Janis Joplin (Jan. 19, 1943 — Oct. 4, 1970) was an American singer who fronted Bay Area blues-rockers Big Brother & the Holding Company, best known for their 1968 album Cheap Thrills and the evergreen “Piece of My Heart.” She went solo with the 1969 Columbia release I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! She died at age 27 after completing the followup, Pearl, which spawned the posthumous 1971 chart-topper “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Known for her husky voice and commanding stage presence, she sparked a wave of white female blues-rock singers, including Maggie Bell (Stone the Crows), Lynn Carey (C.K. Strong, Mama Lion), Lydia Pense (Cold Blood), Rosemary Butler (Birtha), Suzanne Rey (A Euphonious Wail), Linda Rothwell (Goliath), Jane Kevern (Room), Carol Grimes (Delivery), Elkie Brooks (Dada, Vinegar Joe), Jenne Haan (Babe Ruth), Jill Saward (Fusion Orchestra), Marge Raymond (Flame), and numerous others.
Janis Joplin
Discography:
- I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (1969)
- Pearl (1971)
- Joplin in Concert (1972)
- Farewell Song (archival, 1982)
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