Biography

Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer, songwriter and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Joplin number 46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Janis Joplin covered "Me and Bobby McGee" written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster and was introduced on her 1971 Pearl album. Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single and only the second posthumous number one single in rock & roll history (the first was "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding). In 2004, the Janis Joplin version of this song was ranked #148 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. greatest hits: "Piece of My Heart", "Summertime", "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)", "Cry Baby", "Bye, Bye Baby", "Ball and Chain"