Woodstock Opener Richie Havens Dies at 72

Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY - Apr 22, 2013 - 6:17 PM

Wearing a dashiki and strumming earnestly on the open-tuned strings of his guitar, folk singer Richie Havens set the tone for Woodstock. Havens, who opened the watershed 1969 music festival and fashioned a career from covering pop and folk tunes in his distinctively rhythmic style, died Monday morning in his home from a heart attack. He was 72.

Born in 1941, the Brooklyn native moved to Greenwich Village in the early '60s and released his first album, A Richie Havens Record, in 1965. In 1967, he signed with Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman, and also landed a deal with Verve Records. His big break came when he played a lengthy opening set at Woodstock, particularly a memorable extrapolation of the spiritual Motherless Child that became known as Freedom.

Havens often covered popular songs, his gritty voice and singular strumming style giving them an easily recognizable sound. His biggest radio hit came in 1971 with a remake of The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun, which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. He released more than two dozen albums and compilations, the most successful being 1969's Richard P. Havens, 1983 and 1971's Alarm Clock. He later lent his voice to several commercials, including one for Cotton Incorporated for which he sang The Fabric of Our Lives jingle.

Havens announced his retirement from live performing in 2012, citing health problems.