Havens looks back for title track on next album

By John Benson

The folk singer has had a career with monumental performances.

There’s always something new going on with folk singer Richie Havens.

After a small acting role in the recent Bob Dylan-inspired movie “I’m Not There,” the Brooklyn, N.Y., native is getting ready to release the follow-up to his 2004 effort “Grace of the Sun.”

However, in order for Havens to move forward, he’s looking back for his next album, “Nobody Left to Crown.” Specifically, it’s the title track that he originally released as a live recording on his 1999 album “Time.”

“It’s something I wrote some time ago and because of other material on this album, I thought it was perfect to actually be the lead song for this concept,” said Havens, calling from his New Jersey home. “The CD is about relationships of all kinds, and that’s not unusual for me.”

He added, “The album speaks about the relationship of our self to ourselves. What this song touches on is no one is really left to crown that is independent out there, therefore it’s time to crown our own selves and take over what we need to take over in terms of having a better world.”

Sure that sounds like ’60s idealism, but then again he is an old hippie whose career includes monumental performances at 1966’s Newport Folk Festival, 1967’s Monterey Jazz Festival, 1969’s Woodstock Festival and 1969 and 1970’s Isle of Wright Festivals.

Another example of looking back while moving forward on “Nobody Left to Crown” stems from the latter music festival, where Havens shared the stage with The Who. Even though at the time the Pete Townshend-led band had yet to write its popular anthem “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Havens said he’s always been intrigued by the song.

“There’s always some stuff on my albums that kind of surprises me, and they’re usually covers,” Havens said. “God knows I’ve always wanted to sing that song since it came out, but the way I make CDs is the songs have to be connected and on the right level, sort of across the board level.

“So, ‘We Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ I guess, sounds like Richie Havens. I don’t change too much, but the instrument changes the vibe of the atmosphere that you’re playing. And acoustic music sort of personalizes it a little bit more.”

Getting up close and personal is something fans of Havens will be able to do Sunday at The Kent Stage. Also, the notion of the activist folk singer coming through Northeast Ohio for a spring date isn’t happenstance. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the Ohio National Guard shooting on the Kent State University campus that left four students dead and nine wounded.

“People should come out and experience themselves around the idea of what this concert stands for, in a sense as a memorial in and of itself,” Havens said. “I think I’ve been there maybe over the years 10 to 12 times, and always around the anniversary.”

Havens is also cognizant of the fact that universities are where his strongest fan base can be found. He said it’s a seeming rite of passage that involves college students and a certain famous concert he took part in nearly 40 years ago.

“It happens every year when the great teenagers of life see ‘Woodstock’ for the first time,” Havens laughed. “So it’s a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to share what I’ve always been able to share with them as well.”