University of Virginia Library

Always Dug Music

It all began when Mr. Havens,
who had been a portrait artist in
Brooklyn, moved to Greenwich
Village where he sang harmony in
several small groups. "I was playing
in the coffeehouses when
everybody was going through. I
didn't know how to play guitar ...
and I still don't." Much of his
self-accompaniment is improvised
with a greater emphasis on rhythm
than on chord variation.

"I dug music always, but the
move from Brooklyn to Manhattan
was inspirational. The Village is a
subliminal culture ... emotional.
There is no other place to get it."