Mixed Bag

“Freedom.” The very mention of the song conjures images of Richie Havens at Woodstock, fiercely strumming his guitar and lost in an improvisational moment of creation. An intensely engaging performer, Havens honed his craft in the cafes and clubs of Greenwich Village, just over the bridge from his native Brooklyn. Painter, poet and multi-instrumentalist, Havens immersed himself in the Village’s beatnik culture just as the nascent folk scene began to develop. Connecting with uber-manager Albert Grossman, then guiding the careers of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, Havens rose to the top of the international folk movement.