Richie Havens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richie Havens
Havens in Washington, D.C. in 1999
Background information
Birth name	Richard Pierce Havens
Born	(1941-01-21)January 21, 1941 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 22, 2013(2013-04-22) (aged 72) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Folk rock, funk, blues, soul
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, sitar
Years active	1965–2012
Labels	Douglas Records, Verve Forecast, MGM, A&M, Solar/Epic/SME, Rykodisc, Rhino

Richard Pierce Havens (born January 21, 1941 – died April 22, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His music mixed different styles like folk, soul, and rhythm and blues. He was known for his unique guitar playing, often using special tunings. Richie Havens was the very first performer at the famous Woodstock in 1969. He also sang many songs for TV commercials and was the voice for the GeoSafari toys.

Richie Havens: A Music Legend

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Richie Havens was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was the oldest of nine children. His family had roots in Native American (Blackfoot) culture from his father's side and the British West Indies from his mother's side. His grandfather was Blackfoot from the Montana and South Dakota areas.

Richie's grandfather and great-uncle were part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. After that, they moved to New York City and settled on the Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island. Later, his grandfather married and moved to Brooklyn.

When he was young, Richie started a street corner singing group with his friends, performing a style called doo-wop. By age 16, he was singing with a gospel group called the McCrea Gospel Singers.

Starting His Music Career

At 20, Havens left Brooklyn to find artistic inspiration in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. He said he saw the Village as a place to express himself. He first went there in the 1950s to perform poetry. Then, he drew portraits for two years and spent nights listening to folk music in clubs. It took him a while to start playing the guitar.

Publicity photo released in 1974 by his management at the William Morris Agency

Richie Havens's solo performances quickly became popular beyond the folk music scene in Greenwich Village. After making two records for Douglas Records, he signed with Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman. This led to a record deal with the Verve Folkways label. In late 1966, Verve released his album Mixed Bag. This album included songs like "Handsome Johnny" (which he wrote with actor Louis Gossett Jr.) and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman". His first single, "No Opportunity Necessary," came out in 1967.

His album Something Else Again (1968) was the first to appear on the Billboard music charts. By 1969, he had released five albums.

Woodstock and Becoming Famous

Havens, playing at Woodstock Music Festival 1969

Richie Havens's live shows were very well-known. His opening performance at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 made him a huge star. He played with Paul "Deano" Williams on guitar and Daniel Ben Zebulon on percussion. He performed for about fifty minutes because the next musicians were stuck in traffic. Havens finished his set by creating a new song from the old spiritual "Motherless Child".

The movie about Woodstock helped Havens become famous worldwide. He also performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1969.

Havens performing in Hamburg, Germany, May 1972

Beyond Music: Acting and More

Richie Havens also started acting in the 1970s. He was in the 1972 stage show The Who's Tommy. He played Othello in the 1974 film Catch My Soul. He also appeared in Greased Lightning with Richard Pryor and in Bob Dylan's Hearts of Fire.

In July 1978, he performed at a benefit concert for The Longest Walk. This was a spiritual walk by American Indians from Alcatraz to Washington, D.C., to support their treaty rights.

Havens continued to release music and tour in the 1980s and 90s. He made advertisements for major TV networks like NBC, CBS, and ABC. He also did commercials for Amtrak and Coca-Cola. He sang "The Fabric of Our Lives" theme song for the cotton industry. In 1982, he played at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK.

On June 22, 1990, Richie Havens played at a concert at Yankee Stadium. This concert honored Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in South Africa. Other performers included Judy Collins and Tracy Chapman.

In 1993, Havens performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. In 1999, he played at the Tibetan Freedom Concert for over 100,000 people.

The album Resume, The Best of Richie Havens, released in 1993 by Rhino Records, collected his songs from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Havens had a small role in the 1990 film Street Hunter. He also played himself in an episode of the TV show Married... with Children called "Rock of Ages."

