Part 1: Here Comes the Sun: Reflections on Richie Havens’ Music that Shaped Our Nation

Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation

Richie Havens was known for having the most iconic voices in American music. Join this memorable conversation with the late and great Havens, opening the door to his remarkable life and musical legacy which left an indelible mark on the world.

Born Richard Pierce Havens on January 21, 1941, in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood surrounded by cultural diversity. His mother's roots in Barbados and his father's Blackfoot Native American heritage instilled in him a profound belief that "no one is any different than anyone else."

Join us as we explore Havens' folk music circles of Greenwich Village to the iconic stage of Woodstock, where his electrifying performance catapulted him into stardom. Havens' rhythmic guitar style, soulful voice, and heartfelt and revolutionary lyrics resonated with audiences around the globe.

Havens was a lifelong advocate for social change. He supported numerous causes and change-makers, including Representative Shirley Chisholm. In the 1970s, he co-founded a museum for children in the Bronx, providing a creative outlet and a doorway to opportunity for young minds.

Havens' music and activism spoke to the deeper consciousness of American identity, rejecting a false sense of nostalgia and striving for a vision of continual progress, shared opportunity, and personal freedom. As he poignantly stated, "The world has never been whole."

Havens passed away at his home in New Jersey at 72 years old. His lessons and music live endour. Join our conversation and listen to Richie Havens' own words and reflections, capturing the essence of a man whose life was dedicated to bringing people together through the universal language of music.