Noel Paul Stookey

Though he moved to New York City at the age of 20 to be a photographer-Noel Paul Stookey soon found that other opportunities beckoned there. Swept up in the burgeoning arts scene in Greenwich Village, his buoyant style and Midwestern affability quickly found him work as a master of ceremonies, comedian and sometime singer and songwriter. "Those were exciting times," recalls Stookey. "I would only wish that the same environment of artistic exchange and freedom could be made available to young artists today..."

Now, in his fourth decade as the 'Paul" of Peter, Paul, and Mary, Stookey's commitment to folk music remains strong. "…and what a wonderful music it is," he says, noting that it hasn't needed pop radio or music videos to endure. "It is, after all, 'people music,' duplicable on a stage or around a campfire or driving in a car. He suggests, "folk singers are also allowed to talk about things other than teenage dating behavior."

Stookey's range of themes has been characteristically wide, spanning a spectrum from, "I Dig Rock And Roll Music," his 60's satire on pop trendiness, to one of the best loved solo records, "The Wedding Song," which reached the top 30's of the pop charts in the early 70's. (The latter was of special significance to Noel, not only because it represented a musical gift to Peter Yarrow on his wedding day, but also because it was among the first songs written following his Christian conversion in 1968).

"My discovery and ultimate thankfulness for the patience of a Creator who would be as involved in our lives as we allow, obviously altered my motivations tremendously," volunteers Noel. "….all the songs I've written since the late 60's, though they may be really quite wide thematically, are from the 'forgiven and Loved' perspective that one inherits as a gift of the Spirit."

Whether he is performing with Peter, Paul, & Mary, or on his own, Stookey's main concern rests with the human condition. "I'm hopeful that I can remind people; to challenge them to create a peace on earth by starting within their own hearts."

Stookey's passionate beliefs have been an impetus for his own personal activism. "You have to put belief into action," he says, commenting on his visits to Central America and his support for the sanctuary movement, which shelters the refugees of political oppression. His song "El Salvador," based on the experience of clergy in that nation, is a stirring call for human rights.

"Writing that song," Noel recalls, "was another step toward resolving the questions: 'is there such a thing as a just war?' I have come to discover that you do not defeat evil with evil…let's face it, the means are the end. How else would perfect love cast out all fear?"

That spirit has guided both his words and his actions. After creating "The Wedding Song," for example, Stookey assigned the publishing rights from the song to a fund, which donates all royalties to worthy causes. In the few decades since "The Wedding Song' was written, more than two million dollars have gone to charities in countries around the world.

Although still on the road with Peter and Mary for about 36 concerts a year, Stookey can be found in his 'off times' writing on the coast of Maine, in the rural village of Blue Hill Falls. The village is where he and his wife Betty, (currently the Chaplain at a private school in western Massachusetts) have raised their three daughters Liz, Kate and Anna.

…and 'Paul' is not the only other name that Noel goes by: His work with kids of the electronic age via Downeast Net, a provider in Ellsworth, Maine earns him the title 'SYSOP," (short for SYStem OPerator)!

Working with children in any medium seems to come natural to Stookey who has long been doing work with the Celebration Shop folks, in Texas, who specialize in entertainment and encouragement for the life-threatened and hospitalized. A coloring book and a cassette, called "Playing Right Field," was produced by Noel for the Celebration Shop and contains much of his collaboration. Noel is currently working with the Celebration Shop folks on other songs for a new release.

Noel Paul enjoys the balanced schedule he works to maintain between his private life, his solo performances and concerts with Peter and Mary. His many interests seem to strengthen and enhance one another. He observes, "it's like a bee moving from one flower to another, it cross pollinates! I believe that all imagination is ultimately connected, I just hope to be an encouragement; a spokesperson for what Love can do."

George Veras | Michael Kelly Blanchard