Halfway through a 2023 performance in his hometown of Blue Hill, Maine, 85-year-old Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, reached for the case behind him to show the crowd his latest project, the Manulenjo. Sitting on a stool at the microphone, he pointed out the instrument’s unique features: a round body like the African banjo, a short neck and eight paired steel strings like the Italian mandolin, and tuning like that of the Portuguese ukulele. Crediting master guitar-maker David LaPlante for its beautiful construction and sweet sound, Noel described its conception as a celebration of America’s ethnic and musical diversity and then began strumming “Dance to the Manulenjo,” his story song about a fractured House of Congress and a musician arriving there with his Manulenjo and calling the people to dance.
Noel is a familiar friend in the Downeast community where he and his wife, Betty, have lived since the early seventies. He has sung in the church choir and with pros and amateurs alike in countless local fundraisers. Even while Peter, Paul and Mary were on tour extensively, Noel would return to Blue Hill with a youthful exuberance for whatever was next, and frankly no one is surprised that his joyful creativity is still at play. His performing career began in Birmingham, Michigan, where, as a lover of jazz, pop, and standup comedy, he formed his award-winning high-school R&B band called The Birds of Paradise. At Michigan State University he was a popular emcee at campus events before heading to New York City in 1959. Soon he discovered Greenwich Village, started hanging out to play chess and then landed a steady gig as singer and master of ceremonies at the Gaslight Cafe. It was there he caught the attention of Albert Grossman, who was manager at the time of activist Peter Yarrow and was looking for two more singers to complete his vision of a trio. Noel agreed to take on ‘Paul’ as his middle name and ‘Peter, Paul and Mary’ soon became a popular music phenomenon.
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![[NIGHT 2] Noel Paul Stookey of Peter Paul & Mary at The Freight, 6 February | Event in Berkeley | AllEvents](https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/6d95c1544b2100c021694f6815512400739b884174bdd0f9c9f11fc9b94215cb-rimg-w1200-h628-dcd4f1f7-gmir?v=1764059555 "[NIGHT 2] Noel Paul Stookey of Peter Paul & Mary at The Freight, 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, United States, California 94704, 6 February 2026 | AllEvents")
