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 & released several albums to mostly local notice. In 1969, Havens opened the Woodstock Festival. His performance received continuous ovations and 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; this song was featured in the Woodstock film fastly becoming an international hit. He followed up this success with the 1971 release of Alarm Clock, which featured a popular rendition of George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun“. Often noted for his guitar skill; some of his recordings feature a drum sound which is actually his foot tapping on the floor. His guitar playing makes extensive use of open tunings and an unconventional thumb-fretting style. John Lennon said about Richie Havens during an interview for Rolling Stone in 1971: “He plays a pretty funky guitar.” Still maintaining his status as a folk icon, as he continues a busy schedule touring the globe with fiery performances. Connecticut welcomes Richie to the Strawberry Park Folk Festival in Preston, CT on September, 15th.
Listen to what Richie has to say here, and go see him play.
