This is folksy and features lots of acoustic guitar and bongos. It's good but it's very much a product of its time and I didn't feel a need to listen to all of it. Perhaps I'm just writing this on a day when I don't feel like listening to acoustic guitar and bongos. It happens.
Richie Havens (1941-2013) was from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn; his father was descended from the Blackfoot Native American tribe and his mother's family were from the British West Indies. In the early 1960s, Havens moved to Greenwich Village in Manhattan and started playing in folk clubs there. He was signed to a recording contract in 1966 and became famous when he was the opening act at Woodstock, playing longer than expected because the musicians that were to follow him were delayed by traffic.
"Here Comes The Sun" was written by George Harrison and originally recorded by The Beatles. Havens' version of the song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other artists who have covered this song include Booker T. & The M.G.'s, George Benson, Peter Tosh, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens).
After this, Havens continued his career as a folk singer and also branched out into acting. Among other things, he appeared on Sesame Street, performed in Yankee Stadium in 1990 at a concert to honour Nelson Mandela, and performed at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration.
Created September 10, 2026.