The man who kicked off "Woodstock" passed away yesterday at the age of 72. The RAMP Newsletter paid tribute today...
Folk singer Richie Havens, whose now legendary set at 1969's Woodstock festival made him famous, died yesterday morning, April 22 from a sudden heart attack at the age of 72. According to The New York Daily News, Havens was scheduled to perform a brief opening act to kick off the three-day Woodstock weekend, but at the last minute was asked by the festival's organizers to extend his set to nearly three hour longs in an effort to kill time, since most of the other performers were stuck in a huge traffic jam and had not yet reached the site. Havens nobly rose to the occasion and transfixed the crowd with an inspired performance that included an improvised mash-up of "Motherless Child" mixed with his own song "Freedom" that ended up becoming one of Woodstock's most enduring memories. In 1971, Havens hit the charts with his own distinctive cover of George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun," speeding up the tempo and adding some fierce bongo rhythms. According to Dave Stewart of WCBS-FM/New York, Havens' version, which went to No. 16 on the charts, was a hit before The Beatles released it as a single.
It's a GREAT version of the song, in this Beatle nut's humble opinion...
