Carter says “Puff” - Weird Pardons

February 1st, 2009

This name may not be immediately familiar, but you’d probably recognize Yarrow’s voice if he sang “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” As one-third of the folk outfit Peter, Paul and Mary, Yarrow dominated the music and protest scenes of the 1960s.

Yarrow had legions of young fans, but unfortunately, some were a bit too young. In 1970 he was convicted of taking “improper liberties” with a 14-year-old fan, an error for which he spent three months in jail. On his last day in office, though, Jimmy Carter granted Yarrow a pardon.

Yarrow, for his part, admitted he made a huge mistake and later contritely said, “It was an era of real indiscretion and mistakes by categorically male performers. I was one of them. I got nailed. I was wrong. I’m sorry for it.” I would bet my pay cheque that it was not the first time Yarrow took liberties with a minor.

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