Janis Joplin: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Janis Joplin turned Texas blues records, Beat literature and San Francisco's ballroom scene into a voice that rewrote what a rock singer could sound like. This mix traces the 78s she wore out in Port Arthur and Austin, the bands she shared Avalon bills with, and the women who later sang in her shadow.

The Kynda mix for Janis Joplin

• Key Influence · Downhearted Blues by Bessie Smith (1923). Joplin's conversion story begins with Bessie Smith 78s discovered as a teenager in Port Arthur, and she modeled her phrasing — the bent note, the moan carried across the bar line — on Smith's. In 1970 Joplin, with Juanita Green, paid for a headstone for Smith's unmarked grave outside Philadelphia. No single artist is cited more consistently in accounts of how Joplin learned to sing. ensures the debt is literal, not atmospheric. ends there. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends. ends.
• Influencia Obscura · Ball and Chain by Big Mama Thornton (1968). Joplin and Big Brother heard Willie Mae Thornton perform this at a small Bay Area club in the mid-sixties and asked her permission to take it on; Thornton wrote the song, and Joplin's Monterey Pop performance of it in June 1967 made her a star. Outside blues circles Thornton remains underknown despite also originating 'Hound Dog' — the hidden author behind Joplin's signature showpiece.
• Local Roots · Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane (1967). The Airplane were Big Brother's closest counterparts in the 1966–67 San Francisco ballroom circuit, sharing Fillmore and Avalon bills and the Haight-Ashbury infrastructure that Chet Helms and Bill Graham built. Grace Slick's arrival as a front-and-center woman singing hard over an electric band ran exactly parallel to Joplin's, and the two were the scene's defining female voices in the same eighteen months.
• Beyond the Medium · On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1957). Joplin's Port Arthur circle read the Beats as an escape hatch, and friends from her teenage years describe Kerouac as a shared obsession that justified hitchhiking out of Texas. Her restless Austin–San Francisco–New York circuit in the early sixties, and the self-mythologizing outsider persona she built from it, follow Kerouac's template more closely than any musical model does.
• Peer · Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967). Hendrix and Joplin broke out of the same Monterey Pop weekend in June 1967, the two performances that the festival film made legendary, and both were managed into superstardom and dead within weeks of each other in 1970. They shared the Fillmore-era circuit and a reputation for turning the blues into something physically violent onstage — the closest possible parallel career.
• From the Canon · Pearl by Janis Joplin (1971). Recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band and producer Paul Rothchild, and released posthumously after her death in October 1970 left 'Buried Alive in the Blues' as an instrumental. It is the record where the shredded Big Brother scream resolves into control — 'Me and Bobby McGee', written by Kris Kristofferson, became her only number one, and 'Mercedes Benz' her last recorded vocal.
• Key Collaborator · The Doors (1967). Paul Rothchild produced Pearl, assembling the Full Tilt Boogie Band around Joplin and coaxing the disciplined vocals that album is built on. His signature work is the Doors catalogue, beginning with this debut — the same patient, take-after-take method applied to another volatile singer. Hearing it clarifies how much of Pearl's precision was Rothchild's hand on the console.
• Legacy · Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks (1981). Nicks has recounted seeing Joplin perform with Big Brother in San Francisco as a teenager and deciding then what kind of performer she wanted to be, citing the raspy, unpretty authority and the scarves-and-velvet stage presence. Her solo debut, with its mystic-gypsy iconography and rough-edged belting on 'Edge of Seventeen', is the clearest line from Joplin into seventies and eighties rock.

