Peter Yarrow has been touring in the northeast and I was fortunate to see and meet him at the Natick Center For The Arts outside of Boston. This was one of those rare opportunities to see him perform with his son, Christopher Yarrow on washtub bass. Peter also had a young woman named Andrea sing some 3 part harmony filling the parts that Mary would have sung. The evening was wonderful. I was invited by a friend who is a close friend to Peter. On introduction I outstretched my hand to shake and Peter responded with open arms for a bear hug saying: "I know Jack!"
At 77 Peter maintains a rigorous schedule. Travel to the show from 6 AM, arrive early afternoon, sound check for a few hours, then autographing countless copies of the book, "Puff, The Magic Dragon". After this preparatory step he retires to the green room for 30 minutes while the opener, Mustard's Retreat performed. They invited Peter to join on their last song and then they departed. Peter then played for 1 1/2 hours. During intermission he personalized the autographed books for patrons and posed for photos. Following signings he returned for another one hour set. As the show concluded he was again at the signing table for 45 minutes. This process concluded at 11:45 PM and the search was on for a place still open for dinner. We located a Pizza UNO open until 2 AM and enjoyed a wonderful dinner together. I was informed that the next day was about the same, only later.
I was struck by Peter's command of the verse, the audience and the flow of the program. He was comfortably in charge. He's written a song for kids to address bullying and is active in promoting the project through the schools.
I was reminded as I listened to all of the songs that are a part of me over the years what a tremendous role PP&M played in our culture. These folks marched on Washington with Martin Luther King in 1965. These folks were arrested for their beliefs. I salute those who have stood tall in the quest for freedom.