Janis Joplin biography

There she started performing at folksings — casual musical gatherings where anyone can perform — on campus and at a local club with the Waller Creek Boys, a musical trio she was friends with. With her forceful, gutsy singing style,

Joplin amazed many audience members. She was unlike any other white female vocalist at the time — folk icons Joan Baez and Judy Collins were known for their gentle sound.

In January 1963, Joplin ditched school to check out the emerging music scene in San Francisco with friend Chet Helms. During this first stint in San Francisco, Joplin struggled to make it as a singer. She played some gigs — even a side stage at the 1963 Monterey Folk Festival — but her career never really got off the ground. She went to New York City for a time, hoping to have better luck there, but her drinking and drug use got in the way. Joplin eventually developed a nasty speed habit and left San Francisco to return home in 1965 to get herself together again.

Terrified from her ordeal, Joplin took a break from her music and her hard partying lifestyle. She dressed conservatively, put her long, often messy hair into a bun, and did everything else she could to appear straight-laced. But the conventional life was not for her, and her desire to pursue her musical dreams could not stay submerged for long. Joplin slowly returned to performing and was recruited by friend Travis Rivers to join a San Francisco psychedelic rock band called Big Brother and the Holding Company, which was managed by another longtime friend Chet Helms at the time.

Big Brother

In 1966, Joplin returned to San Francisco to audition for Big Brother, which consisted of James Gurley, Dave Getz, Peter Albin, and Sam Andrew. The group was part of the burgeoning San Francisco music scene of the late 1960s, which also included such bands as the Grateful Dead. They were impressed with Joplin and wanted her to join the group. In her early days with Big Brother, she only sang a few songs and played the tambourine in the background.

It was not long before Joplin assumed a bigger role in Big Brother as the group developed quite a following in the San Francisco area. Their appearance at the now legendary Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 brought them wider acclaim, especially their version of "Ball and Chain" (which was originally made famous by R&B legend Big Mama Thornton). Most of the praise, however, focused on Joplin's incredible vocals. All of this attention caused some tension between Joplin and the rest of the band.

After hearing Joplin at Monterey, president of Columbia Records Clive Davis wanted to sign the band. Albert Grossman—who already managed Bob Dylan, the Band, and Peter, Paul and Mary — later signed on as the band's manager and was able to get them out of another record deal that they had signed earlier with Mainstream Records.

While their recordings for Mainstream never really went anywhere, their first album for Columbia was a huge hit. The wildly successful Cheap Thrills (1968) was a challenge to make and caused even more problems between Joplin and her band mates.