Richie Havens in the New England Farm Relief Concert Tour November 12, 2010

Legendary folksinger Richie Havens at the Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon NH, in the third annual concert benefiting the Strolling of the Heifers Microloan Fund for New England Farmers. 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 Richie 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, Richie 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."

Strolling of the Heifers, based in Brattleboro, Vermont, is dedicated to saving family farms by connecting people with the food they eat. In partnership with The Carrot Project, in 2008 it launched the pilot phase of the Microloan Fund, which addresses the credit needs of farmers not able to borrow elsewhere. The Microloan Fund is now expanding to offer loans in all of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts.

Tickets $45, $35, $25 via http://lebanonoperahouse.org/event.php?id=750 or box office by phone: (603) 448-0444.

See also second Richie Havens concert Sat. Nov. 13 at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro VT.