Janis Joplin

I can recall the first time I ever heard the soulful and raspy voice of Janis Joplin. The song was "Summertime," a typical jazz standard. But all I heard was a beautiful arrangement of guitars and this woman's voice, which belonged to Janis Joplin. I remember thinking how weird and unusual her voice was, but at the same time, amazed at her bluesy rock style.

Janis Lyn Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943. As a teenager, Joplin was cast as the misfit or outcast. The one place where she was comfortable with herself was through music. She sang in the choir and broadened her music listenings to blues African-American artists, who were a big part of Joplin's influences and gave her the drive to become a singer.

Janis's bluesy voice caught the attention of Big Brother and the Holding Company, a rock band known for performing at Haight-Ashbury. Together, they created sounds of the psychedelic 60s and became notably famous at the Monterey Pop Festival. In particular, Joplin's voice left people in awe and incomprehensive of what had just hit them; a rock star was born.

Joplin sang with power and soul at every gig and every festival. Her music promoted the ideas of peace and love, becoming very popular among the hippie community. Janis had major success with her first album, Cheap Thrills, but with success comes a price. Joplin became heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol around the recording time of her album, Pearl. On the 4th of October, 1970, Janis Joplin was found dead, due to a heroin overdose.

Janis Joplin's musical artistry came and went so fast, but nonetheless has inspired so many people. Joplin can be dubbed the queen of rock, for being a great bluesy rock vocalist of her time. She strived to be different and set herself apart from other female vocalists by taking many musical risks on stage. She was unafraid to be up against a male-dominated rock scene, influencing many women with the dream of becoming rockstars. And she is without a doubt a legendary musician, singer, songwriter, and my musical hero.