04/10/2022
ON THIS DATE (52 YEARS AGO)
October 4, 1970 - Janis Joplin (b. January 19, 1943) died after an accidental he**in overdose.
Janis Joplin first rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the psychedelic-acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist with her more soulful and bluesy backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band. She was one of the more popular acts at the Monterey Pop Festival and later became one of the major attractions to the Woodstock festival and the Festival Express train tour.
Janis Joplin charted five singles, and other popular songs from her four-year career include "Down On Me", "Bye, Bye Baby", "Coo Coo", "Summertime", "Piece of My Heart", "Turtle Blues", "Ball 'n' Chain", "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)", "Maybe", "To Love Somebody", "Kozmic Blues", "Work Me, Lord", "Move Over", "Cry Baby", "A Woman Left Lonely", "Get It While You Can", "My Baby", "Trust Me", "Mercedes Benz", "One Night Stand", "Raise Your Hand" and her only number one hit, "Me and Bobby McGee".
Joplin was well-known for her performing abilities, and her fans referred to her stage presence as "electric". At the height of her career, she was known as "The Queen of Rock and Roll" as well as "The Queen of Psychedelic Soul", and became known as Pearl amongst her friends. She was also a painter, dancer and music arranger.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Joplin number 46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004, and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
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October 4, 1970 -
Joplin's road manager John Cooke goes looking for her when she doesn't turn up for a recording session. When there is no answer at her door, he gets the key from the front desk and finds Joplin dead.
The singer had battled he**in addiction and seemed to have it beat, but while recording her Pearl album, she started taking it again in small doses to get her through the sessions. The recordings went well and were nearly finished when Joplin's musicians, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, put down tracks for the last song, "Buried Alive In The Blues." Joplin liked what she heard and planned to do her vocal the next day. Around 11 p.m., she and the band grab some food and a few drinks at Barney's Beanery, and an hour or so later head to the Landmark, where they are staying.
Joplin is usually on time, so when she doesn't show for the session the next day, her producer Paul Rothchild calls Cooke, who enters her room around 8 p.m. The time of death is estimated at 1:40 a.m. Joplin died because the he**in she got that night from a local dealer was nearly pure, about 10 times stronger than what she was used to.