What influenced Janis Joplin

• Lead Belly. The article says Joplin credited Lead Belly with influencing her decision to sing. (also via Leadbelly's Last Sessions) “As a teenager, Joplin befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by blues artists Bessie Smith , Ma Rainey , and Lead Belly , which Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.” (Wikipedia)
• Bessie Smith. The article says Joplin credited Smith with influencing her decision to sing. (also via Downhearted Blues) “As a teenager, Joplin befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by blues artists Bessie Smith , Ma Rainey , and Lead Belly , which Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.” (Wikipedia)
• Ball and Chain by Big Mama Thornton (1968). Ball and Chain (Big Mama Thornton) — ghost for Janis Joplin “Thornton's other recordings include her song "Ball and Chain", made famous in the late 1960s by Janis Joplin.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ma Rainey. The article says Joplin credited Rainey with influencing her decision to sing. “As a teenager, Joplin befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by blues artists Bessie Smith , Ma Rainey , and Lead Belly , which Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.” (Wikipedia)
• Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (1956). Howl and Other Poems (Allen Ginsberg) — culture for Janis Joplin “Janis Joplin and Big Brother performed there along with the Hare Krishna founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, Allen Ginsberg, Moby Grape, and the Grateful Dead, donating proceeds to the Krishna temple.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues by Odetta (1956). Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (Odetta) — titan for Janis Joplin “=== Legacy after 2010 === In 2013 Washington's Arena Stage featured a production of A Night with Janis Joplin, starring Mary Bridget Davies in which Joplin performs a concert for the audience while telling stories of her past inspiration…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Downhearted Blues by Bessie Smith (1923). Downhearted Blues (Bessie Smith) — titan for Janis Joplin “As a teenager, Joplin befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by blues artists Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Lead Belly, which Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Leadbelly's Last Sessions by Lead Belly (1953). Leadbelly's Last Sessions (Lead Belly) — ghost for Janis Joplin “As a teenager, Joplin befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by blues artists Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Lead Belly, which Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• On The Road by Jack Kerouac. On the Road (Jack Kerouac) — culture for Janis Joplin (openlibrary.org)
• Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (1956). Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday) — culture for Janis Joplin (openlibrary.org)
• Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul by Otis Redding (1965). Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Otis Redding) — titan for Janis Joplin “The band was influenced by the Stax-Volt rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul bands of the 1960s, as exemplified by Otis Redding and the Bar-Kays.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Big Mama Thornton. Joplin arranged for Thornton to open her shows. (also via Ball and Chain) “After one of Thornton's live performances of the song in San Francisco, the band Big Brother and the Holding Company approached Thornton seeking permission to cover her song, which Thornton granted. Notably, Janis Joplin was the lead sin…” (Yale University Library Online Exhibitions)
• Big Brother and the Holding Company by Big Brother and the Holding Company. Joplin joined Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966. (also via Ball and Chain) “Joplin joined Big Brother on June 4, 1966. [ 31 ] Her first public performance with them was at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.” (Wikipedia)
• Ball and Chain by Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968). The article identifies Joplin’s “Ball and Chain” as a cover. “Her most popular songs include her cover versions of " Piece of My Heart ", " Cry Baby ", " Down on Me ", " Ball and Chain ", and " Summertime ", as well as her original song " Mercedes Benz ", which was her final recording.” (Wikipedia)
• Summertime by George Gershwin. The article identifies Joplin’s “Summertime” as a cover. “Janis wowed Woodstock by returning to her Big Brother repertoire via George Gershwin’s “ Summertime ,” a beloved track from Big Brother’s 1968 album Cheap Thrills .” (Janis Joplin Official Website)
• Piece of My Heart by Erma Franklin (1967). The article identifies Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” as a cover. “Her most popular songs include her cover versions of " Piece of My Heart ", " Cry Baby ", " Down on Me ", " Ball and Chain ", and " Summertime ", as well as her original song " Mercedes Benz ", which was her final recording.” (Wikipedia)
• Tina Turner (1957). Joplin sang a duet with Turner. (also via River Deep – Mountain High) “she had witnessed a duet Joplin sang with Tina Turner during the opening act (Ike and Tina Turner) for a Rolling Stones concert at the Garden on Thanksgiving Day .” (Wikipedia)
