Richie Havens
Was an inspiration to me years before that day in August, 1969, when he electrified the minds and souls of thousands who had never heard of him until that day...Since then, he's become identified with FREEDOM in the minds of millions who have seen the Woodstock Festival movie - I bear witness to this, because it is me standing up in the crowd to clap hands along with the FREEDOM Medley, as he exhorts us to do so...since then I've become known as Busker4FREEDOM
It took over 20 years for me to meet the man. The place was at the Demonstration for Peace on the US Capitol Ellipse, January 26, 1991...Havens and Peter Yarrow had performed after many speakers spoke of the conditions they felt did not warrant our presence in Iraq...I had to opportunity to acquaint Richie with the fellow in the audience all those years before - he got more excited than anybody before or since...it is a humbling pleasure to be associated with the man and the word FREEDOM in this way...
The picture here was taken at a "meet & greet" after Mr. Havens' concert at Bloomington's Buskirk-Chumley/Indiana Theatre, April 9, 2006. A few hundred folks from the concert attended, and Richie had been talking, signing autographs and being photographed for over an hour when this picture was taken.
Richie Shares A Laugh
with Busker4FREEDOM
It is fitting that Bloomington, Indiana was the place where the one picture that exists of Havens and the guy that jumps up in the audience during the FREEDOM Medley at Woodstock should be taken. He was still so sharp in his perception, that he caught my hand gesture, and managed to get his own hand up as if to mime...