- Born
- 19 January 1943, Port Arthur, Texas, United States
- First work
- 1967: Big Brother & the Holding Company
- Peak
- 1967 to 1970 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1970: Pearl
- Died
- 4 October 1970, Los Angeles, United States; aged 27; other
Janis Joplin
Music: singer, songwriter, United States
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer whose raw, electric vocal delivery established her as one of the definitive rock and blues performers of the counterculture era. Hailing from Port Arthur, Texas, she gained widespread prominence in San Francisco during 1967 after an performance with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Monterey Pop Festival. Known for an uninhibited, raspy singing style that conveyed immense vulnerability and power, she went on to front the Kozmic Blues Band and the Full Tilt Boogie Band. Her defining achievements, including her definitive version of Me and Bobby McGee, were cut short when she died of an accidental overdose in Los Angeles in 1970.
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Signature works
- Big Brother and the Holding Company album1967
- Piece of My Heart song1968
- Cheap Thrills album1968
- I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! album1969
- Pearl album1971
- Me and Bobby McGee song1971
Honours
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 1995
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005
Groups: Big Brother and the Holding Company, Kozmic Blues Band, Full Tilt Boogie Band.