Richie Havens to Perform

Original Woodstock Veteran Richie Havens will be performing at The Ritz Theatre, 915 Whitehorse Pike, in Oaklyn, Friday, April 15 at 8pm.

RICHIE HAVENS is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music. His fiery, poignant, always soulful singing style has remained unique and ageless since he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early ’60s. It’s a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993 -coming full circle with the 30th Woodstock Anniversary celebration, A Day In The Garden, in 1999.

His latest self-produced album, 2004’s Grace Of The Sun, finds Richie again composing most of the tracks. Laden with the stunning guitar work of Walter Parks and Christopher Cunningham, and featuring contributions by world musicians Badal Roy (India), Jorge Alfano (Argentina) and Hasan Isakkut (Turkey), the result is an exotic and compelling tapestry that serves as the perfect musical complement to Richie's own signature percussive strumming and rich, melodic vocals.

For Richie Havens, making music is a continuous journey, and one that advances a step further with each album. "My albums are meant to be a chronological view of the times we’ve come through, what we’ve thought about, and what we’ve done to grow and change. There’s a universal point to which we all respond, and where all songs apply to everyone".

For over three decades, Richie has used his music to convey messages of brotherhood and personal freedom. Something Else Again (1968) became Richie’s first album to hit the Billboard charts. In 1970 Richie started his own record label, Stormy Forest, and delivered Stonehenge. Later that year came Alarm Clock, which yielded the hit single "Here Comes The Sun,” and became Richie’s first album to reach Billboard’s Top 30 Chart.

Yet, it was as a live performer that Richie first earned widespread notice. By decade’s end, he was in great demand in colleges across the country, as well as on the international folk and pop festival circuit. Richie played the 1966 Newport Folk Festival, the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival, the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, and the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970. Richie’s initial Woodstock appearance proved to be a major turning point in his career. As the festival’s first performer, he held the crowd spellbound for nearly three hours, called back for encore after encore.

Richie also branched out into acting during the 1970’s. He was featured in the original 1972 stage presentation of the Who’s Tommy, and had the lead role in the 1974 film Catch My Soul, based on Shakespeare’s Othello. In 1977, he co-starred with Richard Pryor in Greased Lightning.

Tickets, $20, can be purchased at Echelon Mall, Winslow Service Center, Cherry Hill Mall and the new Gloucester Township County Store at 1333 Blackwood-Clementon Road, Clementon. Tickets can also be ordered by phone at (856) 858-523 or online at www.ritztheatreco.org.

Visit Camden County Parks at www.camdencounty.com.

Visit RICHIE HAVENS at www.richiehavens.com.

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: Press Release