35th anniversary of the death of Janis Joplin

Published on October 5, 2005 By Ionolast In Misc

It was yesterday. Oops. My bad.

Janis Lyn Joplin was born January 19, 1943 and died October 4, 1970. In between she led a triumphant and tumultuous life blessed by an innate talent to convey powerful emotion through heart-stomping rock-and-roll singing. Born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, a small Southern petroleum industry town, she gravitated to artistic interests cultivated by parents Seth and Dorothy Joplin.

Janis broke with local social traditions during the tense days of racial integration, standing up for the rights of African Americans whose segregated status in her hometown seared her youthful ideals. Along with fellow band beatnik-reading high school students, she pursued the non-traditional via arts and literature, especially music. They gravitated to folk and jazz with Janis especially taken with the blues. Discovering an inborn talent to belt the blues, Janis began copying the styles of Bessie Smith, Odetta and Leadbelly. She played the coffee houses and hootenannies of the day in the small towns of Texas. She later ventured to the beatnik haunts of Venice, North Beach and the Village in New York, eventually landing in Austin, Texas as a student at the University of Texas. Jumping into the on-the-edge lifestyle cultivated by the beats, Janis thrilled at her creativity, but almost lost herself in experiments with drugs and alcohol, especially speed.

Returning home for a year to question her life direction, she excelled at college but was never content. Music still called to her in spite of its dangerous association with drugs. "The two aren't wedded," her friends counseled. When old Austin friend, Chet Helms, then in San Francisco, called to offer her a singing audition with an up-and-coming local group, Janis was tempted. She found a vital San Francisco community, turned upside down by the flower children of 1966, and was offered the singing position in a relatively obscure group called "Big Brother and the Holding Company."

Big Brother played in the Bay area and up and down the California coast, to ever-increasing enthusiasm for their unique brand of psychedelic rock. They initially signed with Mainstream Records, a small outfit that did little promotion, but did produce an album and two singles, "Blindman" and "All Is Loneliness." Then during the summer of 1967--the "Summer of Love"--Big Brother played a large concert, The Monterey International Pop Festival. Janis smashed through her anonymity with Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain" and the world took note.

The group was actively courted by Albert Grossman, one of the most powerful entertainment managers of the day. Through his representation, they signed a three-record recording contract with Columbia Records, who bought out Mainstream's rights. Their "Cheap Thrills" album was released in August, 1968 and soon went gold, presenting the hits "Piece of My heart" and "Summertime." The band was playing to large audiences, for big fees, and the billing now read "Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company." The pressure mounted, income rose and hippie rockers indulged themselves with their new ability to use high-priced drugs. Drugs began affecting their performing and work relationships and in Christmas of 1968, the group played its last gig together.

Janis formed a new group, oriented more toward blues and released a new album "I Got Dem 'Ol Kozmic Blues Again, Mama" in September of 1969. In the U.S., mixed reviews greeted the new sound, but in Europe the group was welcomed with loudly enthusiastic praise. Still the anything-goes lifestyle grew with greater use of drugs and alcohol to both increase the artistic creativity and to handle the tensions of coming down. Finally recognizing the problems in her life, Janis quit her drug use. She formed a third band, called Full Tilt Boogie Band, which evolved a more professional popular sound. Janis felt she'd finally found her unique style of white blues. She was never happier with her new music. While recording her next album "Pearl," she chanced into using heroin again. Obtaining a dose more pure than usual, she accidentally overdosed in a motel in Los Angeles at the age of 27. Her third album was released posthumously to wide acclaim, launching the popular songs "Me and Bobby McGee" and Mercedes Benz."

Janis's albums have gone gold, platinum, and triple-platinum. Her "Greatest Hits" album still tops the charts in Billboard. Several new releases have followed her death, with wide acclaim for her boxed set, "Janis." She was the subject of a 1973 feature documentary, "Janis," and numerous TV documentaries, the most notable being VH-1's Legends program. She is currently the subject of two hotly contested biographical movie projects.Link

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Comments

Dr Guy

on Oct 05, 2005

Oh Lord wont you buy me a color TV. Dialing for Dollars is trying to reach me.

dharmagrl

on Oct 05, 2005

Oh Lord, won't you buy me
A night on the town
I'm counting on you, Lord
Please don't let me down
Prove that you love me
And buy the next round...
Oh Lord, won't you buy me
A night on the town.

Love love love Janis joplin......

Ionolast

on Oct 05, 2005

That song has a great message.

dharmagrl

on Oct 05, 2005

That song has a great message

Yes, it does. It's one of my favorites.

Moderateman

on Oct 05, 2005

I saw Janis live about a gazillion times, sometimes with the dead, sometimes with airplane sometimes with others, of course she was at Woodstock.

Man she was so ugly she transcended it to become beautiful.

I really wanted to boink her.

Moderateman

on Oct 05, 2005

Piece of My Heart

Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on!

Didn’t I make you feel like you were the only man —yeah!
Didn’t I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ?
Honey, you know I did!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I’ve had enough,
But I’m gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby!
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, oh, have a!
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it if it makes you feel good,
Oh, yes indeed.

You’re out on the streets looking good,
And baby deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain’t right,
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night,
Babe, I cry all the time!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I can’t stand the pain,
But when you hold me in your arms, I’ll sing it once again.

I’ll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it!
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby.
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah,
Oh, oh, have a!
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby!
oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c’mon now.
oh, oh, have a
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby.
You know you got it —whoahhhhh!!

Take it!
Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby,
Oh, oh, break it!
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Oh, oh, have a
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey,
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

this song pretty much summed up how she was.

Ionolast

on Oct 05, 2005

Man she was so ugly she transcended it to become beautiful.I really wanted to boink her.

She put her sexuality out there.

Taylor

on Oct 12, 2005

Hello to all of you. I spent the night at the Highland Gardens in Hollywood, 2 doors down from where Janis said goodbye. It was an uneventful night, spent partying in the lobby with some new found friends. When they heard why I was there, they all just kind of said "WOW". I had hoped for a visit from the woman who changed rock and roll for women forever. But, unfortunately when I awoke from a slightly drunken haze, no visit. SO I went over to her room which was now open. I sat n the kitchen and looked at the space where she most likely laid in the end. It gives me goosepimples to even write it. I did feel her there! Seems the queen of rock may be with me for the rest of my life. I am fairly sure she was with us, just did not make an appearance. Maybe 35 years later she is ready to let go and move on. Not much has changed at the location of her death. It was a good night either way. I met some new friends, and hopefully connected on some level with a great woman. It was unique. If you might have any questions, just email me at TAYLORK111@aol.com Take care all. I will be publishing my whole Janis story later and will post. Have some SoCo for her when you get the chance!

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