Janis Joplin
She claimed the blues, soul, gospel, country and rock with unquestionable authority and verve, fearlessly inhabiting psychedelic guitar jams, back-porch roots and everything in between. Her volcanic performances left audiences stunned and speechless, while her sexual magnetism, world-wise demeanor and flamboyant style shattered every stereotype about female artists – and essentially invented the "rock mama" paradigm.
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1943, Joplin fell under the sway of Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton in her teens, and the authenticity of these voices strongly influenced her decision to become a singer. A self-described "misfit" in high school, she suffered virtual ostracism, but dabbled in folk music with her friends and painted. She briefly attended college in Beaumont and Austin but was more drawn to blues legends and beat poetry than her studies; soon she dropped out and, in 1963, headed for San Francisco, eventually finding herself in the notoriously drug-fueled Haight Ashbury neighborhood. She met up with guitarist Jorma Kaukonen (later of the legendary San Francisco rock outfit Jefferson Airplane) and the pair recorded a suite of songs with his wife, Margareta, providing the beat on her typewriter. These tracks – including blues standards like "Trouble in Mind" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" – would later surface as the infamous "Typewriter Tapes" bootleg.
Janis arrived at the bucolic Monterey County Fairgrounds as a member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, largely unknown outside San Francisco.
By weekend's end, she was the subject of global media attention and would be sought after by Columbia Records president Clive Davis and Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman. On her way to superstardom, "the real queen of the festival" – as dubbed by one reporter – would be the highlight of D.A. Pennebaker's celebrated 1968 documentary, Monterey Pop.
Everything from music, literature and fashion to attitudes towards sex and drugs was affected by the social upheaval – as the war in Vietnam raged on, nearly half a million people turned up to demonstrate peace and love was possible.
JANIS JOPLIN - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION
Janis Joplin
Futpediamusic Selection
15 Songs To Download
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