Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag is the debut studio album by Richie Havens and was released in 1966. Although it was Havens' first album release, Douglas Records later issued two unauthorized albums of material that had been recorded prior to the "Mixed Bag" recording sessions—"Electric Havens" (1968) and "Richie Havens' Record" (1969). "Mixed Bag" was released after Havens signed on with manager Albert Grossman and was released on Verve Folkways, a new folk music imprint of Verve Records. "Mixed Bag" is frequently cited as the singer's best work, and was his first album to appear on "Billboard's" charts (appearing  on both the jazz and pop charts). The recording was the first to introduce a wider audience to Havens's rich baritone vocals and the full-sound of Havens's distinct guitar style (thumb-chorded and played in open E tuning). "Electric Havens" and "Mixed Bag" were two of the records reported among the personal collection of Havens' one-time Greenwich Village buddy, Jimi Hendrix. Releases. The album was initially released on vinyl in 1966 on Verve Folkways, a newly formed folk section at the Verve division of MGM Records. It was re-released as a CD in 1993 on  Polygram. In 2004, "Mixed Bag" was combined with two other Havens albums on a double CD titled, "Flyin' Bird: The Verve Forecast Years", a limited edition release of 3000 individually numbered copies.