Biography
Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 to October 4, 1970) was an American singer born in Port Arthur, Texas.[1] Bullied as a teenager, she sang blues and folk in high school and moved to San Francisco in 1963.[1]
She joined Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966, and their 1967 Monterey Pop Festival appearance made her a national figure.[1] Their 1968 album Cheap Thrills reached number one, driven by "Piece of My Heart."[1]
She then formed the Kozmic Blues Band, played Woodstock in 1969, and recorded Pearl with the Full Tilt Boogie Band.[1] She died in Los Angeles at age 27, and Pearl was released posthumously in January 1971, reaching number one.[1]
Her 1969 solo debut, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, came out before the Full Tilt Boogie Band took over as her backing group in 1970.[2]
Her final recording was an unaccompanied take of "Mercedes Benz," a song she shaped with Bob Neuwirth from a fragment by the poet Michael McClure, made on October 1, 1970, three days before her death.[3]
References
- Janis Joplin (Wikipedia) — Biography: Texas upbringing, San Francisco, Monterey Pop, solo career and death.
- Pearl (Janis Joplin album) (Wikipedia) — Full Tilt Boogie Band, Pearl sessions and release
- Mercedes Benz (Performing Songwriter) — Origin and final recording of Mercedes Benz