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Janis Joplin
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Inspired by blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, Janis began her career by recording blues music in the early 1960s. She rose to fame in 1967 with her San Francisco-based psychedelic rock band called "Big Brother and the Holding Company." After recording two albums with them-- the second, "Cheap Thrills," going multiplatinum-- Janis left the band to begin her solo career, however she would only see the release of one more album. She famously appeared at the "Woodstock" Festival in 1969, and her powerful vocals and electric stage presence have inspired generations of musicians and singers. She was a symbol of the outcast, a misfit and a rebel who found fame and fortune, but her personal life was troubled and she struggled heavily with drugs and alcohol. She died in late 1970 of a heroin overdose, just 16 days after the death of Jimi Hendrix. They were both only 27 years old. Her album "Pearl" was released posthumously in 1971, and it went 4 times multiplatinum. Since her death, she has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her younger sister Laura Joplin published a biography on Janis entitled "Love, Janis," which was later adapted into a successful musical play. It is truly impressive that in only 3 years Janis made such a mark on the music industry, and she will certainly never be forgotten.