Janis Joplin was born to a middle-class family in 1943. She is considered to be one of the greatest white female blues artists in history. The aura of self-destruction that surrounded her was part of her appeal. To her contemporaries she was much more than a rock singer. 

In 1966 she joined a blues band called Big Brother and the Holding Company and in 1967 the group appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival in California. Joplin became an overnight star. In 1968 Joplin left Big Brother and the Holding Company to pursue a solo career.

After a late night recording session in 1970 and some hard drinking with friends at a bar she returned to her Hollywood motel room. She apparently filled a hypodermic needle with heroin and shot it into her left arm. The injection killed her.

Joplin was posthumously elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Last updated: June 01, 2003

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