Richie Havens
April 26th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Richie Havens @ the Barre Opera House in Vermont/2009 -photo by mr c)
I just wanted to throw some mentions to a folk musician that had passed away earlier in the week who created plenty of great music that healed the soul – the one and only – Richie Havens. Havens also reinterpreted pop & folk songs that often sound better than the original in my opinion. He had an amazing raggamuffin, soulful voice and a frenetic way of strumming the guitar with distinctive soulful rhythms that came to life with each action! He even had an unusual way of using his thumb to play the chords. We’ve seen Richie play live a handful of times at venues including The Bottom Line, The Williams Center in Rutherford, Governor’s Island, Madison Square Garden at Pete Seeger’s birthday celebration, outdoor concerts in Paramus, NJ and Battery Park as well at the Barre Opera House in Vermont amongst other outdoor folk festivals. Richie’s music was always there to comfort me during tough times like when my father & sister passed away or just when I needed an extra lift of inspiration to carry on. Richie sported a dashiki and a gentle soul that manifested through his voice and guitar play. He also possessed a mean ass jump kick that he would always include in his performances to close out his set onstage! And that’s the way I want to remember this man! Carry on my brother and show us the path to this heavenly glory with your music!
(Richie performing “You are so Beautiful” at the Barre Opera House – vid by mr c)
(Richie Havens + I)
(Richie Havens performing at Woodstock – a 2 hour set!)
(Havens performing his famous “Freedom” at Woodstock)
Tags: folk, richie havens
Posted in mr. c, music, photos | Comments (3)
April 27th, 2013 at 3:49 am
Why did I always think he was a much taller, more imposing man…
April 27th, 2013 at 12:42 pm
He actually looked pretty imposing to me! His grip was strong and his hand was the size of my head! You also have to remember he is close to 70 years old in that photo.
April 28th, 2013 at 9:27 am
I probably is imposing but I think you brought out his softer side- probably figured you were.n’t going to beat him up.