On April 12, 1991, Havens received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Later Years and Legacy

In 2000, Havens worked with the electronic music group Groove Armada on the song "Hands of Time." This song was used in movies like Collateral and Domino. Havens also sang on two other songs, "Little By Little" and "Healing," on Groove Armada's album Goodbye Country.

In 2000, he wrote his autobiography, They Can't Hide Us Anymore, with Steve Davidowitz. Havens remained a folk music icon and kept touring. In 2002, he sang Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a Changin'" in the TV series The West Wing. He also released the album Wishing Well in 2002, followed by Grace of the Sun in 2004.

Havens playing at The Turning Point in Piermont, New York, January 4, 2009

On October 15, 2006, Havens was honored and added to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Havens appeared in the film I'm Not There. He sang the Bob Dylan song "Tombstone Blues" in a scene. His version of the song is also on the movie's soundtrack. In February 2008, Havens performed at The Jazz Café in London.

Havens was asked to perform at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony. He played "Freedom" because the jury president, Sean Penn, requested it. Havens also performed at the London, Ontario, Blues Festival in July 2008.

In March 2008, Havens released a new album called Nobody Left To Crown. The first song released from it was "The Key."

Havens appeared in the 2009 film Soundtrack for a Revolution. This movie told the story of the modern Civil Rights Movement and featured artists singing classic songs from that time. In the film, Havens performed a powerful version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"

Havens with journalist Phil Konstantin, on January 25, 2010

On May 3, 2009, Havens performed at a concert to raise money for Pete Seeger's 90th birthday. In June 2009, he played at the fifth annual Mountain Jam Festival in Hunter, New York. He also performed at the Clearwater Festival on June 20, 2009, and at the Woodstock Tribute festival in Ramsey, New Jersey, on July 4, 2009. On August 8, 2010, he played at Musikfest 2010 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Personal Life

Health and Retirement

In 2010, Havens had kidney surgery. He did not fully recover enough to perform as he used to. In March 2012, he announced on his Facebook page that he would stop touring after 45 years because of his health.

His Passing

On April 22, 2013, Richie Havens passed away from a heart attack at age 72. The BBC called him a "Woodstock icon." Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young said Havens "could never be replicated." The New York Times reported that Havens had "riveted Woodstock."

Following his wishes, Richie Havens was cremated. His ashes were scattered from the air over the original site of the Woodstock Festival. This ceremony happened on August 18, 2013, which was the 44th anniversary of the festival's last day.

Richie Havens was survived by his wife Nancy, three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

His Music Albums

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

Other Music Appearances

• A Long Time Comin' by The Electric Flag – he played sitar and percussion (1968)
• Sesame Street (1971) – he sang Imagination Rain.
• Please Don't Touch by Steve Hackett (1978)
• Music and Songs from Starlight Express (1987) – he sang "Light at the End of the Tunnel" and the "Starlight Sequence"
• Goya... a Life in Song – he sang and played guitar on "Dog in the Quicksand".
• Songs of the Civil War (1991) – he sang "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Give Us a Flag"
• OVO by Peter Gabriel (2000) (soundtrack for the Millennium Dome Show)
• "Freedom" on The Best of The Jammy's Volume One with The Mutaytor
• "The Long Road" (a duet with Cliff Eberhardt) on the 1990 album The Long Road
• "Gay Cavalier" (a duet with Pino Daniele) on the 1983 album Common Ground
• Some Assembly Required by Assembly of Dust (2009)
• Married... with Children (1992), "Rock of Ages" – he appeared as himself
• "El Lugar (The Place)" by Francesco Bruno (1995) – he helped write and sing the song
• Lifelines Live by Peter, Paul and Mary (1996)
• Warriors of Virtue (1997) – "Inside of You"
• Goodbye Country by Groove Armada (2001) – "Little by Little" and "Healing"
• Lovebox (Groove Armada) by Groove Armada (2002) – "Hands of Time"

See also

In Spanish: Richie Havens para niños