BRATTLEBORO — Richie Havens, the man who opened Woodstock and has had a long and storied folksinging career with performances throughout the world, will make two appearances in November to benefit New England farmers in the third annual Strolling of the Heifers Farm Relief Concert Tour.
There will be two shows - on Friday, Nov. 12, at the Lebanon (N.H.) Opera House and on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro.
Opening both shows for Richie Havens will be singer-songwriter Meg Hutchinson, whose new album, The Living Side, was released in February.
The concerts benefit the Strolling of the Heifers Microloan Fund for New England Farmers, which addresses the difficulty many New England Farmers have in obtaining loans to sustain and improve their farm businesses.
Gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music, Richie Havens has a soulful singing style that remains as unique and ageless as when he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s.
It's a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences ranging the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993. In 2003, the National Music Council awarded Havens the American Eagle Award for his place as part of America's musical heritage, and for providing “a rare and inspiring voice of eloquence, integrity and social responsibility.”
For over four decades, Havens has used his music to convey messages of brotherhood and personal freedom. With more than twenty-five albums released and a touring schedule that would kill many a younger man, he continues to view his calling as a higher one.
As he told The Denver Post, “I really sing songs that move me. I'm not in show business; I'm in the communications business. That's what it's about for me.”
Both shows are made possible through generous support from Newman's Own Foundation and Price Chopper Supermarkets.
Both shows are at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are priced at $45, $35 and $25. Following the Brattleboro show, there will be a post-concert reception, with tickets available at $15 in combination with any ticket level.
Tickets for the Lebanon Opera House show can be obtained at www.lebanonoperahouse.org or the theater box office, 603-448-0400. For the Latchis Theatre show, tickets may be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com, or in person from the Latchis Hotel Front desk or Vermont Artisan Designs, both on Main Street in Brattleboro.
Strolling of the Heifers is a nonprofit organization based in Brattleboro. It is dedicated to helping save and support family farms by connecting people with healthy local foods and with the farmers and producers who bring it to them. It organizes a major parade and festival each year in June and makes educational grants to farmers and teachers, and raises loan guarantee capital for the Microloan Fund for New England Farmers, which was launched in 2008 in partnership with The Carrot Project to address the credit needs of farmers not able to borrow elsewhere. More information can be www.strollingoftheheifers.com.