• Happy Trails by Dale Evans. Joplin and her bandmates recorded part of Evans’s composition for Lennon. “The session ended with Joplin, organist Ken Pearson, and drummer Clark Pierson making a special one-minute recording as a birthday gift to John Lennon [ 70 ] [ 71 ] with the Dale Evans composition " Happy Trails " as part of the greeting.” (Wikipedia)
• Jorma Kaukonen. Joplin and Kaukonen recorded blues standards together. “Still in San Francisco in 1964, Joplin and future Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen recorded a number of blues standards, which incidentally featured Kaukonen's wife Margareta using a typewriter in the background.” (Wikipedia)
• Anthem of the Sun by Grateful Dead (1968). Anthem of the Sun (Grateful Dead) — geography for Janis Joplin “Joplin had a short relationship and longer friendship with Grateful Dead founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ball & Chain by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. The account explicitly identifies Joplin’s performance as a cover of Thornton’s song. “She pulled out all the stops for the final song of the evening – the one that had catapulted her to stardom when she’d performed it with Big Brother at Monterey just two years prior: her incomparable cover of Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornt…” (Janis Joplin Official Website)
• Cry Baby. The article identifies Joplin’s “Cry Baby” as a cover. “Her most popular songs include her cover versions of " Piece of My Heart ", " Cry Baby ", " Down on Me ", " Ball and Chain ", and " Summertime ", as well as her original song " Mercedes Benz ", which was her final recording.” (Wikipedia)
• Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane (1967). Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane) — geography for Janis Joplin “Still in San Francisco in 1964, Joplin and future Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen recorded a number of blues standards, which incidentally featured Kaukonen's wife Margareta using a typewriter in the background.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Johnny Winter. Winter joined Joplin onstage. “For part of this concert she was joined onstage by Johnny Winter and Paul Butterfield .” (Wikipedia)
• Down on Me. The article identifies Joplin’s “Down on Me” as a cover. “Her most popular songs include her cover versions of " Piece of My Heart ", " Cry Baby ", " Down on Me ", " Ball and Chain ", and " Summertime ", as well as her original song " Mercedes Benz ", which was her final recording.” (Wikipedia)
• Super Session by Mike Bloomfield (1968). Super Session (Mike Bloomfield) — collaborator for Janis Joplin “Bloomfield also helped Janis Joplin assemble her Kozmic Blues Band (for the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues, Again Mama!) in 1969, co-wrote "Work Me, Lord" for the album, and played the guitar solo on Joplin's blues composition "One Goo…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967). Are You Experienced (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) — peer for Janis Joplin “Hendrix is often cited as one example of an allegedly disproportionate number of musicians dying at age 27, including Brian Jones, Alan Wilson, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin in the same era, a phenomenon referred to as the 27 Club.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bob Neuwirth. Joplin composed “Mercedes Benz” with Neuwirth. “During this time, she first performed " Mercedes Benz ", a song partially inspired by a Michael McClure poem, that she had composed with fellow musician and friend Bob Neuwirth a very short time earlier which would be released on Pearl .” (Wikipedia)
• Paul Butterfield. Butterfield joined Joplin onstage. “For part of this concert she was joined onstage by Johnny Winter and Paul Butterfield .” (Wikipedia)
• Cod'ine by Buffy Sainte-Marie. Joplin recorded a version of Sainte-Marie’s song. “Among the songs she recorded were her original composition of "Turtle Blues" and an alternate version of "Cod'ine" by Buffy Sainte-Marie .” (Wikipedia)
• Waller Creek Boys. Joplin performed with the Waller Creek Boys. “While at UT she performed with a folk trio called the Waller Creek Boys ( Powell St. John and Lanny Wiggins), showcasing her strong mezzo-soprano vocals,” (Wikipedia)
• Kozmic Blues Band. Joplin formed and performed with the Kozmic Blues Band. “After splitting from Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin formed a new backup group, the Kozmic Blues Band, composed of session musicians such as keyboardist Stephen Ryder and saxophonist Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers” (Wikipedia)
• Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster. Joplin covered the song by Kristofferson and Foster. “The posthumous Pearl (1971) became the biggest-selling album of her career [ 44 ] and featured her biggest hit single, a cover of Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster 's " Me and Bobby McGee "” (Wikipedia)
