WUMB In-Studio Interview/Performance; Richie Havens

And you are where you are right now. I'm in New York. You're in New York City but you're head in Boston. WARD Yeah in the next few days aren't you. Yes well this is Marilyn Ray Byron here on acoustic images at ninety one point nine FM with Richie Havens going all the way from New York City and we've got some music to play for you and as well as talking with Richie about well I don't know what he's been doing and what he's going to be doing. OK I got a question for you that I've been dying to ask her and I wonder if you can sort of tell us you know I mean you are all the literature Everybody writes about you you are a legend you have spawned careers for other people and influence so many folks. But of course part of the excitement of hearing you live and listening to your recordings is that there's always a freshness and a newness and I wonder sort of like what are you looking forward to in the days to come. Well that's a good question. The only thing I actually look forward to is change and the fact that I'm motivated actually could

see it happen. I've been on the road and probably December of 67 I say that on stage as a joke but it's true and probably missed about eight weekends a lot with it. So I mean going to Europe every year 20 times you get to realize what change really is. So I think that's what I look forward to the songs that I sing. Sometimes I may speak about the fact that the change is coming or that we better change or that we have to change or you know whatever that movement is that we all are making whether we know it or not. Toward a bit of but that world. Well undoubtedly because you're in New York weren't able to hear a piece that I played a few minutes ago and that was Phil Ochs changes because I don't know anything that's constant.

Boy that's what it is that's true but that would be something you might appreciate all you if indeed it was a good friend and somebody who we. Well those of us who remember those days. Certainly yeah. I miss him just about as much as you can possibly miss anybody. Do you think we could take a moment here and play something. Sure we all think of I think we think of this as as perhaps your trademark tune and in Boston we're really hoping for it because it's awfully cloudy today. OK. Right. Richie Havens Here Comes the Sun and Richie Havens

on the phone in New York. Well one thing that I got to talk to Richie about well you all were listening to their recorded music was the marvelous interchange in his career between singing contemporary thing or songwriters and songs of more traditional ilk like follow the drinking gourd like goth and Francisco Bay Blues and others. And once talk a little bit about that if you will Richie. Well it were you know to me it I think of how I came to the traditional music that had the most influence on what I sing and accept. Because prior to that I grew up in Brooklyn you know singing duo music with all my buddies you know on the conics get water thrown at us for making wanted to look like this. But when I moved to the city and several of these traditional sort of folk singers I never thought of myself as ever getting on stage and singing by myself ever. That was the last thing in my mind that I had to change your mind. That will be the scene the guitar the guitar I had six strings in

my analysis for it at the time with six strings six guys that got my back up groove again so I can go on stage and sing the songs on one thing and some of them were a lot of the traditional songs that I was hearing at the time which to me was an education because you know when you sing and do up it's I love you in the sky is blue. Most of the time. And to hear real words were real stories behind behind them and real people having lived them and to also recognize that in my present time when a lot of that has changed was my connection to our contemporary role in writing the music of that day about our situation and hearing the music of yesterday about other people too. So to me they had an equal footing and we were at the time trying to pioneer a much more lyric quality

and content in the music than the radio would allow us to hear. Thank God that we got across. Yeah well that's. What we're all about is making sure that does come across but you know that that's interesting it never would have occurred to me to picture you in a do up but I thought it's wonderful that you do when you get together with somebody you don't do that sort of well you know I would but I have friends and all but you could. Oh yes it's funny because those days that have guys hung out. Yeah and how they could actually spend a couple of years together every day without you know going crazy with each other when it's something to do together I mean I wouldn't get in trouble around tonight. And and it was also a sort of a peer support because as many people might think drinks today are something new they aren't you know in my neighborhood. They're with gangs too but the fingers

were allowed to just traverse right through but to me it is separation and this separation which was another. Kind of interesting point of view. Passport. You know my community and how fortunate for your skull and your nose that you were a singer and I know you're doing that what exactly would have been erupting or allowed for everybody responds to heart. I think it's the best way to put it and that art is whomever bring was the message would be art out toward the people. But we've got an example of a recording you did in fact I'd like a little information about it because we get a lot of requests. This is called Songs of the Civil War Oh yes it's a Columbia compilation that you're on here along with Jay Ungar and Kathy Matej of the McGarrigle Sisters. Everybody from Hoyt

