Who performed the song "Freedom" at Woodstock?

Richie Havens performed “Freedom” at Woodstock.

Havens played the festival’s opening set on August 15, 1969, accompanied by guitarist Paul “Deano” Williams and percussionist Daniel Ben Zebulon. Because later performers were delayed by heavy traffic, Havens continued playing longer than planned and eventually exhausted his prepared material.

He closed with “Freedom,” an improvised performance built around the traditional spiritual “Motherless Child.” Havens added his own lyrics and forceful rhythmic guitar, turning the song into an emblem of personal and political liberation. On Woodstock releases, it is often identified as “Freedom (Motherless Child).”

The performance became one of the festival’s most enduring recordings and appeared on the Woodstock soundtrack. A common mix-up is assuming “Freedom” was a conventional prewritten pop single; its famous Woodstock form was largely created in the moment. Havens later became closely identified with Woodstock, although he continued recording, touring, and performing for decades afterward.