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
"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
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,
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
to be both vulnerable and assertive.
knew few boundaries, artistic or personal, and her sadly brief catalog is marked by her bare-nerved honesty. ~ Rovi Staff