The 100 Greatest Bands of all time - #89 Big Brother & the Holding Company

Keep in mind that this is a band list and this placement is based purely on two albums, their self-titled 1967 album and 1968’s Cheap Thrills. The rest of Janis Joplin’s recording career was not considered for the purposes of this list. In 1966 in San Francisco, Guitarists Sam Andrew and James Gurley, bassist Peter Albin, and drummer Dave Getz formed Big Brother. A few months later, they had the incredible good fortune of hiring an unknown singer named Janis Joplin who turned out to be the greatest female vocalist in the history of recorded music. They were well established in the Bay area scene, but in June of 1967 they played the Monterey Pop Festival and everything exploded from there. Cheap Thrills was one of the most important records of the era, but 1968 came and Janis went solo. Still, those two amazing albums and a series of incredible live performances earns their place on this list.




I love Bye Bye Baby. It's one of the prettiest things Janis ever sang.





Looks like everybody in this whole round world is down on me.





Janis really tears this one up. She puts more feeling into a song than just about any other singer I've ever heard.





Over the years, many people have sung George Gershwin's classic song Summertime. Nobody has ever done it as well as Janis Joplin. This is the definitive recording of the song.





You know you got it, if it makes you feel good.





Love this song. Love sweet Mary. Love breathin' in the air.





and we conclude our look at Big Brother with their classic performance of Ball and Chain at the Monterey Pop Festival. I love watching Cass Elliot in the audience, herself a tremendous singer, watching Janis in total amazement.