Mary Travers RIP: she introduced Baby Boomers to Dylan

Thanks to Pete Mackie:

“Mary Travers' death prompts me to write that for the baby boomer generation, my guess is that 99%-plus of us were introduced to Bob Dylan via Peter Paul and Mary. Grossman's strategy worked and PPM were crucial in that.

“The other 1% had US connections or went to the folk clubs in London in dec 1962 or happened to see Madhouse on Castle Street.

“In the Wind didn't come out till Dec 1963, probably later than that in the UK. I remember sitting on a bus in spring 64 saying 'who is this Dylan'-- listed on the album as author of Blowing in the wind, Don't think twice and Quit your lowdown ways and a schoolmate turning around and saying 'you ought to listen to Freewheelin'.

“So, given Dylan's extraordinary pace of development, the timescales were even more compressed for the fans, just a year or so to absorb the four albums from Freewheelin' to Bringing it all back home.

“No wonder there was a bit of a backlash when he went electric.

“Fast-moving times!”