Janis Joplin was born on 19th January 1943. She was best known as a songwriter, music arranger and singer. She was the frontwoman of Big Brother and the Holding Company in the 1960s before turning to a solo career. Rolling Stone magazine rated Janis Joplin at No. 46 in their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004 and again at No. 28 in the 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Although Janis Joplin’s career was short, it was certainly sweet. Her wild 60s existence and notorious singing style has earned her iconic and immortal status in the history pages of rock and roll.

In 1966, Joplin was invited to flower-child invaded San Francisco to audition for a local band called Big Brother and the Holding Company. The band was successful in creating sufficient buzz to join the lineup for the legendary 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival.

During the set, the band stunned crowds with a rendition of “Ball and Chain” which was a mix of piercing, psychedelic guitar and Joplin’s soulful, blues-inspired vocals.

Shortly after, Big Brother and the Holding Company acquired a three album deal with Columbia Records. Its first release was Cheap Thrills in 1968 and almost immediately went gold thanks to the help of killer singles, “Piece of My Heart” and “Summertime”. Joplin was given top billing with the band and started commanding large audiences and even larger pay cheques. Even US magazine, TIME, said she was “the most powerful singer to emerge from the white rock movement.” Joplin split with Big Brother by the end of 1968.

In 1969, she released an album called “I Got Dem ‘Ol Kozmic Blues Again, Mama”. The album met with praise in the European markets.

Meanwhile, Joplin recognized the damage of her ever-increasing drug use and vowed to quit. Sources say she was shooting approximately $200 worth of heroin per day. She formed a new band, Full Tilt Boogie Band, and began recording her next album to be titled Pearl.

Unfortunately, her efforts to kick the drug habits failed and she accidentally overdosed on heroin while staying in Los Angeles at mere age of 27.

Pearl was released after her death in 1971 and met widespread critical acclaim. The album produced several popular songs including “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz”.

Joplin is considered the first legitimate female rock star and her breaking with tradition has opened doors to new genres and opportunities for women lead singers. She has an eternal place with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain within popular culture’s “27 club” which is a list of influential musicians that died at the age of 27, often under mysterious circumstances.

Her rebellious and liberated public image has been re-created in various movies including the 1979 film, The Rose, starring Bette Midler. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

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Etta James is a truly legendary American singer. Her career spans over five decades, dozens of albums, four Grammy Awards and her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her vocal styles have changed over the years. Originally, she was positioned as a doo-wop singer. This evolved in to jazz and then finally her gravelly voice was best suited to blues and soul.

In recent years, she has been seen as crossing the divide between R&B and Rock-n-Roll. Her voice and talent have been documented as an inspiration for Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin and the Motown diva, Diana Ross.

Even with a prolific catalogue of acclaimed records, it’s only been in the last decade that she has received mainstream industry recognition. James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and she was awarded four Grammies in 1995, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

James had her first #1 single in 1955 with “The Wallflower” but she is more known for her crossover breakthrough in the 60s when she released “At Last”, “Trust In Me” “Pushover” and “Something’s Got a Hold On Me”, all top ten hits.

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In the mid-60s, James began an epic battle with heroin that, according to her autobiography, would eventually last well into her 50s. But she continued to belt out big hits and remained a concert attraction.

Her career went into a standstill until the late 80s and 90s. She collaborated with Def Jam rapper, Delicious Vinyl. James was now exposed to a younger generation through the popular fusion of hip hop and jazz as well as the song “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” featured on a Coca-Cola TV commercial.

The 2000s were a big decade for James. In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and also was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. She shed over 200 pounds. Rolling Stone named her #64 of the Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2006, she added her distinctive vocals to an album of covers featuring songs from Prince, John Lennon, Simply Red and Marvin Gaye. She participated in a tribute album to another jazz great, Ella Fitzgerald. And pop sensation, Beyoncè Knowles, played a younger version of James in the 2008 movie called Cadillac Records.

Juanita Appleby

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Meat Loaf started his music career in the 60s as the lead singer for a Californian band named Meat Loaf Soul. This band changed its name twice and opened for many famous acts at the time including Janis Joplin, The Kinks and The Who.

The band was relatively unsuccessful so Meat Loaf, whose voice covered four octaves, joined the cast of the musical, Hair.

On the coattails of his theatrical success, Meat Loaf teamed up with singer, Stoney Murphy to release an album in 1971. Together, they toured but Meat Loaf split after the record label decided to replace the vocals with that of another singer.

In 1973, Meat Loaf went back to theatre acting and joined the stage version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. During this time, he met Jim Steinman and began working on the album, Bat Out of Hell. The partnership between Steinman and Meat Loaf on this project produced some of the greatest classic rock masterpieces in the form of title track Bat Out of Hell, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. The album has sold over 40 million copies globally.

Steinman and Meat Loaf went searching for a record deal but the rock opera musical style was difficult to sell. Finally, Cleveland International Records took a chance and released Bat Out of Hell in 1977. The songs were greeted by the public with enthusiasm. Meat Loaf performed on Saturday Night Live and supported the album with a tour.

Before and during recording of his second album, Bad for Good, Meat Loaf struggled with cocaine addiction, suicidal feelings and a loss of voice. Steinman had to resort to finishing the album without the portly singer.

In the 80s, Meat Loaf released Dead Ringer which hit #1 in the UK. But it wasn’t to last. The subsequent releases in the form of Midnight at the Lost and Found and Bad Attitude left Meat Loaf bankrupt and caused a break up with Steinman.

So he went back to basics, touring in small venues and re-building his fan base which proved to be the right move. In 1989, Steinman and Meat Loaf reunited to work on Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell which was finally released in 1993, sixteen years after the original. The album was a huge success and is considered one of the greatest comebacks in music history. He was awarded with a Grammy for Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance and single I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) held the UK #1 spot for seven weeks.

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By now, there was no doubting Meat Loaf’s popularity. He continued to release successful albums in the 90s and sold out over 160 concerts during a 2005 tour.

A trademark dispute between Steinman and Meat Loaf failed to stop the release of the last instalment in the Bat Out of Hell Trilogy called The Monster is Loose. The album produced a UK top ten hit in the form of It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, but didn’t sell well stateside. In 2007, rumours circulated that Meat Loaf was going to hang up his singing career after bouts of cancelled gigs but it was unfounded. Meat Loaf promised his fans he would be back and he delivered on it. In 2008, he completed a tour with Patti Russo and continues to work on new material, acting and charity work.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

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