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Janis Joplin was born January 19, 1943, in Port Arthur, Texas to Seth and Dorothy Joplin. The oldest child of a working class family, Janis grew up in an oil refinery town, and was labeled "eccentric" by all who came in contact with her. Nonetheless, her parents saw immense artistic talent in Janis, and urged her to explore and cultivate her gift.
Socially outcast by the time she was 14, Janis admittedly retreated into a private world of art and music, studying the sounds of blues legends like Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter and Bessie Smith. By the time Joplin turned 18 years old, she was already singing in local country western clubs in Austin and Houston, Texas.
Though completely consumed by her love of the blues, Janis enrolled in and attended Lamar State College of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin. She would drop out in 1963, with plans to sing folk and blues songs in Texas clubs.
Late in 1963, Joplin hitchhiked to California, where she became a part of the hippie movement in San Francisco. She quickly became a favored regular in San Francisco and Venice Beach coffeehouses and clubs. After two years in California, Janis was out of control, however, abusing alcohol and amphetamines daily. She returned home to Port Arthur, Texas and her family for inspiration and encouragement. Re-enrolling in college, Janis excelled in school, but never seemed content. She questioned her life's direction and attempted to fit in in her native hometown.
Realizing she couldn't adapt to small town life again, Janis returned to California within a year. Chet Holms, friend and promoter, recommended Janis as the lead vocalist for an existing band known as Big Brother and the Holding Company. The almost unheard of rock band took part in the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival in California, where Joplin gave a mesmerizing performance of the blues classic, "Ball and Chain," and thrust the band into the spotlight. On the strength and popularity of that performance, Joplin and band were offered a recording contract with the independent record label, Mainstream. In 1968, Big Brother and the Holding Company released their first self-titled album, which would be followed by the release of two singles.
The band now a success, Albert Grossman signed on as band manager and nabbed a recording contract with Columbia Records, who bought out Mainstream's rights. In 1968, Joplin and band released "Cheap Thrills," which included live versions of "Piece of My Heart," "Ball and Chain," and "Turtle Blues." The album climbed the charts and quickly secured a number one spot on the Billboard charts, where it remained for eight weeks in a row. Cheap Thrills went Gold within one month of its initial release, and the band was now billed "Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company."
As pressure to perform mounted, the band indulged themselves in high-priced drugs and binges that began to affect their performance and work relationships. On Christmas Day, 1968, Big Brother and the Holding Company played their last performance as a group.
Later that year, with dreams of beginning a solo career, Joplin struck out on her own. An awestruck crowd egged her on during the landmark Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York in August of 1969, and Janis made headlines again.
With a penchant for Jazz always at the forefront of Janis' music, she formed a backup group called, The Kozmic Blues Band . First released in 1969 by the Kozmic Blues Band, "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" would climb to number five on the charts, just as the band broke up.
To handle mounting tensions, Janis had turned to heroine, and her use of alcohol and other drugs had increased, as well. It was not uncommon for Janis to speak of her drug use openly or perform with a bottle of Southern Comfort in hand. Recognizing she had a problem, Joplin quit drugs altogether in late 1969, and seemed to reinvent herself with a new group, The Full Tilt Boogie Band. With a new sound, style of music and lifestyle, Janis seemed happier than ever.
Janis hit the studio that year to work on her new album, "Pearl." Looking for inspiration and an outlet for mounting worries, Janis chanced using heroine during production, and accidentally overdosed at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles. Janis Joplin died October 4, 1970. She was 27 years old.
Janis Joplin's third album was released posthumously following her death. Songs from the album including, "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Mercedes Benz" would top the charts for weeks in 1971, and make Janis a music legend. Janis Joplin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and is still today considered to be one of the most original and talented white female blues artists of all time.
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