School in 1960, she had already decided she wanted to be a singer, and left home. At first, Janis found work in the country and western clubs of Texas, also singing folk songs for very little money. Her ultimate goal in doing this was to raise enough money for a bus fare to California. She played the folk circuit around Austin for a short while, and then left for San Francisco. In the summer of 1965, Janis returned home to Port Authur for a year to question her life direction. Drugged-up and burned-out, she attempted unsuccessfully to conform to a "straight" lifestyle. Then, a fed-up Janis headed back to Austin, where she had previously experienced such hostility, and stayed there for a further seven months before she was on the move again this time to San Francisco, where the next, and most important, chapter of her life was to begin. By 1967, Janis had joined Big Brother and the Holding Company and hit the big time, or at least, had established a healthy following locally. Albert Grossman, arguably the most influential and important entertainment manager of the era, showcased them. Thanks to him, they secured a three-record deal with Colombia Records. The band played at Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium and, at the Monterey Pop Festival, California, where Janis gave a legendary performance. A year later, Big Brother released their first album "Cheap Thrills", the original title: "Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills," having been vetoed by censors. As a result of the album, the group was now playing even larger audiences for bigger fees. Concert flyers read: "Big Brother and The Holding Company with Janis Joplin." Increasingly, it was Janis who was singled out for critical acclaim. It was her powerful vocals on the extracted tracks "Summer time" and "Piece Of My Heart" that propelled the album to the top end of the charts. What is more, every Janis shriek and growl was painstakingly recorded with utmost precision. As the pressure on the hippie...
