Description
Peter, Paul and Marys self-titled 1962 debut on Warner Bros. Records was a stunning oasis of content in a sea of musical fluff. It brought folk music of consciousness and concern to the top of the charts. Fueled by the enormous hits Lemon Tree and If I Had a Hammer (which enjoyed a second life as an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement), the album went straight to No. 1, remaining in the Billboard Top 10 for 10 months and in the Top 20 for two years on the way to a remarkable 31/2-year run on the album chart. This success marked the beginning of an incredibly fertile and influential time for the group, and for the contemporary urban folk tradition they personified.
This was the groups biggest selling studio album, eventually certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. sales of more than 2 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 1963, their recording of If I Had a Hammer won Grammys for Best Folk Recording and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
The debut album by Peter, Paul & Mary is still one of the best albums to come out of the 1960s folk music revival, a beautifully harmonized collection of the best songs that the group knew, stirring in its sensibilities and its haunting melodies, crossing between folk, childrens songs, and even gospel (If I Had My Way), and light-hearted just where it needed to be. Bruce Eder,
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