Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer and guitarist who was born on January 19, 1943. She was one of the most successful and well-known rock stars of her era, with powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and an “electric” stage presence.
Joplin rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the then-unknown San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
She departed Big Brother after two albums to pursue a solo career with her own backing bands, first the Kozmic Blues Band and subsequently the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She performed at Woodstock and on the Festival Express rail journey.
Joplin has five songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including a number one cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” in March 1971.
Among her most popular songs are covers of “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry Baby,” “Down on Me,” “Ball and Chain,” “Summertime,” and “Mercedes Benz,” her final recording.
Why was Janis Joplin so great?
Janis Joplin was known as the “First Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and her voice is unforgettable. She was rough around the edges, vulnerable and charismatic, and she opened the way for a generation of female rock stars.
San Francisco was a hotbed for counterculture musicians in the mid-1960s.
Many became megastars, including Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and Santana, but Joplin and her female peers were met with skepticism. Tracy Nelson, a singer-songwriter, recalls how difficult life was in 1966.
