Few artists had as large of an impact on music in such a short amount of time as Janis Joplin. In a matter of a few years, Joplin's iconic voice went from being well-known at venues in San Francisco, to instantly recognizable around the world.
As Joplin's fortunes rose, only one individual managed to stay on tour with her through the various iterations of her band. That man, John Byrne Cooke, her road manager, is now out with a memoir, On the Road with Janis Joplin, detailing his journey with Joplin from her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival until he was the first to find her dead in her hotel room. See some of Cooke's never before seen photos of the artist.
In 1963, on Joplin's first visit to San Francisco, she sang Carter Family songs and accompanied herself on the Autoharp.
Janis sings harmony with Sam Andrew in Frankfurt, West Germany in 1969 while young German and American servicemen crowd the stage.
A promotional photo of Big Brother and the Holding Company.
James Gurley, who sang lead vocals with Peter Albin, Sam Andrew, and Janis Joplin for Big Brother and the Holding Company.
The film crew for D.A. Pennbaker at the Monterey Pop Festival. The author, John Byrne Cooke, is standing in the center with sunglasses and a mike in hand. D.A. Pennebaker, one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema, is in the front row all the way to the left.
Janis and Sam Andrew rehearse on a California motel patio before a concert in 1969.
John Byrne Cooke (center) at the Big Sur Folk Festival in 1968, on a break from touring with Big Brother and the Holding Company. On the left side of the photo stand Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins, and on the right, festival director Nancy Carlen and Joan Baez.
Janis signing Big Brother and the Holding Company's recording contract with Columbia Records in Columbia's New York office, February 1968.
At the end of a song, Janis exults in the audience's reaction to her concert with the Kozmic Blues Band in Frankfurt, West Germany."
