Drawing inspiration from
Bessie Smith and
Odetta,
Janis Joplin developed a brash, uncompromising vocal style quite unlike traditional folk Madonnas. In 1966,
Joplin was invited to the Bay Area to front
Big Brother & the Holding Company.
Cheap Thrills, a joyous celebration of true psychedelic soul, contained two
Joplin "standards" in "Piece of My Heart" and "Ball and Chain," but she left the group in November 1968.
Electric Flag members
Mike Bloomfield,
Harvey Brooks, and
Nick Gravenites helped assemble a new act, known as the
Kozmic Blues Band.
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! was coolly received, but the set contained several excellent
Joplin vocals, notably "Try," "Maybe," and "Little Girl Blue." The singer subsequently dissolved the band and undertook medical advice for drinking and drug abuse. A slimmed-down group, the
Full Tilt Boogie Band, was unveiled in May 1970 featuring a tighter, more intimate sound. Sessions for a debut album were all but complete when, on October 4, 1970,
Joplin died of a heroin overdose at her Hollywood hotel. The posthumous
Pearl proved her most consistent work, with "My Baby," "Cry Baby," and the anthemic "Get It While You Can." The highlight was the chart-topping "Me and Bobby McGee," which allowed
Joplin to be both vulnerable and assertive.
Joplin knew few boundaries, artistic or personal, and her sadly brief catalog is marked by her bare-nerved honesty. ~ Rovi Staff