RIP Richie Havens

Gary Jackson over at A Time for Choosing has posted a nice tribute to Richie Havens, who passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

Remembering Music Legend Richie Havens.

Havens had one of those voices you just can’t forget. There was such energy and power and soul driving his music. So many “artists” today seem hollow at the core despite the outer glitz and glamour, but the convictions and causes of Richie Havens shone through in his performances. I’m reminded of the spirit behind the voice in Havens’ collaboration with Peter Gabriel, The Time of the Turning,

and in Groove Armada’s Hands of Time.

Havens was also an accomplished guitarist who made his long-necked companion function as both a stringed instrument and a rhythm section all at once. I enjoyed how he mixed folk and blues with dashes of gospel and funk. He was a unique and amazing talent who should have received more recognition during his lifetime. When I listen to him I hear shades of younger male lead singers decades before they became famous.

Havens was an original and he influenced many who came after him more than most of us know. We’ve lost one of the true greats.

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