Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. 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.
Havens's live performances earned widespread notice. His 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.
(Read more at Wikipedia).
Links to Peel[]
In the late 60s, Peel played tracks from the albums on Verve which had established Richie Havens as a respected artist with a unique style, and introduced him at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in June 1969. Like fellow American visitor John Fahey, Havens recorded two sessions' worth of material for Peel's radio programmes when he visited the UK, in his case on two separate dates. He also made a TV appearance on the BBC's How Late It Is, the show which succeeded How It Is, on which Peel had been one of the co-presenters, and later that summer played at the Isle Of Wight festival, headlined that year by Bob Dylan. A few weeks later he opened the legendary Woodstock festival.
After his appearance at Woodstock, featured prominently in the subsequent film, Richie Havens was at the height of his fame, yet his style never changed much and his later records made less of an impact. Although a cover version of the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" picked up some radio plays, Peel doesn't seem to have played it on his programmes, and no tracks by Havens appear after 1969 in currently available listings. However, tracks from the singer's second 1969 session were repeated in the retrospective, all-sessions penultimate Top Gear show in September 1975.
Sessions[]
Richie Havens - Peel session - Top Gear 4-6-69
1. Recorded: 1969-05-30. First Broadcast: 04 June 1969.
- From The Prison / Maggie's Farm / Just Above My Hobby Horse's Head / I Can't Make It Anymore
2. Recorded: 1969-06-03. First Broadcast: 08 June 1969. Repeated: 13 July 1969, 22 September 1975
- Handsome Johnny / Things I Used To Do / High Flying Bird / Dolphin Song
Other Shows Played[]
- 24 December 1967: No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Required (album - Somethin' Else Again) Verve Forecast FT/FTS 3034
- 1968
- 14 January 1968: Three Day Eternity (7") Verve Forecast VS 1512
- 25 February 1968: No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Required (album - Somethin' Else Again) Verve Forecast FT/FTS 3034
- 27 October 1968: Indian Rope Man (7" - Just Above My Hobby Horse's Head) Verve Forecast KF 5092
- 1969
- 04 May 1969: She's Leaving Home (LP - Richard P. Havens 1983) Verve Forecast
- 25 May 1969: Lady Madonna (album - Richard P. Havens 1983) Verve Forecast SVLP 6014
- 27 December 1969: High Flying Bird (session)