[2] Born to a musical family in Quincy, Illinois,[1] he began studying violin and trombone at age seven and played both instruments throughout his school years.
After serving in the Illinois National Guard as a bandsman during the Korean War, he left Quincy in 1955 to tour with the Ralph Flanagan Orchestra.
He stayed with this group until 1960, when he was persuaded to move to the West Coast and join the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, as a featured soloist on their weekly TV series.
From 1985 to 1995, Havens played with the Great Pacific Jazz Band along with Bob Ringwald (lead vocals/piano), Don Nelson (saxophone), and Zeke Zarchy (trumpet).
In 2005, he performed with the North Carolina Pops Orchestra at Campbell University, with fellow Welk star Ava Barber, in a benefit concert raising money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.