titled “Peter, Paul & Mary,” in May of the following year.
Mr. Yarrow sang lead vocals on the group’s first single, “Lemon Tree,” an adaptation of a Brazilian folk song that reached the Top 40 on the Billboard charts. Hammer, a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays of the Weavers, became a Top Ten hit and won two Grammy Awards. The album remained in the top 20 for two consecutive years and sold over 2 million copies.
The group’s follow-up album, “Movin’,” released in early 1963, featured “Puff the Magic Dragon,” based on a song Mr. Yarrow’s friend Lenny Lipton wrote when he was 19 The poem is adapted from an earlier poem by Ogden Nash, entitled “The Story of the Custard Dragon”. There was later speculation that the song was a reference to smoking marijuana, but Yarrow vehemently denied this explanation.
