Janis Joplin's Influence

INTRO: Janis Joplin is not what most people would consider your average woman, or your average rock star. The fact that she was able to be both of these, and extremely successful, is astonishing today, nevermind in the 1960s. Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943. She was tormented at school because of her weight and acne. She moved and went to college at the University of Texas in Austin, but in 1963, she dropped out to pursue a career in singing folk and blues songs. She was very successful; she hit #1 in the Billboard charts with “Me and Bobby McGee” just 68 days after it was released. She was on top of the world, but everyone makes poor decisions, nothing lasts forever, and heroes always die. Joplin was an addict, which

She was an inspiration to girls because she changed the idea of what they were allowed to be. She influenced how people dressed and acted by how she let herself be seen as explained above. She brought African-American Blues/Jazz to the white community, and was the first white woman to make it big off of doing so. She was making $10,000 a night, which made people question whether or not she could really be a good blue singer, because before that point, only poor black people had the “soul” to put into it. When confronted with this question, she answered, “You know why we’re stuck with the myth that only black people have soul? Because white people don’t let themselves feel things. Man, you and any housewife have all sorts of pain and joy. You’d have soul if you’d give in to it.” There are many magazine articles, documentaries, and books about her which helped spread her fame to the world, giving more people more access to her accomplishments. The fact that Joplin’s albums are still selling today shows that she worked very hard for what she

In her brief time being alive, she made four albums in as many years. She first started performing with Big Brother and the Holding Company, where they created a self-titled album and Cheap Thrills. But in 1968, after having a falling out because she felt her potential was wasted, she left. She formed a backup band, the Kozmic Blues, which was the band she performed at Woodstock with. It was with them that she recorded the albums I Got Them Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! This band broke up after the lead guitarist, Sam Andrews, left to rejoin with his former band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. By the end of 1969, the band had broken up, so Joplin put together another band, the Full Tilt Boogie Band. Her final album, Pearl, was recorded with this band, but she died before it could be completed. As Malcolm Gladwell said in his book, Outliers, one must practice their craft for at least ten thousand hours to master it. Joplin spent a lot of time studying music, voice, and guitar, and toured almost constantly, putting in more and more hours to become a master of her trade. All in all, Janis Joplin was very hard working.

CONCLUSION: Janis Joplin is revolutionary because of how she changed society's views on many topics, such as music, sexuality, and women in general. Many other famous artists have said that she had inspired them to make music, including Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Florence Welch, and