Axton to Sweet Honey in the rock. How did this come to be. Well it was a television spend. Civil War was more in the follow up the to the Civil War series and I think that PBS had and what they did was somewhat simular with the pictures but with the music of that time that I'm wearing so that came out of that project. Well partly in honor of Black History Month this month of February and certainly because you're here like to play one of our Believe it or not most often requested tunes here at ninety one point nine FM. Follow the drinking Guard can you tell us a little bit about the story of follow the drinking or before you play it the drinking guru It's a story about. Actually it's about a man who who basically went out to help the black slaves to escape their problem of being a problem.

Yes. And to find the Underground Railroad. Trail so to speak. Now as I understand it one of the legends that I've read that the guy's name was with a pegleg Joe was it literally a one legged man who would travel around. Well he was a guy who used to travel around to sing the song when the time was right to do to move. So he was sort of the messenger bringing the great you know information the guy who created the situation was a guy who actually hired himself out to two slave owners to work for them. But you know would work for them a year or two. Meanwhile he was teaching the slaves of the song and how to follow it. And he would move from farm the farm to do this. Well I tell you we've heard versions of this all of us probably from our elementary school music teachers and through some of the most renowned vocalists in America. And I'm going to play you my favorite version. You know what I'm right. Thank you. From there we never got it. OK.

We are going to ninety one point nine FM on acoustic images interviewing Richie Havens from New York City sounds like your home to get something from the store. Well I think it's a very familiar sound to all of us I'm sure. It's specially at this hour of the day a lot of our listeners are either folks who are working at home or maybe at home doing whatever. They happen to be doing it you know. Ladies and gentleman for those of you who are out at work I know that Richie Havens is going to be working really hard this weekend so don't feel bad about him being in films after that. He'll be at the Somerville Theatre on Friday February 16th sharing the stage with our own local from Lynn. DON WHITE It's February 16th at the Somerville Theatre. Now tell us about how often you come to Boston what's here and what a bit I know you said you tour a lot quite a bit I think maybe eight or 10 times a year at least I believe somewhere in booked and whether it's at the Berkeley school or

doing a sort of a class music class. Sort of get together with the student to doing concerts and the train station as well. Do you or do you still play out. You know yeah yeah yeah yeah. Every weekend or you know that's what I do and still in the train station you know anywhere they say to go. Doesn't matter to me. When it comes British folk that's where you're supposed to go especially if they have to go. Well you know I'm going to ask you one more question it's kind of an old saw but I'd kind of like to hear your take on it because so often you hear this question posed Well you know if it's if a current singer songwriter is writing it then it's it's not folk music you know that all aren't true. Now so so why don't you give us your take on it. Well well the thing is is that because people hadn't changed drastically in a long time the

music that they wrote about their times is what we now call traditional because it lasted so long and it it it went from people to people by people. And now that we have generations as far as I'm concerned every three years for the last 10 years 12. Their ability to think and express themselves about the world they are living in is they've got a lot more level. Happening right now this is the focus that get rap music it's folk music you know regular you know you know folk as much as your doo wop music I mean you're a kid with her dad and it's but it's just that maybe contemporary folk now because we're all here listening at the same time we're living here but the people that we learned from had lived a long time ago. That's the only difference that we shouldn't be fooled that because

something is electronic or recorded that it can't be folk music no matter what we know it isn't the music it's the lyrics still. Well and we've got a wonderful example coming up from your collection album from. San Francisco Bay Blues I figure as long as you're you know going to be at one of the eastern most cities we might as well end with a we're on about one of the most western of the cities so that we'll be looking forward to seeing you Friday the 16th at 8:00 p.m. I hope to see you in person. And it's been lovely talking with you thanks so much for taking time from your data and give us a call. Take care. Okay here we go with one last tune from Richie Havens ninety one point nine FM.