Richie Havens: My father used to play by ear–piano–and he would listen to the radio, and something he would like, he would go over and play it. And I’d go, “Wow, man, I wish I could do that.” He just listened to it, and he played it back. When I got to Greenwich Village, I was doing portraits, another thing my father used to do, draw portraits of things and roadside barns and all of that, live animals. That was the Indian in him I guess. And believe me it was fun. So somedays I’d just sit there and do portraits for like six, seven hours. I talked myself into doing it and being able to do it because the guy who owned the place on MacDougal Street, he said, “ I saw that little book you had, do you draw?” I said, “Yeah I try.” You know, he says, “Can you do this?” And he showed me the pictures of the people. I said, “Oh sure I can do that."
Nick Spitzer: But when you actually do the portrait, that’s a pretty intimate service to provide to somebody.
RH: Oh absolutely. I was able to talk to everybody who sat in the chair. And for two and a half years, I walked around the world about fifty times, you know, going, “Wow, you got to get there, touch that,” you know. So for me it was a living, but it was also a learning because all of the poets were there at that time, 1958. Ginsberg, the Fred Neil songs. His music and his lyric was such a really interesting thing for me. It hit me in a way that, I’ve got to sing these songs.
[music]
RH: Just really knocking me out. I sang sitting in the audience in harmony with him. He came to one day, he says, “Richie, man, you’re singing all my songs sitting in the corner, in harmony no less. Why don’t you take this guitar home and go learn it yourself.” Well I went, “Holy smokes. Look at this guitar!” I ran home, sat the guitar across my lap like a dulcimer, put my thumb across that chord, then I finally discovered, “Geez I could sing every song in the village with these three chords.” Next thing I know, I’m onstage, passing the basket, and that was it. He really put me onstage, and he allowed me to play his music.
[music]
NS: It sounds like it was a great time.
RH: It was a great time because I chose my songs that meant something to me. So my big question was, how could I possibly give up $300 a night and be passing the basket. The next day I wanted to be in there playing the guitar and singing songs. I completely forgot about portraits. All of that went right down the drain. And I’m like, “Wow, I’m stuck here now, which is great. This is really great.” I was there for six years on the streets. I finally got chased by Albert Grossman.
NS: Oh Dylan’s manager.
RH: Yeah. And he said, “Hey, hey, would you want to make an album?” That was the way it happened for me.
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