Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard Pierce Havens, known professionally as Richie Havens, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul, and rhythm and blues. He is best known for his intense and rhythmic guitar style, soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFolk Singer
Date of Birth21 January 1941
CityBrooklyn, NY
CountryUnited States of America
When I flew over the crowd, that's what I said to myself, ... I said, 'If they put this picture in the newspaper, it's all over for them, because now they can't hide us anymore .'
The direction for my music is heaven, of course. We gear all things to the realm of heaven - which is the mind, the organized mind.
I started out by myself, but it eventually turned into a trio by the mid-'60s - a conga drum and another guitarist. And that's been mostly what I've worked with most of the time.
I don't get sick. I can't afford to get sick.
Woodstock was both a peaceful protest and a global celebration.
Many times, people have come up to me after singing some songs, and they'd say, 'Richie, do you know what you did?' And I'd say, 'What?' And they'd go, 'I wrote these songs down for you to sing, and you sang them all in a row.' But that's the kind of communication that happens, you know.