I just heard on the radio station WFUV that Richie Havens passed away today of a heart attack at the age of 72. Chimesfreedom previously wrote about Havens’s landmark opening performance at Woodstock when he sang “Freedom (Motherless Child).” Below is a 1971 performance of “Here Comes the Sun.”
Last year, Havens had announced that he was stopping touring because of health concerns. At the moment, there is not much information about his passing on the Internet, but The Roots Agency, his agent, has a statement on their webpage, where they note, “Havens used his music to convey passionate messages of brotherhood and personal freedom.” He also was one of the great interpreters of great songs. For example, in addition to his Beatles interpretation above, below he covers two other great songwriters singing Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” and Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman.”
Nobody will ever have a voice like Richie Havens. RIP.
What is your favorite Richie Havens song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Happy Earth Day, which started in 1970 as a day to spread education about and support for our environment. Today, the day is celebrated around the world, reminding us of our common interest in the earth and the environment.
During the same month as Earth Day in 2001, Shaver released the album, The Earth Rolls On (2001). On first look, the album has nothing to do with Earth Day. Shaver was a collaboration between country legend Billy Joe Shaver and his son Eddy Shaver, who played some mean guitar. My favorite song on the album is the wonderful title track that closes the album, “The Earth Rolls On,” where Billy Joe Shaver sings “The earth rolls on/Even though you’re gone/The earth rolls on, and on, and on. . . .” So the song is really about loss.
The song carries a heavy weight for Billy Joe Shaver. He wrote the song about losing his wife Brenda, who passed away from a lenghty illness in 1999 (Shaver had divorced her twice but married her three times). His son Eddy, who plays guitar on the album, passed away suddenly from an accidental drug overdose in December 2000. Although that is Eddy’s guitar wailing at the end of “The Earth Rolls On,” one can almost hear in that incredible solo that he foresaw the pain his father felt not only of Brenda’s death but what a father would feel in losing his son.
So, in addition to the title, “The Earth Rolls On” is a perfect song for Earth Day. It is about how fragile life is and how we have to cherish and take care of what we have while we have it because everything is temporary. May you celebrate the earth and your loved ones today and every day this year.
What is your favorite song about the earth? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In October 2012, French radio station TSF Jazz broadcast a live performance by Van Morrison at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, Ireland. The edit features an hour worth of songs from the 90-minute concert, focusing on Morrison’s more jazzy numbers. Press the play button and sit back and listen to Van Morrison take you away.
September 2015 Update: Unfortunately, the stream is no longer available. So, instead, below is a video of Van Morrison performing “In the Garden” at the Europa Hotel on October 20, 2012.
The stream features the following songs:
1. BYE BYE BLACKBIRD 2. ONLY A DREAM 3. LET’S GET LOST 4. WHO CAN I TURN TO? 5. OPEN THE DOOR (TO YOUR HEART) 6. MYSTIC OF THE EAST 7. BABY PLEASE DON’T GO 8. MOONDANCE 9. PRECIOUS TIME 10. HOW CAN A POOR BOY? 11. KEEP MEDIOCRITY AT BAY 12. THAT’S LIFE 13. BALLERINA 14. BENEDICTION What is your favorite Van Morrison song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Songs by Coldplay often seem ripe for reinterpretation despite the fact that lead vocalist Chris Martin does have a great voice. But his voice is so distinctive that sometimes hearing someone else sing a Coldplay song helps reveal another side of the song.
One cover, which may be the most familiar Coldplay cover because of its use in a Chipolte commercial, is Willie Nelson’s cover of “The Scientist,” which appears on his Heroes (2012) album. Willie Nelson, long known for his ability to interpret songs by other artists, takes the Coldplay song and gives it new meaning.
His version is further aided by the video from Chipolte that addresses a message more serious than tacos. The accompanying “Back to the Start” short movie by film-maker Johnny Kelly made me see “The Scientist” in a whole new light.
Another animated video for a Coldplay cover is “Yellow” by Renee & Jeremy on their A Little Love (2012) CD. The singers Renee Stahl and Jeremy Toback record songs together as Renne & Jeremy for listeners of all ages with the idea of recording songs for kids that adults enjoy too.
The following charming video was created and directed by Jon Izen.
My favorite cover of a Coldplay song appeared in the movie Young@Heart (2007). The film (reviewed by Cinematical here) is about senior citizens from Massachusetts who formed a singing group called Young@Heart.
Hearing one of the elderly men sing Coldplay’s “Fix You” when he is himself near death and has lost a number of friends sends chills down your spine, giving the song a meaning that the younger singer cannot quite capture no matter how good they are.
What is your favorite Coldplay cover? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1960, music stars Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were riding in a cab that crashed, resulting in 21-year-old Cochran’s death.
On April 17, 1960, early rock-and-roll stars Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were in a car crash that resulted in Cochran’s death. Cochran — who had hits with songs like “C’mon Everybody,” “Somethin’ Else,” and “Summertime Blues” — was only 21.
Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were taking a cab from a show in Bristol, England to the airport when the taxi, traveling at more than 60 mph through a dark and winding road, crashed into a light post. Cochran was thrown through a window and died at the hospital from a head injury. Vincent survived but sustained a broken leg and walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Cochran’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley, who was also in the car, survived, reportedly because Cochran had thrown himself on top of her to protect her. Sheeley was a songwriter and wrote songs such as Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool.” She continued to write songs after the crash, and she passed away in 2002.
Gene Vincent passed away in 1971. Along with the Minnesota-born Cochran, the two young rock and roll stars exerted a strong influence on the British rock scene.
Both Vincent and Cochran helped bring together John Lennon and Paul McCarney. John Lennon was playing Gene Vincent’s “Be Bop A Lula” at a 1957 garden party where he met Paul McCartney. McCartney immediately found a connection through the song with Lennon, as his first record purchase had been of that song. And later that afternoon, the two future Beatles got together and McCartney taught Lennon to play Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock.”
In this video, Eddie Cochran performed on the Town Hall Party TV show on February 7, 1959. This performance took place not long after Cochran had lost two of his friends, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly in a tragic plane crash. And it was only a little more than a year before his own death.
What is your favorite Eddie Cochran song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
I just heard on the radio station WFUV that Richie Havens passed away today of a heart attack at the age of 72. Chimesfreedom previously wrote about Havens’s landmark opening performance at Woodstock when he sang “Freedom (Motherless Child).” Below is a 1971 performance of “Here Comes the Sun.”
