Peter, Paul and Mary Performing as
Paul in the Peter, Paul and Mary trio, he participated in one of the best-known ensembles of the 1960s phase of the
American folk music revival, and included some of his solo songs and extended monologs in their performances and recordings. In May 1963, Stookey discussed the evolution of his music and the formation of Peter, Paul and Mary on Folk Music Worldwide, an international short-wave radio program in New York City. One of Stookey's songs, "Norman Normal", which appeared on
The Peter, Paul and Mary Album (1966), inspired a Warner Bros. animated cartoon also titled
Norman Normal (1968). Stookey co-wrote the story for the cartoon and voiced several of the characters. In addition to his recordings with the trio, he released a number of solo works, several albums with the ensemble Bodyworks, and some anthologies. He was an important artist in the young
Jesus music movement, which later bloomed into the
Christian music industry, although his generally liberal political views distinguish him from many such artists. Stookey was awarded the Kate Wolf Memorial Award by the
World Folk Music Association in 2000.
Solo career During 1971 and 1972 Warner released a debut solo album by each member of the group. Each of these had similarly styled cover art. Stookey's album
Paul and was the highest of the three on the music charts, reaching number 42 on the
Billboard 200 chart in the United States in September 1971 and number 51 in
Canada. In 1973, Stookey performed at
Carnegie Hall and released the concert as his second solo album calling it
One Night Stand. With the release of
One Night Stand, Stookey changed his name from Noel Paul Stookey to Paul Stookey. Stookey's best-known song "
The Wedding Song (There Is Love)" was included on his debut solo album. The song was also released as a single which reached number 24 in the
Billboard Hot 100. He wrote the song as a wedding gift for
Peter Yarrow, and refused to perform it for the public until Yarrow requested it at a concert where his wife was present. Stookey assigned the copyright of this song to the Public Domain Foundation (PDF), a nonprofit 501(c)(3).
After Peter, Paul and Mary Stookey performed as a member of
Peter, Paul and Mary until the death of
Mary Travers in September 2009. His work after Peter, Paul and Mary has emphasized his faith, family life and social concerns. He remains active in the music industry, performing as a solo act, and occasionally performed with the late Peter Yarrow. In 1986, Stookey teamed up with Jim Newton, Paul G. Hill, and Denny Bouchard at Celebration Shop in Texas. The company, now known as Kidlinks, uses original musical compositions as music therapy to address the special needs of children. The company has produced three award-winning children's CDs used in hospitals, medical camps and homes across the country. In 2000 Noel and his daughter, Elizabeth Stookey Sunde, founded the nonprofit Music to Life, which builds on the strong historical legacy of social movements' intentional use of music to educate, recruit, and mobilize. In January 2011, centered on
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Stookey participated in several events at
Dartmouth College that celebrated King's life, including "Music for Social Change with Noel Paul Stookey and Company."
Production He also has production credits on a wide range of albums including jazz saxophonist Paul Winter, comedian Tim Sample and several singer-songwriters, among them
Dave Mallett, Michael Kelly Blanchard and
Gordon Bok. He was the founder of the Neworld Multimedia record label. == Discography ==