R.I.P. Richie Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013)

The Great Richie Havens

RICHIE HAVENS - Freedom (1969)

I was very sad to hear that Richie Haven passed away Today. I first became aware of Richie Havens when I saw the movie of Woodstock, he absolutely blew me away and I just had to get some of his albums.

His Woodstock appearance proved to be a major turning point in his career. He was the opening act and ended up doing a set that lasted three hours due to several other acts being delayed in reaching the festival. He was called back for many many encores.

Having run out of tunes, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual  'Motherless Chidren' that became "Freedom". This along with his intense guitar style projected him to a wider audience than what he was used to. I was just surprised that he did not achieve superstar status. (Well he did in my eyes and ears!)

The song I choose is 'Freedom' and is featured above.

Richie Havens started off in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village in New York at the same time as a young Bob Dylan entered the scene. It must have been heady days in that area during these times.

I loved his interpretation of Dylan's 'Just Like a Woman' , it is up there with the very very best. His take on George Harrison's 'Here Comes the Sun' I have featured in an earlier post and is still one of my all time favourites.

A sad day indeed but his music will shine on. R.I.P.  Richie Havens.