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On October 4, 1970, Janis Joplin was found dead in her hotel room.
Last edited Sat Oct 5, 2024, 05:38 PM - Edit history (1)
Janis Joplin
Joplin in June 1970
Born: Janis Lyn Joplin: January 19, 1943; Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.
Died: October 4, 1970 (aged 27); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose
Resting place: Cremated; ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean
Website: janisjoplin.com
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American rock, soul, and blues singer-songwriter, and one of the most successful and widely known female rock stars of her era. After releasing three albums, she died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. A fourth album, Pearl, was released in January 1971, just over three months after her death. It reached number one on the Billboard charts.
In 1967, Joplin rose to fame following an appearance at Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. After releasing two albums with the band, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She appeared at the Woodstock festival and the Festival Express train tour. Five singles by Joplin reached the Billboard Hot 100, including a cover of the Kris Kristofferson song "Me and Bobby McGee", which reached number 1 in March 1971. Her most popular songs include her cover versions of "Piece of My Heart", "Cry Baby", "Down on Me", "Ball and Chain", and "Summertime"; and her original song "Mercedes Benz", her final recording.
Joplin, a mezzo-soprano highly respected for her charismatic performing ability, was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Audiences and critics alike referred to her stage presence as "electric". Rolling Stone ranked Joplin number 46 on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She remains one of the top-selling musicians in the United States, with Recording Industry Association of America certifications of 15.5 million albums sold.
{snip}
Death
Joplin photographed by
Jim Marshall in 1969,
one year before her death
On Sunday afternoon, October 4, 1970, producer Paul Rothchild became concerned when Joplin failed to show up at Sunset Sound Recorders for a recording session in which she was scheduled to provide the vocal track for the instrumental track of the song "Buried Alive in the Blues". In the evening, Full Tilt Boogie's road manager, John Cooke, drove to the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood where Joplin was staying. He saw Joplin's psychedelically painted Porsche 356 C Cabriolet in the parking lot and upon entering Joplin's room (#105), he found her dead on the floor beside her bed. The official cause of death was a heroin overdose, possibly compounded by alcohol. Cooke believes Joplin had been given heroin that was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week. Her death was ruled as accidental.
{snip}
Joplin in June 1970
Born: Janis Lyn Joplin: January 19, 1943; Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.
Died: October 4, 1970 (aged 27); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose
Resting place: Cremated; ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean
Website: janisjoplin.com
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American rock, soul, and blues singer-songwriter, and one of the most successful and widely known female rock stars of her era. After releasing three albums, she died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. A fourth album, Pearl, was released in January 1971, just over three months after her death. It reached number one on the Billboard charts.
In 1967, Joplin rose to fame following an appearance at Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. After releasing two albums with the band, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She appeared at the Woodstock festival and the Festival Express train tour. Five singles by Joplin reached the Billboard Hot 100, including a cover of the Kris Kristofferson song "Me and Bobby McGee", which reached number 1 in March 1971. Her most popular songs include her cover versions of "Piece of My Heart", "Cry Baby", "Down on Me", "Ball and Chain", and "Summertime"; and her original song "Mercedes Benz", her final recording.
Joplin, a mezzo-soprano highly respected for her charismatic performing ability, was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Audiences and critics alike referred to her stage presence as "electric". Rolling Stone ranked Joplin number 46 on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She remains one of the top-selling musicians in the United States, with Recording Industry Association of America certifications of 15.5 million albums sold.
{snip}
Death
Joplin photographed by
Jim Marshall in 1969,
one year before her death
On Sunday afternoon, October 4, 1970, producer Paul Rothchild became concerned when Joplin failed to show up at Sunset Sound Recorders for a recording session in which she was scheduled to provide the vocal track for the instrumental track of the song "Buried Alive in the Blues". In the evening, Full Tilt Boogie's road manager, John Cooke, drove to the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood where Joplin was staying. He saw Joplin's psychedelically painted Porsche 356 C Cabriolet in the parking lot and upon entering Joplin's room (#105), he found her dead on the floor beside her bed. The official cause of death was a heroin overdose, possibly compounded by alcohol. Cooke believes Joplin had been given heroin that was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week. Her death was ruled as accidental.
{snip}
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Left to right: Getz, Joplin, Andrew, Gurley, Albin. c. 1967
Associated acts: Country Joe and the Fish, Full Tilt Boogie Band, Kozmic Blues Band
Website: www.bbhc.com
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their lead singer. Their 1968 album Cheap Thrills is considered one of the masterpieces of the psychedelic sound of San Francisco; it reached number one on the Billboard charts, and was ranked number 338 in Rolling Stone's the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
{snip}
Left to right: Getz, Joplin, Andrew, Gurley, Albin. c. 1967
Associated acts: Country Joe and the Fish, Full Tilt Boogie Band, Kozmic Blues Band
Website: www.bbhc.com
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their lead singer. Their 1968 album Cheap Thrills is considered one of the masterpieces of the psychedelic sound of San Francisco; it reached number one on the Billboard charts, and was ranked number 338 in Rolling Stone's the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
{snip}
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Janis Joplin’s Hotel Room
The hotel room where Janis Joplin tragically died has now become a makeshift shrine to the singer.
Janis Joplin’s Hotel Room
The hotel room where Janis Joplin tragically died has now become a makeshift shrine to the singer.
Here's my favorite Janis Joplin tune:
Janis Joplin - Combination Of The Two
61,133 views • Mar 2, 2009
GregoQA
93 subscribers
Monterey Pop Festival '67
61,133 views • Mar 2, 2009
GregoQA
93 subscribers
Monterey Pop Festival '67
Here's the album version:
Big Brother and the Holding Company - Combination of the Two
742,099 views•Jul 14, 2008
hfield07
9.11K subscribers
Off of Cheap Thrills.
One of the great albums out of the SF area in the 60s.
742,099 views•Jul 14, 2008
hfield07
9.11K subscribers
Off of Cheap Thrills.
One of the great albums out of the SF area in the 60s.
Sun Jun 18, 2023: On this day, June 18, 1967, Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Fri Jun 18, 2021: On this day, June 18, 1967, Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Fri Oct 4, 2019: Found dead in her hotel room on this day, October 4, 1970: Janis Joplin
Fri Oct 4, 2019: Big Brother and the Holding Company
Fri Oct 4, 2019: Janis Joplin's Hotel Room
Tue Jun 18, 2019: 52 years ago today, the Monterey Pop Festival ended. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was there.
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