Richie Havens 'The Minstrel From Gault' on The Ed Sullivan Show

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The Ed Sullivan Show was a television variety program that aired on CBS from 1948-1971. For 23 years it aired every Sunday night and played host to the world's greatest talents. The Ed Sullivan Show is well known for bringing rock n' roll music to the forefront of American culture through acts like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. The entertainers each week ranged from comedians like Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield, to Broadway stars Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, to pop singers such as Bobby Darin and Petula Clark. It also frequently featured stars of Motown such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5. The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the only places on American television where such a wide variety of popular culture was showcased and its legacy lives on to this day.

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#RichieHavens #EdSullivan #EdSullivanShow

[johnhourigan]

Hats off to Ed for booking him on the show.

[incogskd]

I saw Richie live in San Diego in a small venue. He was older by then but, by God, he upstaged the first act. After the show, he signed a CD for me. Seemed liked the nicest person on the planet.

[judithhand]

First, it was neat to hear Ed Sullivan saying that having Richie perform was "a treat"! He cannot be matched. I didn't know that "Freedom" was off the cuff; an amazing song. So many 'amazing' songs. I was too young for Woodstock, but enjoyed the music on LPs. One regret I carry is having seen his name on a concert hall of some kind, in Jacksonville, FL. I wasn't able to make it happen. Those who did are fortunate people! His voice and soul will always sound fresh & important to me. Just playing this one was amazing (again, yeah) for me. Whoever's handling the Ed Sullivan Show tapes and letting YouTube play them - I can't thank you enough.🎶🎵❤‍🩹

[KathleenMcCormickLCSWMPH]

Richie Havens is the definition of an old soul making life changing music. Wonderful!

[shyman]

The third song played at Woodstock and what a way to kick off that historic event. Still gives me chills when I hear this song 50 years later.

[Liz-snmm]

Had an LP with this song on it in the 60s. Long gone now, like my feckless youth!

[willminkorea]

He has great Beatles covers- Lady Madonna and Here Comes the Sun are remarkable

[erflingnot]

This man …. This man and his voice, the feeling

[josephworthfiftiesguy]

my favorite richie havens song i saw him live 5 times in my life-RIP RICHIE

[Jcrash]

Us baby boomers had the best soul music. If you were born in 1966 and later then you simply won't get it you missed out and relying on parents and making up false memories won't cut it.

We had Motown circa 1964-1973, Stax 1963-1971, Atlantic (Jerry Wexler era), James Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Isaac Hayes etc it was a blast.

Born in the 50s and came of age at the right time.

[mocheck]

Epic production on his song, its up there with all along the Watchtower by Hendrix.

[thatsgirl]

What a Beautiful song... touched my heart and my soul!!
Happy Friday 🥳 Thank you for sharing!

[pedrorocha]

A great song is a great song, a great voice is a great voice.

[mollycuddle]

Beautiful Richie. I wish you'd been my husband. Sending my love to you in those wonderful fields of magic wisdom. ♥✨

[lonestarfriend]

👏👏👏👏 Well done man! I'm going to download this and listen while I'm driving. 🙂

[haraldtrittner]

Very good...i like his voice and lyrics. I never heard him before, thanx for showing ✌️Peace&Respect

[kevingoins]

Brilliant performance. Had the honor of meeting Mr. Havens several years later. RIP.

[tjable]

Great performance. He was always so much ahead of his time. Thank you for sharing this.

[ronrice]

His version of 'Here Comes the Sun' that opened Woodstock still rings on my ears, along with 'The Alarm Clock.' If I had to pick one artist who epitomized the best of the Sixties it would be Richie Havens.

[MostlyBrenda]

This anti-war song was on Havens' 1970 album _Stonehenge_ . "Gault" is actually a mistake from the album which has been propagated on internet and on various streaming services. The title is really *Minstrel From Gaul* . Gaul being the Latin name for France. Before the US disaster in Southeast Asia, The French were driven out by the native people. Johnson, Nixon and McNamara sadly wasted 58000 American soldiers and untold native lives by ignoring the history of the region. The song was not on the original Woodstock album. It was eventually on a Boxed CD set but I don't know the year for sure-- Possibly not until the 50 year anniversary.! This version, BTW, is an overproduced mess. 👎