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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
Richie Havens
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Collection
Richie Havens
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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	557
2	Here Comes the Sun full track	303
3	Freedom	286
4	Something Else Again	236
5	Handsome Johnny full track	220
6	Just Like a Woman full track	217
7	I Can't Make It Anymore full track	121
8	Follow full track	113
9	San Francisco Bay Blues full track	79
10	Eleanor Rigby full track	75
11	All Along the Watchtower full track	67
12	Strawberry Fields Forever full track	62
13	High Flyin' Bird full track	60
14	Younger Men Grow Older full track	50
15	Going Back to My Roots	47

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Kamahl16 wrote:
yesterday morning

He would give Bob Dylan a run for his money for "best folk artist ever" if he had a more impressive body of work. He is my favorite acoustic guitar player as well as my favorite folk-singer.

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polyesterrbride wrote:
Wednesday evening

Richie's song with the Preservation Jazz Band is so good. Their album is out 2.16. Here's more info: http://preservationhall.com/band/news/viewnews.aspx?id=22

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LieveK wrote:
last month

he must've been amazing at woodstock! great guitarwork... wah..

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madboy wrote:
last month

love your guitar skills

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kari8306 wrote:
last month

richie is amazing. i had the chance to meet him after a show a couple years ago and his stories were mesmerizing. i could have listened to him talk for hours. he is most definitely one of my favorite artists.

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saschra1964 wrote:
December 2009

:-) 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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Videos

Events

Feb 4 Richie Havens Casa das Artes, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal
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Feb 12 Richie Havens Squitieri Studio Theatre, Gainesville, United States
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Mar 11 Richie Havens The Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, co, Denver, United States
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