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Richie Havens

Richie Havens Books

Singer-songwriter

Richie Havens was an American singer-songwriter known for his unique musical style and live performances. Born on January 21, 1941, he passed away on April 22, 2013. Havens is best known for his iconic performance at the Woodstock Music Festival, where he was invited to take the stage without prior notice, performing for thousands of attendees.

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Related Quotes

“Woodstock was both a peaceful protest and a global celebration.”

Havens Peaceful Protest Celebration Woodstock Peaceful Protest

Author:Richie Havens

“I believe I inherited my sense of music from my father. My father was an ear piano player; he could just hear something and play it.”

Believe Play Father I Believe Player Havens Ears Piano

Author:Richie Havens

“Woodstock happened in August 1969, long before the Internet and mobile phones made it possible to communicate instantly with anyone, anywhere. It was a time when we werent able to witness world events or the horrors of war live on 24-hour news channels.”

World Long Made War Able Hours Happened Events Havens Internet Horror News Phones Communicate Made It Witness Mobile August Mobile Phones Woodstock Horror Of War News Channels World Events

Author:Richie Havens

“Richie is the only one of my nine who's really moved away. I can't get rid of most of them.”

I Can Moved Nine

Author:Richie Havens

“My mother's family came from the British West Indies. And my father's family came from, well, my father's father came from the Montana/South Dakota area. They were Blackfoot Indian.”

Wells Mother Father Havens Areas West South British Indian Montana Dakota South Dakota West Indies

Author:Richie Havens

“I don't get sick. I can't afford to get sick.”

I Can Havens Sick

Author:Richie Havens

“I eat once a day if I remember, and I try never to go to sleep.”

Ifs Trying Remember Sleep Havens Going To Sleep

Author:Richie Havens

“Live Aid was a baby Woodstock, a child of Woodstock, which I call Globalstock.”

Children Havens Baby Aids Woodstock

Author:Richie Havens

“My right wrist is connected to the left foot. You know, if the left foot doesn't work, the right wrist doesn't work, and that's really the truth.”

Ifs Knows Left Feet Havens Connected Wrists

Author:Richie Havens

“Everything I want to do, and to accomplish, is on the other side of the universe. That's peace of mind, energy, freedom. And I'm making myself ready to go, joyfully and willingly. I think I'm ready to be everybody's friend, and to do anything for anybody. It's heavy.”

Thinking Want Mind Universe Energy Sides Havens Ready Heavy Accomplish Peace Of Mind

Author:Richie Havens

“I believe we have a double in every country. There's something about that that is probably a commonness that we don't make note of. That maybe there's only a cast for so many faces, and we live everywhere.”

Believe Country Faces I Believe Havens Notes Casts Many Faces

Author:Richie Havens

“I came up in Brooklyn singing doo-wop music from the time I was 13 to the time I was 20. That music served a purpose of keeping a lot of people out of trouble, and also it was a passport from one neighborhood to another.”

People Purpose Trouble Havens Singing Neighborhood Brooklyn Passports

Author:Richie Havens

“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.”

Mind Courses Heaven Havens Music Is All Things Realms Organized Gears Organized Mind

Author:Richie Havens

“I must have played every college and university at least three times, and that goes for most of the clubs. I'd be on the road six days a week, go home and change bags, and then be gone for another six days.”

Home Three Gone Week Havens College Six University Clubs Bags Three Times Colleges And Universities

Author:Richie Havens

“I remember the first time I was booked into a jazz club. I was scared to death. I'm not a jazz artist. So I got to the club and spotted this big poster saying, 'Richie Havens, folk jazz artist.' Then I'd go to a rock club and I'm billed as a 'folk rock performer' and in the blues clubs I'd be a 'folk blues entertainer.'”

Firsts Bigs Remember Artist Rocks Havens First Time Jazz Folks Scared Clubs Performers Entertainers Posters

Author:Richie Havens

“I saw the Village as a place you could escape to, to express yourself. When I first went there, I wrote and performed poetry. Then I drew portraits for a couple of years. It took a while before I thought about picking up a guitar.”

Years Firsts Saws Havens Couple Guitar Village Portraits Express Yourself

Author:Richie Havens

“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.”

Havens Guitarist Trios Congas

Author:Richie Havens

“I opened the Woodstock Festival even though I was supposed to be fifth. I said, 'What am I doing here? No, no, not me, not first!' I had to go on stage because there was no one else to go on first - the concert was already two-and-a-half hours late.”

Firsts Said Two Hours Half Stage Havens Goes On Late Supposed To Be Concerts Fifth Festivals Half Hours Woodstock

Author:Richie Havens

“Nothing has really changed. We had bootleg albums in the '60s and today we have Internet file sharing. They just found a better way to do it -- get music for free. What's great about today is an artist has an opportunity to go direct to their audience without dealing with a middleman. People can go directly to the web for CDs, DVDs and downloads. I think that's the best thing that's happened, that people's music is being flashed around the world.”

“I tended to listen to doo-wop, but my grandmother would always have the radio on all day and she'd start with Yiddish and then move on to gospel and later to "make believe" ballroom music. I got to hear all kinds of music and my mother would get up to go to work listening to country music. That was her alarm clock. My dad was a jazz lover and listened to the man who wrote "Misty", Errol Garner. He loved piano players, so I got to listen to that as well.”

“Though it's frequently portrayed as this crazy, unbridled festival of rain-soaked, stoned hippies dancing in the mud, Woodstock was obviously much more than that - or we wouldn't still be talking about it in 2009. People of all ages and colors came together in the fields of Max Yasgur's farm.”

People Stills Age Together Talking Crazy Havens Fields Color Rain Dancing Farms Mud Festivals Hippie Max Woodstock

Author:Richie Havens

“When I write a song today, basically it goes on the stage tomorrow. That's the way it works. You cannont interrupt your consciousness; it all comes from the subconscious, it can happen anywhere. It could be in a telephone booth.”

Way Writing Happens Today Song Consciousness Stage Goes On Tomorrow Songwriting Subconscious Telephones

Author:Richie Havens

“Woodstock was not about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It was about spirituality, about love, about sharing, about helping each other, living in peace and harmony.”

Love Helping Spiritual Spirituality Sex Peace Share Rocks Drug Harmony Helping Others Rock And Roll Singer Songwriters Helping Each Other Peace And Harmony Woodstock Sex Drugs Sex Drugs And Rock And Roll

Author:Richie Havens

“I'm not in show business; I'm in the communications business. That's what it's about for me.”

Shows Havens Communication Show Business

Author:Richie Havens

About the Author

Born: January 21, 1941
Died: April 22, 2013
Known for: Singer-songwriter
Quotes: 24

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Havens Woodstock Believe Firsts People Artist Clubs Country Father Festivals

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