Richie Havens
Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.[1] His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style (often in open tunings). He was the opening act at Woodstock, sang many jingles for television commercials, and was also the voice of the GeoSafari toys.
Richie Havens
Richard Pierce Havens
January 21, 1941
New York City, U.S.
April 22, 2013 (aged 72)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Musician, songwriter
Vocals, guitar, sitar
1965–2012
Early life[edit]
Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Havens was the oldest of nine children.[1] He was of Native American (Blackfoot) descent on his father's side and of the British West Indies on his mother's.[2] His grandfather was Blackfoot of the Montana/South Dakota area.
Havens's grandfather and great-uncle joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, moved to New York City thereafter, and settled on the Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island. Havens's grandfather married, then moved to Brooklyn.[3]
As a youth, Havens began organizing his neighborhood friends into a street corner doo-wop group. At age 16, he was performing with the McCrea Gospel Singers.[1]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
At age 20, Havens left his hometown of Brooklyn, seeking artistic stimulation in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. "I saw the Village as a place to escape to, in order to express yourself," he recalled. "I had first gone there during the beatnik days of the 1950s to perform poetry, then I drew portraits for two years and stayed up all night listening to folk music in the clubs. It took a while before I thought of picking up a guitar."[4]