Joshua Gracin

. Havens rarely writes his own songs and often interpret the works of Dylan and The Beatles.
. He later played at the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Now going by Josh Gracin, he is signed to Lyric Street Records, and his self-titled album was released on June 15th, 2004. The song became an international hit. Joshua Gracin (born October 18, 1980) was the 4th place contestant in the 2003 edition of American Idol, and at the time of the show also a Lance Corporal in the United States Marines. Finally, he decided to improvise a version of "Motherless Child" to which he added a verse with the word "Freedom" repeated over and over.

He received continuous ovations and kept playing encores until he ran out of songs. In 1969, Havens opened the Woodstock Festival. Havens first rose to fame in the Greenwich Village folk music scene that also fostered Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Havens is best known for his somewhat wild guitar style of brisk strumming.

Richie Havens (born January 21, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American folk singer and guitarist.