Janis Joplin - Live With Big Brother and the Holding Company

Janis Joplin: In Woodstock

Forty years of Austin music history, surrounding the myths and legends of Janis Joplin.

Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock & roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock. From Broadway to your screen, now you’re invited to share an evening with the woman and her influences in the musical, A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN. Fueled by such unforgettable songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Cry Baby” and “Summertime,” a remarkable cast and breakout performances, A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN, written and directed by Randy Johnson, is a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences—icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock & roll’s greatest legends.

Performance video which includes: Try (Just a Little Bit Harder), To Love Somebody, Work Me Lord, Ball and Chain, Piece of My Heart, Combination of the Two, Cry Baby, Tell Mama, Move Over, and Kozmic Blues

A compilation of performances recorded between 1967 and 1970 -- including the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock -- this Janis Joplin tribute captures the blues singer at the height of her explosive powers as an artist and rock 'n' roll icon. Highlights include "Summertime" and "Ball and Chain" at the Monterey Pop Festival; "Work Me, Lord" at the Woodstock Festival; as well as performances of "Coming Home," "Piece of My Heart" and "Down on Me."

Bio of Janis Joplin, musical icon of the 1960s whose life ended much too young at 27 from a heroin overdose.

A look at the life and reputation of the singer Janis Joplin.

The performances featured on this DVD were filmed at the studios of KQED TV in April 1967, just weeks before Big Brother & The Holding Company shot to international fame following their blinding set at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 (which featured Joplin's show-stopping performance of 'Ball And Chain', a highlight also of D.A. Pennebaker's famous movie documenting the festival). For many fans this was the period when Janis Joplin was at her best, before the pressure of fame and the ravages of drugs took over. This is the first DVD to release these KQED TV tracks. The songs are interspersed with short interviews with Janis and other band members, all in excellent sound and picture quality for the era. In addition to 'Ball And Chain', which was to appear on the group's second album in the following year, the set features two of the group's hit singles, 'Down On Me' and 'Coo Coo'. This package also includes a bonus audio CD of the tracks.

Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.