• The Doors by The Doors (1967). The Doors (The Doors) — collaborator for Janis Joplin “Rothchild, best known for his lengthy relationship with The Doors.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• River Deep – Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner (1966). River Deep – Mountain High (Ike & Tina Turner) — peer for Janis Joplin “During a concert at Madison Square Garden, Janis Joplin joined the Turners on stage for an impromptu performance of "Land of 1000 Dances." Ike and Tina added rock songs by the Rolling Stones and the Beatles to their repertoire, which was…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tom Jones (1940). Joplin performed with Jones on his television show. “Joplin performs with Tom Jones on This Is Tom Jones in late 1969” (Wikipedia)
• The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators by 13th Floor Elevators (1966). The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (13th Floor Elevators) — geography for Janis Joplin “Around this time, Erickson met Janis Joplin at a party, while she was back in Texas between stints in San Francisco.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Full Tilt Boogie Band. The Full Tilt Boogie Band was one of Joplin’s backing groups. “After releasing two albums with the band, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band [ it ; pt ] and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band .” (Wikipedia)
• Living with the Animals by Mother Earth (1968). Living with the Animals (Mother Earth) — peer for Janis Joplin (musicbrainz.org)

Who Janis Joplin influenced

• The Rose. The film is loosely based on Joplin’s life. “Loosely modeled on the life of Janis Joplin - and setting a music biopic standard narrative with its rise-and-fall storyline, as seen in Focus Features’ Amy Winehouse film Back to Black , in theaters May 17 - The Rose is notable for its …” (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Brandi Carlile (1981). Journalist Tom Scanlon compares Carlile's vocal style to Janis Joplin. “A writer for Indianapolis Monthly also draws a comparison between Carlile's vocals and those of Joplin.” (Wikipedia)
• Robert Plant. The article compares Plant’s vocal technique with Joplin’s. “Plant's use of high-pitched shrieks has been compared to Janis Joplin 's vocal technique.” (Wikipedia)
• Lullaby (I Was Working Real Hard). Smith wrote the song for Joplin and sang it to her. “In her memoir Just Kids , Patti Smith mentions writing a song for Joplin and singing it to her one night at the Chelsea Hotel , where both were living at the time. The song, called "Lullaby (I Was Working Real Hard)", was never recorded …” (Wikipedia)
• Tove Lo (1987). Article notes Janis Joplin as Lo's style icon. “Lo's look is often compared to that of her style icon Janis Joplin” (Wikipedia)
• Ex fan des sixties. The Gainsbourg-penned song references Joplin. “A Serge Gainsbourg -penned French language song by English singer Jane Birkin , "Ex fan des sixties" (1978), references Joplin along with other disappeared "idols", such as Jimi Hendrix , Brian Jones and Marc Bolan .” (Wikipedia)
• Birdsong by Lea Anderson (1990). Hunter described Garcia’s song as being about Joplin. “Lyricist Robert Hunter has commented that Jerry Garcia 's "Birdsong", from his first solo album, Garcia (1972), is about Joplin and the end of her suffering through death.” (Wikipedia)
• Janis. McDonald released a song named for Joplin. “When Joplin was alive, Country Joe McDonald released a song called "Janis" on his band's album I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die (1967).” (Wikipedia)
• Stone for Bessie Smith. Previn's song is explicitly described as being about Joplin and the tombstone. “Dory Previn wrote a song about Joplin and the tombstone, "Stone for Bessie Smith", for her album Mythical Kings and Iguanas .” (Wikipedia)
• Flowers by Lindsay Kemp (1974). Flowers was inspired by and dedicated to Janis Joplin's death. “depicted the death of a rock star caused by drug addiction, inspired by Joplin's death on October 3, 1970, and dedicated to "a slew of rockers making youth-oriented music"” (Wikipedia)
• In the Quiet Morning. Farina’s composition was a tribute to Joplin. “Mimi Farina 's composition "In the Quiet Morning", most famously covered by Joan Baez on her album Come from the Shadows (1972), was a tribute to Joplin.” (Wikipedia)
• Chelsea Hotel#2. Cohen’s song is about Joplin. “Leonard Cohen 's song " Chelsea Hotel#2 " (1974) is about Joplin.” (Wikipedia)
• Shakira. The article explicitly lists Janis Joplin as an influence on Shakira. “Her other influences included Madonna , Sheryl Crow , Alanis Morissette , Janis Joplin , Billie Holiday , Marc Anthony , and Van Morrison .” (Wikipedia)
• Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks (1981). Bella Donna (Stevie Nicks) — legacy for Janis Joplin “== Influence == Joplin had a profound influence on many singers, including Steven Tyler and Stevie Nicks.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Pearl. The Mamas & the Papas’ song was a tribute to Joplin. “The Mamas & the Papas ' song "Pearl" (1971), from their album People Like Us , was a tribute to Joplin.” (Wikipedia)
• Children of the Eighties. Baez’s song mentions Joplin. “Another song by Baez, "Children of the Eighties", mentioned Joplin.” (Wikipedia)
• Yes I Am by Melissa Etheridge (1993). Yes I Am (Melissa Etheridge) — legacy for Janis Joplin “At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage, performing a tribute to Janis Joplin with Joss Stone.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Lungs by Florence + the Machine (2009). Lungs (Florence + the Machine) — legacy for Janis Joplin (musicbrainz.org)