Remembering rocker Janis Joplin who died on this day (Oct. 4, 1970) at the age of 27.

Janis Joplin was known for her raw, powerful vocals and she was one of the premier female vocalists of the 60’s. She first garnered attention in 1967 at the Monterey Pop Festival while performing with the band Big Brother and the Holding Company. The band’s album Cheap Thrills featured the hit single “Piece of My Heart”. After leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin went on as a solo artist with her own backing band including the Kozmick Blues Band and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She also performed at Woodstock in 1969. Janis was found dead at the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. After her death, she hit number 1 on the U.S. charts with the album Pearl and the single “Me and Bobby McGee”. Joplin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

I was talking to the production director here at the station about Janis Joplin today and he told me that he actually got the chance to see Janis in concert at SPAC in the summer of '68. He was 12 years old and it was his very first concert, and he recalled her showing up late to the packed show and drinking from a bottle of Jack Daniels throughout the night. He said that a jazz band (which he described as "boring") opened the show. The band kept on playing to stall for the tardy Janis Joplin until she finally arrived. I asked em if he enjoyed the show and he replied, "I was 12 and it was my first concert. I had a blast!"

Crank up some classic Janis Joplin in her honor today!

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