Celebrating the One and Only Janis Joplin on Her Birthday

 Today we celebrate the birthday of one of rock and roll's most powerful and unique singers, Janis Joplin!

Janis Lyn Joplin rose to fame in 1967 after her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival as the front woman of psychedelic rock band Big Brother & the Holding Company, which she recorded two albums with before departing in 1969. She toured solo for the remainder of her career with the exception of her backing bands. The Kozmic Blues Band lasted from January to December of 1969, while the Full Tilt Boogie Band (formerly named Main Squeeze) lasted from around April up until her death in October of 1970. 

Source: Lisa Law

She had a unique and powerful voice that continues to set her apart from other rock singers to this day, and remains one of the top-selling musicians in the US as a result with over 18.5 million album sales to her name.

I often like to joke that Janis "raised me" due to the fact that I grew up on her music. Many memories of my childhood involve music that my mom would introduce my sister and I to, which included a CD of Joplin's greatest hits that she would play several times a week. We could never get enough of her music. It's just not that easy to. 

With that being said, today is a great day to blast some Janis Joplin. Especially if you have a Mercedes Benz. 

Happy listening! (Benz or not.)

Hey there! I'm Olive, and I'm a part-time blog writer hoping to share my love of older music and countercultural history. I started this blog during my freshman year of college as a means to get a head start doing what I love most - writing. I've always loved writing and music, and wanted to do something that would involve doing both. Now, I've got this cool (totally not biased) blog page!

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