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Richie Havens

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Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Richie Havens moved to Greenwich Village in 1961 in time to get in on the folk boom then taking place. Havens had a distinctive style as a folksinger, appearing in such clubs as the Cafe Wha? His guitar set to an open tuning, he would strum while barring chords with his thumb, using it essentially as percussion while singing rhythmically in a gruff voice for a mesmerizing effect. Havens was signed to Douglas Records in 1965 and recorded two albums that gained him a local following. In 1967, the Verve division of MGM Records formed a folk section (Verve Forecast) and signed Havens and other folk-based performers. The result was Havens’s third album, Mixed Bag. It wasn’t until 1968 and the Something Else Again album, however, that Havens began to hit the charts — actually, Havens’s fourth, third, and second albums charted that year, in that order. In 1969 came the double album Richard P. Havens 1983. Havens’s career benefited enormously from his appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and his subsequent featured role in the movie and album made from the concert in 1970. His first album after that exposure, Alarm Clock, made the Top 30 and produced a Top 20 single in “Here Comes the Sun.” These recordings were Havens’s commercial high-water mark, but by this time he had become an international touring success. By the end of the ’70s, he had abandoned recording and turned entirely to live work.

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folk, singer-songwriter, acoustic, rock, classic rock
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Mixed Bag
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Collection
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Resume: The Best of Richie Havens
Richie Havens
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Nobody Left To Crown
Richie Havens
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Top Tracks

1	Tombstone Blues full track	449
2	Here Comes the Sun full track	239
3	Freedom	221
4	Handsome Johnny full track	208
5	Something Else Again	176
6	Just Like a Woman full track	160
7	Follow full track	101
8	I Can't Make It Anymore full track	88
9	San Francisco Bay Blues full track	74
9	Eleanor Rigby full track	74
11	All Along the Watchtower full track	72
12	Strawberry Fields Forever full track	63
13	High Flyin' Bird full track	52
14	God Bless the Child full track	47
15	Going Back to My Roots	45

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Hayzi22 wrote:
8 hours ago

Richie Havens is my favorite.

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saschra1964 wrote:
23 days ago

:-) Liitle Darling - Here comes the sun.....

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stellakilledpb wrote:
November 2009

Such an amazing artist!!

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mybadfriend wrote:
November 2009

Woodstock stuff is amazing !

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almastr1 wrote:
October 2009

Never miss a chance to see Richie Havens... he's incredible.

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olivemai wrote:
September 2009

I hope we can all enjoy the show! Make my year!

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LeMo_On wrote:
August 2009

=)

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TheHitMan202 wrote:
August 2009

I also saw him on the Woodstock show and he is amazing. I thought I had the bases covered with Jimi, Pink Floyd, Joplin, etc but he is one of those people you just have to check out once you hear him

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pdecamp wrote:
August 2009

Just got Richie in concert tonight on my street. Incredible. Got to meet him after the show, such a warm and loving man.

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sipoflife wrote:
July 2009

Discovered this guy on "Woodstock"...awesome stuff...got any good recoes??...please do leave a shout...

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DaKing wrote:
July 2009

One of the greatest live performances ever by Richie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQEehwydZbA

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WhichOneIsPink wrote:
July 2009

nice

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PalCaremusic wrote:
March 2009

PalCareMusic loves Richie Havens Freedom and Blues!

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Krakmon wrote:
February 2009

nothing but pure awesomeness

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harrykar wrote:
February 2009

I love this VOICE.

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loudyloudy wrote:
February 2009

Richie is a true man of peace! I love his style.

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EssPea wrote:
February 2009

This band has been deemed "Elite" by The Music Elite. If you think your musical tastes are "Elite" enough to survive against the masses, please join our game: http://www.last.fm/group/%5BGame%5D+The+Music+Elite

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hurricane_mario wrote:
February 2009

mad good cover of Rocky Racoon

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Plarg wrote:
January 2009

He's so great--I saw him a few years ago at a local festival. He's got a very personable stage presence.

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talulol wrote:
December 2008

Richie, you are Great!!!! U makes my soul flying))

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See all 48 shouts

Videos

Events

Jan 16 Richie Havens Capitol Theatre, Clearwater, FL, United States
Add shout | 1 attendee
Jan 17 Richie Havens Broward Ctr for the Perf Arts Au Rene Theatre, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, United States
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Jan 23 Richie Havens Carnegie Lecture Hall, Pittsburgh PA, United States
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