Richie Havens

Richie Havens grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and moved to Greenwich Village in 1961, where he became part of the folk scene that was taking shape there. He built a reputation as a striking live performer, playing acoustic guitar in an open-E tuning that gave his sound an instantly recognizable character. He is probably best remembered for opening the 1969 Woodstock festival, a set that brought him to a much wider audience.