Was Mary Travers Married To Peter Or Paul

So, I’m at a dinner party last week, and someone puts on “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” The room goes quiet, all nostalgic, and my friend Sarah leans over and whispers, “Wait, was Mary Travers married to Peter, Paul, or… both?” I nearly choked on my wine. It’s a question that sounds ridiculous once you know the answer, but honestly? It’s also one of the most common mix-ups people have about Peter, Paul and Mary.

Let’s clear this up right now, because the internet is full of strange theories. Mary Travers was not married to either Peter Yarrow or Paul Stookey. I know, I know—the name of the group makes it sound like a love triangle, but it was strictly a musical ménage à trois. Think of them as the ultimate work husbands and work wife, but with better harmony and zero marital drama.

The Real Marriages of Mrs. Travers

Mary actually had a few real marriages, and none of them were to a man named Peter or Paul. Her first husband was John Gilliland, a DJ and music journalist—someone you could actually introduce as “the guy from the radio.” They split in 1960, right as the trio was getting started.

Then she married a man named Barry Feinstein, a legendary photographer who shot album covers for Bob Dylan and George Harrison. That one lasted from 1962 to 1967. See? Still no Peter or Paul in the picture. By the time the group hit peak fame with “If I Had a Hammer,” Mary was already on husband number three.

Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey: The Real Story

Here’s where it gets juicy, but not in the way you might hope. Peter Yarrow was married to Mary Beth McCarthy (yes, a different Mary). Paul Stookey married Betty Bannister in 1963. All three couples were friends, and the two Marys even ran a nursery school together for a while. It’s almost like a folk-rock sitcom, but with better sweaters.

So why does everyone assume Mary had a fling with one of the guys? Blame the 1960s, my friend. Back then, if a woman sang with two men, people assumed she was sleeping with one of them. Plus, the group was famous for being impossibly intimate on stage—they leaned into each other, finished each other’s sentences, and cried during “Blowin’ in the Wind.” It looked romantic, but it was just really good performing chemistry.

Mary Travers of 1960s folk trio dies at 72 | MPR News

The “Peter and Paul and Mary” Confusion

The real kicker? The name itself is to blame. When the trio formed in 1961, manager Albert Grossman decided on “Peter, Paul and Mary” because it sounded like a family. It worked a little too well. Audiences assumed they were related by blood or marriage, especially since Mary was the only woman. Try convincing a 1963 audience that these three weren’t secretly a married couple plus a best friend.

I once read a letter from a fan who wrote to Mary, asking if Paul was “the jealous type” when Peter looked at her a certain way. I cannot make this up. Mary, being the class act she was, reportedly wrote back: “Dearie, the only jealousy I’ve ever seen was over who got the last piece of tour bus pie.”

Why the Myth Persists Today

We love a good romance, don’t we? The idea that Mary was secretly in love with Peter or Paul gives their music a desperate, longing backstory. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” suddenly becomes a heartbreak anthem. But the mundane truth is better: they were platonic soulmates who happened to make timeless music. No secret affairs, no hidden children, no divorce scandals.

Mary herself laughed this off in interviews. Once, a journalist asked if she’d ever been tempted by Peter’s charm. She replied, “He’s the brother I never had, and Paul is the one who steals my coffee.” That’s it. That’s the whole dramatic truth.

Peter, Paul Honor Mary Travers One Year After Her Passing | Images

So, What Was the Dynamic Really Like?

Think of them as three arrows in a quiver. Mary was the arrow—the soaring, confident voice that made you believe in social change. Peter was the bowstring, pulling the political tension. Paul was the fletching, keeping everything stable and in tune. They needed each other, but not in a romantic sense. More like a three-legged race where everyone actually gets along.

When the group split in 1970, it wasn’t because of a love triangle. It was because they were tired, the times had changed, and Peter wanted to focus on activism. Mary married working musician Earl Robinson for a few years, then spent the rest of her life with Richard Sherwood. No Peter, no Paul. Just a lot of guitar picks and memories.

The Final Verdict (Spoiler: It’s Boring)

If you’ve been losing sleep over this, stop. Mary Travers was married to three men, and none were named Peter or Paul. Peter and Paul weren’t even dating each other, despite what some wild blogs claim. They were just three people who made harmony look effortless, and we projected our own fairy tales onto them.

So next time you hear “Puff the Magic Dragon,” don’t ask if Mary was sleeping with Peter. Ask yourself why we’re so desperate for singers to fall in love. Maybe the real love story was always the folk songs they gave us. And also the coffee Paul kept stealing. That was definitely a thing.