Richie Havens opened the first Woodstock music festival in 1969
Los Angeles:
Veteran US folk singer RichieHavens, who shot to stardom with his distinctive style at theiconic 1969 Woodstock music festival, died on Monday, his agentsaid. He was 72.
Havens' frenzied rhythmic strumming and searing vocaldelivery on Freedom/Motherless Child mesmerised the crowdsat Woodstock, which became a key symbol of 1960scounter-culture explosion.
The African American singer - who was only drafted in atthe last minute to open the three-day event because otherbands didn't have their equipment ready - later became knownfor covers of Beatles and other artists' songs.
Havens "was gifted with one of the most recognisablevoices in popular music," said the Roots agency in announcingthe death, adding, "His fiery, poignant, soulful singing stylehas remained unique and ageless"
The Brooklyn-born artist, who retired from touring threeyears ago after more than four decades on the road, died atNew Jersey home of a sudden heart attack, the booking agencysaid.
Industry magazine Billboard, hailing his "distinctiveintense, rhythmic guitar style and soulful covers of pop andfolk songs," noted that he had one Billboard Hot 100 single, acover of the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.
The song reached number 16 in May 1971. Havens also had13 albums that charted on Billboard 200, including one in thetop 40: 1971's Alarm Clock, which peaked at number 29.
At Woodstock, Three Days of Music and Peace in theCatskill mountains in New York state in August 1969, Havenswas originally due to be the fifth act on stage.
But other bands had trouble getting their instruments andequipment to the festival site, so he was asked to open - andended up playing for more than two hours, while other artistsgot ready.
"I opened the Woodstock Festival even though I wassupposed to be fifth. I said, "What am I doing here? No, no,not me, not first!" I had to go on stage because there was noone else to go on first," he said.
Havens' frenzied rhythmic strumming and searing vocaldelivery on Freedom/Motherless Child mesmerised the crowdsat Woodstock, which became a key symbol of 1960scounter-culture explosion.
The African American singer - who was only drafted in atthe last minute to open the three-day event because otherbands didn't have their equipment ready - later became knownfor covers of Beatles and other artists' songs.
Havens "was gifted with one of the most recognisablevoices in popular music," said the Roots agency in announcingthe death, adding, "His fiery, poignant, soulful singing stylehas remained unique and ageless"
The Brooklyn-born artist, who retired from touring threeyears ago after more than four decades on the road, died atNew Jersey home of a sudden heart attack, the booking agencysaid.
Industry magazine Billboard, hailing his "distinctiveintense, rhythmic guitar style and soulful covers of pop andfolk songs," noted that he had one Billboard Hot 100 single, acover of the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.
The song reached number 16 in May 1971. Havens also had13 albums that charted on Billboard 200, including one in thetop 40: 1971's Alarm Clock, which peaked at number 29.
At Woodstock, Three Days of Music and Peace in theCatskill mountains in New York state in August 1969, Havenswas originally due to be the fifth act on stage.
But other bands had trouble getting their instruments andequipment to the festival site, so he was asked to open - andended up playing for more than two hours, while other artistsgot ready.
"I opened the Woodstock Festival even though I wassupposed to be fifth. I said, "What am I doing here? No, no,not me, not first!" I had to go on stage because there was noone else to go on first," he said.
