Buffy Sainte-Marie's Tribute to Richie Havens

Buffy appeared at the memorial concert for Richie Havens and I've just come across this video of Buffy (courtesy of her blog) talking about her old friend and singing a song called 'We Are Circling'.



The photo published in 'Vanity Fair' that Buffy mentions is this one (and that's the only time I've ever bought that glossy magazine):

Richie has gone down in history as the man who opened Woodstock all those decades ago but I'll remember him as the man holding hands with Buffy.

Buffy Sainte-Marie and Richie Havens

Richie Havens has died at the age of 72 of a heart attack. I'm not a fan of his but anyone who is a friend of Buffy Sainte-Marie's should be noted. I think they first met in the folkie coffee shops of Greenwich Village in the early '60s when both played against the grain. I don't know much about Richie but he's one of those names that, if you're interested in music, you've probably come across at some stage. He opened Woodstock apart from anything else.

He fell into my radar a few years ago when he featured in a photo by Annie Liebovitz with Buffy in 'Vanity Fair' (2007). I like the way that they're holding hands, that Buffy looks into the camera and that it's outdoors. It all seems so right.

Of course, it's not the first time they've been photographed together. This photo is from the Longest Walk concert in 1978 (courtesy of the We Are All One Facebook page) that shows Mohammed Ali sitting next to Buffy along with Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Stevie Wonder and, a few places along, Richie Havens. And yes, that is Marlon Brando in the middle.