She was so cool- a woman who was the star of the show, with an all male band. One can’t argue with her incredible soul and the power she exhibited. She was electrifying, and man, oh man, could she sing the blues! Janis’s live performances were so raw, she seemed to absorb the music, and through that expression, released an inner pain that was palpable. Listening to Summertime and hearing that haunting, raspy voice again, still sends a shiver down my spine. Yet, I found myself jumping at the chance to read and review this book and although Janis’ life is one defined by an inability to settle, a healthy self-destructive streak, and loads of angst and tragedy, I felt a real connection to time and place, and truly feel I have a much better understanding of Janis. Remembering the naked pain I felt at times when hearing Janis sing, then learning that she did indeed experience some pretty rough times, and knowing she suffered from some kind of powerful, insatiable need for something she couldn’t quite get a grip on, I passed on reading other books about Janis, because I just didn’t know if I was up to the emotional drain her life story might have on me. I have not read any other biographies, although I have learned there are at least two that are reputable, one of which was written by Laura Joplin, Janis’s sister. I have read one other book about Janis, way back in the late seventies or early eighties, which was shocking to me back then. The research is impeccable, and the cooperation the author received by those who were closest to Janis, included her surviving family, made the book feel very personal and authentic. We can go ahead and check those boxes and move on. However, the author seemed meant for this task, and has managed to do what few biographers are able to achieve- capturing Janis’s spirit and essence, giving the reader an intimate look at the person behind the persona, stripping away the veneer that she notoriously hid behind, to get a raw, harrowing look at the real Janis Joplin.īy now you know that when I read a biography, I demand organization, and prefer a chronological format. I would think that writing a biography over Janis would be a daunting task and more than a little intimidating. Even with all her experience, the author chose to write about a person who was incredibly complex, conflicted, driven, unconventional and tormented. Holly George-Warren is a seasoned music biographer, but this is the first book I’ve read of hers.

Written by one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of American music history, and based on unprecedented access to Janis Joplin’s family, friends, band mates, archives, and long-lost interviews, Janis is a complex, rewarding portrait of a remarkable artist finally getting her due.Ī stunning portrait of the troubled, restless soul behind the big, brash, larger than life persona that was Janis Joplin. She was a Texan who yearned to flee Texas but could never quite get away-even after becoming a countercultural icon in San Francisco. She was a sensitive seeker who wanted to marry and settle down-but couldn’t, or wouldn’t. She was a woman who pushed the boundaries of gender and sexuality long before it was socially acceptable. Janis was a perfectionist: a passionate, erudite musician who was born with talent but also worked exceptionally hard to develop it. But in these pages, Holly George-Warren provides a revelatory and deeply satisfying portrait of a woman who wasn’t all about suffering. Janis Joplin has passed into legend as a brash, impassioned soul doomed by the pain that produced one of the most extraordinary voices in rock history. Her parents doted on her in many ways, but were ultimately put off by her repeated acts of defiance. By the time she reached high school, she had drawn the scorn of her peers for her embrace of the Beats and her racially progressive views. She was a tomboy who was also intellectually curious and artistic. But even before that, she stood out in her conservative oil town. Janis Joplin’s first transgressive act was to be a white girl who gained an early sense of the power of the blues, music you could only find on obscure records and in roadhouses along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. This blazingly intimate biography of Janis Joplin establishes the Queen of Rock & Roll as the rule-breaking musical trailblazer and complicated, gender-bending rebel she was. Longlisted for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence

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