9. George Duke: Reach Out
The top songs, albums and artists influencing an incredible year in music
Sweating and strumming the guitar with artistic force, folk singer Richie Havens opened up Woodstock in ’69 with a three-hour-long, 11-song set that culminated with “Freedom.” A star on the rise, the Brooklyn artist set the tone then at Woodstock and continued to do so throughout his extensive career, which not only included several chart-topping tunes, but also the founding of the Northwind Undersea Institute—an environmental education center for children in the Bronx. Havens passed away Monday, 22 April 2013 and will be sorely missed.
