Havens's grandfather and great-uncle joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, moved to New York City thereafter, and settled on the Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island.

[1] At age 20, Havens left his hometown of Brooklyn, seeking artistic stimulation in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.

"I had first gone there during the beatnik days of the 1950s to perform poetry, then I drew portraits for two years and stayed up all night listening to folk music in the clubs.

Verve released Mixed Bag in late 1966, which featured tracks such as "Handsome Johnny" (co-written by Havens and actor Louis Gossett Jr.), "Follow," and a cover[5] of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman".

His opening 1969 appearance at Woodstock in a trio with Paul "Deano" Williams on guitar and singing backing vocals and Daniel Ben Zebulon on percussion catapulted him into stardom and was a major turning point in his career.

[1] Despite Havens's recollection that he performed for nearly three hours, the actual recording and setlist reflect that he played about fifty minutes.

[11] Havens continued playing because the musicians after him were delayed by traffic, including the originally scheduled opening act, Sweetwater.

[citation needed]The subsequent Woodstock movie release helped Havens reach a worldwide audience.

He was featured in the original 1972 stage presentation of The Who's Tommy,[13]: 244  as Othello in the 1974 film Catch My Soul, in Greased Lightning alongside Richard Pryor, and in Bob Dylan's Hearts of Fire.

Havens also did corporate commercial work for Maxwell House Coffee and Folgers as well as sang "The Fabric of Our Lives" theme for the cotton industry.

Havens played a small role, as a character named Daze, in the film Street Hunter (1990), starring John Leguizamo.

Havens was the 20th living recipient of the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, presented in Sherborn, Massachusetts,[19] on April 12, 1991.

In 2000, Havens teamed with the electronic music duo Groove Armada for the retro 1970s-style song "Hands of Time".

In 2002 he sang, uncredited, Dylan's "The Times They Are a Changin'" in the TV series The West Wing (Season 4, Episode 7).

On February 15, 2003, Havens opened the unprecedented "The World Says No To War" in Iraq demonstration in New York City with his iconic "Freedom."

In a front-porch jam scene, he is shown singing the Bob Dylan song "Tombstone Blues" with Marcus Carl Franklin and Tyrone Benskin.

[citation needed] On August 14, 2009, Richie returned for the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock to play the Bethel Woods Festival.