Date of show: Tuesday, November 19, 1968Top song of 1968: “Down on Me”
It was her electrifying performance in 1968 that was long awaited at Stony Brook University, she was fronting the group, Big Brother and The Holding Company and later went on to grace the stage live at Woodstock, in 1969.
Janis Joplin, the colorful soul. She exuded art in everything she did, down to her hair, career, and most of all, her life. She was so young and at the climax of her career.
Ralph LaMonda, engineering science major, who graduated in 1970, attended the concert and was glad to talk about what he remembered on that day. “She was backed by Big Brother & the Holding Company,” said Ralph LaMonda, engineering science major, who graduated in 1970, and who had attended the concert. “As I recall, she appeared sober and went the distance without incident.”
“It was a good concert,” said Lamonda.
Dubbed as “The Queen of Rock,” in an article by Laura Sydell, on npr.org, Janis had the voice of one of the most talented artist to date; it was raw.
Most of the emotion behind her bluesy songs came from a dark place. The article reported that after three years of hitting it big—Janis continued her drug habit which was ultimately the death of her. Apparently she went back to her hotel and shot up and was found dead the next day on October 4, 1970.
America truly lost a talented musician.
Surprisingly, during that same winter of her death, her record label released her album, Pearl. Though Janis did not get the chance to perform what many critics said was her best album, “Me and Bobby McGee” soared the charts.
Her work was well appreciated even after she was gone. TIME magazine described Janis as “Probably the most powerful singer to emerge from the white rock movement,” according to woodstockstory.com.
