The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #172556   Message #4177295
Posted By: Stilly River Sage
20-Jul-23 - 03:55 PM
Thread Name: Obit: Paul Prestopino (PP&M accompanist) 2023
Subject: Obit: Paul Prestopino (P., P. & Mary) 2023
So far it is only on the Peter, Paul and Mary Facebook page. I can't isolate a link to the particular story, but for now it's at the top of the page.
Our dear friend and fellow performer, Paul Prestopino, has passed. "An extraordinary talent, and what a sweetheart he was!”, says Peter. "He toured and recorded with us for over thirty years, On my solo recordings, he was my go-to buddy, playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica and more - any, or all, of them on a given song. He always found the most tasteful, moving, way to “layer" them in so that together, they told the song’s soul, and its story.

For so many, Presto was a “musician’s musician”, a real mench-and-a-half and, in the trio's eyes, his politics and his unrepentant, ethical, heart were absolutely the best!

May his name be a blessing in our lives. “Presto was a jewel", says Noel "I loved his directness and his always appropriate reminder that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line (must have been the carpenter in him). Whether in the context of Peter, Paul and Mary, my solo work or our personal friendship, I am forever thankful for his generous and uniquely supportive presence in my life. He will be deeply missed.”

P.S. He loved to laugh and, as a matter of principle, he always wore overalls and different colored socks -- on stage and off.)

CLARIFICATION: Peter Yarrow & Noel Paul Stookey are both alive and continue to perform together occasionally. Paul Prestopino "Presto" was their hugely talented multi-instrument accompanist for 30 years.