Richard Pierce Havens was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
36 Facts About Richie Havens
2.
Richie Havens's music encompassed elements of folk, soul, and rhythm and blues.
3.
Richie Havens was the opening act at Woodstock, sang many jingles for television commercials, and was the voice of the GeoSafari toys.
4.
Richie Havens was of Native American descent on his father's side and of the British West Indies on his mother's.
5.
At age 20, Richie Havens left his hometown Brooklyn, seeking artistic stimulation in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.
6.
Richie Havens released his first single, "No Opportunity Necessary", in 1967.
7.
Richie Havens's opening 1969 appearance at Woodstock in a trio with Paul "Deano" Williams on guitar and singing backing vocals and Daniel Ben Zebulon on percussion catapulted him into stardom and was a major turning point in his career.
8.
Richie Havens concluded his set by riffing off the old spiritual "Motherless Child".
9.
The subsequent Woodstock movie release helped Richie Havens reach a worldwide audience.
10.
Richie Havens appeared two weeks later at the Isle of Wight Festival, in late August 1969.
11.
Richie Havens was featured in the original 1972 stage presentation of The Who's Tommy, as Othello in the 1974 film Catch My Soul, in Greased Lightning alongside Richard Pryor, and in Bob Dylan's Hearts of Fire.
12.
Richie Havens continued to release music and tour during the 1980s and 90s.
13.
Richie Havens made advertisements for NBC, CBS and ABC, and commercials for Amtrak and for Coca-Cola.
14.
Richie Havens did corporate commercial work for Maxwell House Coffee and Folgers as well as sang "The Fabric of Our Lives" theme for the cotton industry.
15.
On Jun 22,1990, Richie Havens played at a packed Yankee Stadium concert in honor of Nelson Mandela who had come to New York for three days after Mandela's release from the South African prison, Robben Island.
16.
In 1993, Richie Havens performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
17.
In 1999, Richie Havens played at the Tibetan Freedom Concert for an audience of more than 100,000.
18.
Richie Havens played a small role, as a character named Daze, in the film Street Hunter, starring John Leguizamo.
19.
Richie Havens played himself in "Rock of Ages", an episode of the TV sitcom Married.
20.
Richie Havens was the 20th living recipient of the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, presented in Sherborn, Massachusetts, on April 12,1991.
21.
In 2000, Richie Havens teamed with the electronic music duo Groove Armada for the retro 1970s-style song "Hands of Time".
22.
Richie Havens was featured on "Little By Little" and "Healing" on the band's third album, Goodbye Country.
23.
Richie Havens maintained his status as a folk icon and continued to tour.
24.
On October 15,2006, Richie Havens was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
25.
In 2007, Richie Havens appeared as Old Man Arvin in the Todd Haynes film I'm Not There.
26.
In February 2008, Richie Havens performed at The Jazz Cafe in London.
27.
Richie Havens was invited to perform at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony.
28.
Richie Havens played "Freedom" at the request of the jury president Sean Penn.
29.
Richie Havens performed at the London, Ontario, Blues Festival in July 2008.
30.
In March 2008, Richie Havens released a new studio album, Nobody Left To Crown.
31.
Richie Havens appeared in the acclaimed 2009 film Soundtrack for a Revolution, which provided a general history of the modern Civil Rights Movement and featured modern artists performing many of the era's musical classics.
32.
On May 3,2009, Richie Havens performed at the fundraising concert in honor of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday.
33.
On June 20,2009, Richie Havens performed at the Clearwater Festival.
34.
In 2010, Richie Havens underwent kidney surgery but did not recover fully enough to perform as he had before.
35.
The Daily Telegraph stated Richie Havens "made an indelible mark on contemporary music", while Douglas Martin of The New York Times reported that Richie Havens had "riveted Woodstock".
36.
Richie Havens was survived by his wife Nancy, three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.