Joan Baez was six months pregnant when she performed at Woodstock.
Baez sang during the early morning of August 16, 1969, from about 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. Her set came after Ravi Shankar, Melanie and Arlo Guthrie, during the festival’s long first night. She performed fourteen songs at Woodstock, including “Joe Hill,” “Sweet Sir Galahad” and “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man.”
The pregnancy was connected to her marriage to David Harris, a prominent antiwar activist who had refused induction into the U.S. military. Harris was imprisoned in July 1969 for resisting the draft, so Baez’s appearance carried both musical and political significance.
Baez was already one of the leading American folk singers and civil-rights performers of her generation. Woodstock helped preserve her performance for a global audience through the concert film and soundtrack releases. Melanie also performed during the rainy first night, which can cause confusion, but the six-month-pregnancy detail specifically refers to Baez.