Peter Yarrow & Noel Paul Stookey to Play Harris Center, 6/21-23

The iconic folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made music together for nearly 50 years, arriving on the scene with a 1962 self-titled album and its hit "If I Had a Hammer." Mary Travers died in 2009, but Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey continue to tour as a duo, continuing the band's tradition of uplifting audiences with messages of peace and social justice.

By the time Peter, Paul and Mary was established, American folk was viewed merely as a side-bar to pop music which employed acoustic instruments. At this critical historic juncture, with the nation still recovering from the McCarthy era, the Civil Rights Movement taking shape, and the Cold War heating up, a nascent spirit of activism filled the air as Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers came together to juxtapose these cross currents and thus to reclaim folk music's potency as a social, cultural and political force. In this special rare performance, Peter and Noel Paul recollect the highlights of their career with Mary Travers and touch on their continued endeavors for social harmony through the timeless power of music.

Peter Yarrow & Noel Paul Stookey will perform Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 2:00 pm, Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7:30 pm, and Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are priced at $39-$55; Premium $65. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Peter Yarrow has earned many gold and platinum albums, been awarded numerous Grammy Awards, and nominated for several more. However, the central role he and his partners played in bringing the folk renaissance of the 1960s to the hearts and homes of the American public stands out as one of his most historically impactful accomplishments.

Peter has explored his talents in filmmaking as well, producing the critically acclaimed feature You Are What You Eat, as well as three animated television specials based on the group's seminal song, "Puff, the Magic Dragon." In 2007, he published the first picture book edition of Puff the Magic Dragon, which became a best-selling title for Sterling Publishers. He wrote and composed the Peter Yarrow Songbook collection of book/CD sets including Favorite Folk Songs and Sleepytime Songs. Together with his daughter, Bethany Yarrow, and her musical partner Rufus Cappadocia, Peter also produced a CD called Puff And Other Family Classics (Salasaree Records), released in early 2008. In 2000, in an effort to combat school violence, Yarrow helped start Operation Respect, a nonprofit organization that brings to children, in schools and camps, a curriculum of tolerance and respect for each other's differences.

Noel Paul Stookey has recorded over 45 albums, both as part of the legendary trio and as a soloist. In the year 2007 alone he released three CDs: Facets of the Jewel, Promise of Love, and Song for Megumi. In addition to his performance life, Stookey oversees Neworld Multimedia, presenting new artists and creating children's TV shows and music. The royalties from his classic "Wedding Song" go to the Public Domain Foundation, where nearly $2 million has been put to work for charitable causes.

As a group, Peter, Paul and Mary won five Grammys, produced 13 Top 40 hits (of which 6 ascended into the Top 10) as well as eight gold and five platinum albums. As their fame grew, the trio mixed music with political and social activism. In 1965 the trio marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and the March on Washington, D.C. in 1963. The three participated in countless demonstrations against the war in Vietnam and sang at the 1969 March on Washington, which Mr. Yarrow helped to organize.

In this reflective and inspirational performance Peter and Noel Paul will sing many of the group's classic hits, including "If I Had a Hammer," "Blowin' in the Wind," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," "I Dig Rock & Roll Music," and "Leaving on a Jet Plane."

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