Richie Havens

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Richie Havens
Richie Havens in 2006
Richie Havens in 2006
Background information
Born January 21, 1941 (1941-01-21) (age 67)
Origin Brooklyn
Genre(s) Folk rock
Occupation(s) Singer-guitarist
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1965—present
Label(s) Verve
Website Richie Havens Official Website

Richie Havens (born January 21, 1941) is an American folk singer and guitarist. Havens is perhaps best known for his intense rhythmic guitar style, soulful covers of pop and folk songs and his opening performance at the Woodstock Festival.

Contents

[edit] Career

Richard P. Havens was born in Brooklyn, the eldest of nine children, first started singing street corner doo-wop and performed with The McCrea Gospel Singers at 16. Havens first rose to fame in the Greenwich Village folk-music scene that also fostered Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. In 1967, Havens became one of several Village-based artists signed to Verve Records, and released several albums to mostly local notice. In 1969, Havens opened the Woodstock Festival, although he was initially scheduled to appear fifth on the bill. His performance received continuous ovations and he kept playing encores until he ran out of songs. Finally, he decided to improvise a version of "Motherless Child", to which he added a verse with the word "freedom" repeated over and over; the song was featured in the Woodstock film, and became an international hit.

[edit] 1970s-1990s

Havens followed up this success with the 1971 release of Alarm Clock, which featured a rendition of The Beatles "Here Comes the Sun". Alarm Clock became Haven's first album to chart on the Billboard Top 30.[1]

For a brief period in the mid-1970s, Havens performed with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey as Peter, Paul, & Richie.[citation needed] During this time, he also tried his hand at acting, appearing as Othello in the 1974 film Catch My Soul. He also appeared in Greased Lightning alongside Richard Pryor in 1977. In 1987, he landed a role in the Bob Dylan vehicle Hearts of Fire.[2]

In 1982, Havens composed and performed a promo slogan for NBC's 1982-83 television season entitled, We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now. He also performed slogans for CBS and ABC.[3]

In 1993, Havens performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.[4] In 1999, Havens played at the Tibetan Freedom Concert for an audience of more than 100,000.[5]

[edit] Musical style

Richie Havens (at center stage) in 1969 at the Woodstock Festival
Richie Havens (at center stage) in 1969 at the Woodstock Festival

Havens is noted for his guitar skill. Some of his recordings feature a drum sound that is actually his foot tapping on the floor. His guitar playing makes extensive use of open tunings and an unconventional thumb-fretting style.[6] In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, John Lennon stated that Havens "plays a pretty funky guitar".[7]

Havens rarely writes his own songs but often applies his distinctive style to the works of others, notably Bob Dylan and the Beatles.[citation needed]

[edit] Collaborations

In 2000, Havens teamed up with the electronic music duo Groove Armada for the song "Hands of Time". The track was featured on the soundtrack for the film Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx; the same song also used in the film Domino, starring Keira Knightley. Havens was also featured on Little By Little on the band's third album Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub).[8]

He has collaborated with other artists including former Genesis members Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel, Bill Perry, Dayna Kurtz, and Anton Fig.[8]

[edit] Present-day career

In 2000, Havens published They Can't Hide Us Anymore, an autobiography co-written with Steve Davidowitz. Havens has maintained his status as a folk icon, and continues to tour. In 2002, Havens released Wishing Well, followed by the 2004 album, Grace of the Sun.

On October 15, 2006, Havens was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.[9]

In 2007 Havens appeared as "Old Man Arvin" in the Todd Haynes film I'm Not There. In a classic front-porch jam scene, he is shown singing the Bob Dylan song "Tombstone Blues" with Marcus Carl Franklin and Tyrone Benskin. Havens's version of the song also appears on the I'm Not There Soundtrack.

In 2008, he was invited in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, for the Opening Ceremony. He played "Freedom", his greatest song, a tribute to his well-known fan, Sean Penn (he was the jury's President).

[edit] Charity work

In addition to performing at charity benefit concerts, Havens formed the Northwind Undersea Institute, an oceanographic children's museum on City Island in the Bronx. The museum led to the creation of The Natural Guard, an organization that educates children about the environment.[1]

Havens won the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in Sherborn, MA on April 12th 1991.[10]

[edit] Discography

  • A Richie Havens Record (1965)
  • Electric Havens (1966)
  • Mixed Bag (February 1967)
  • Something Else Again (1968)
  • Richard P. Havens, 1983 (1969)
  • Stonehenge (1970)
  • Alarm Clock (1971)
  • The Great Blind Degree (1971)
  • Richie Havens On Stage (1972)
  • Portfolio (1973)
  • Mixed Bag II (January 1975)
  • The End of the Beginning (1976)
  • Mirage (1977)
  • Connections (1980)
  • Common Ground (1983)
  • Collection (1987)
  • Simple Things (1987)
  • Sings Beatles and Dylan (1987)
  • Live at the Cellar Door (1990)
  • Now (1991)
  • Cuts to the Chase (1994)
  • Time (1999)
  • The Millenium Collection (2000)
  • Wishing Well (April 2002)
  • Grace of the Sun (2004)
  • I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack ("Tombstone Blues") (2007)
  • Nobody Left To Crown (2008)

[edit] Guest appearances

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Richiehavens.com official site
  2. ^ IMDb acting credits for Richie Havens
  3. ^ 80stvthemes.com
  4. ^ Walsh, Ben. Richie Havens. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  5. ^ Beastiemania.com: Gigography
  6. ^ Richie's Music--Tab--video. Richie Havens personal site.
  7. ^ John Lennon imterview for Rolling Stone
  8. ^ a b Richiehavens.com: Guest Appearances & Collaborations
  9. ^ LIMHOF.org: Inaugural 2006 Inductees
  10. ^ The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Recipients List

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Havens, Richie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Singer, songwriter, musician
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH