Janis Joplin – Biography

Janis Joplin was born on January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas.  Breaking new ground for women in rock music, she rose to fame in the late 1960’s and was known for her powerful, blues-inspired vocals.  She grew up in a small Texas town known for its connections to the oil industry with a skyline dotted with oil tanks and oil refineries.  For years, Joplin struggled to escape from this confining community and spent even longer to trying to overcome her memories of her difficult years there.

Developing a love for music at an early age, Joplin sang in her church choir as a child and showed some promise as a performer.  She was a good student and fairly popular until around the age of 14 when some side effects of puberty started to kick in.  She got acne and gained some weight.

Joplin eventually developed a group of guy friends who shared her interest in music and the Beat Generation, which rejected the standard norms and emphasized creative expression.  Musically, Joplin and her friends gravitated toward blues and jazz music, frequenting local working-class bars in the nearby Louisiana of Vinton.

In 1962, Joplin started performing at folksings, on campus and at a local club.  With her forceful, gutsy singing style, Joplin amazed many audience members.  She was unlike any other white, female vocalist at the time.

Audio & Video Quality:  Very good audio and video quality,about an 8.25-8.5 using our website Quality Rating Table.

Total Running Time:  45 minutes.

Disc Format: 1 PAL DVD-R disc.

Special Price:  $13.00, regularly $22.00.