The American Music Masters tribute to Janis Joplin, Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin, culminated Saturday night with a tribute concert at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theater. The concert ended with Bobby Wood’s terrific house band playing “Get It While You Can,” a Jerry Ragovoy song that Janis Joplin recorded on Pearl. I felt such gratitude to the performers as they came out for a curtain call—they had all brought their best to tell Janis Joplin’s story. Over the course of the night, they showed us Janis’s deep musical roots in blues and folk, her galvanizing rock music, and her love for the soul music of her day.
An early highlight of the show was Guy Clark’s “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” a song he recorded on his debut album, Old No. 1 in 1975. Although the song wasn’t written about Janis, it was a perfect song to capture her desire to leave Texas and make a space for herself out in the world. Guy and Janis played the same circuit in Houston and Austin, Texas in 1965, and he recalled meeting her back then. Janis also crossed paths with Roky Erickson, who played a blistering “You’re Gonna Miss Me” on Saturday night—imagine if Janis had gotten her hands on that song! Janis’s fellow travelers, Powell St. John (who played with her during her University of Texas-Austin days), Country Joe McDonald, Bob Neuwirth, and Nick Gravenites (who wrote “Buried Alive in the Blues” and “Work Me Lord”) brought the personal connection to her that is part of what makes American Music Masters so unique. Gregg Rolie and Michael Carabello, founding members of Santana, shared the bill several times with Big Brother and the Holding Company in San Francisco in 1968. Their performance of “Evil Ways” “Nobody to Depend On” showed the diversity of the San Francisco sound.
Bettye LaVette, who recorded “Piece of My Heart” in 1969, did a soulful version of the song along with a smoldering “A Woman Left Lonely” (written by Dan Penn and Rock Hall Inductee Spooner Oldham). Her performance connected Janis’s story to other soul singers like Erma Franklin and Lorraine Ellison. Susan Tedeschi’s version of “Tell Mama” brought the spirit of Etta James in the house, and Tedeschi’s interpretations of “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” and “Kozmic Blues” brought the crowd to their feet. Ditto with Carolyn Wonderland’s version of the gospel classic “Down on Me,” which Janis learned from Odetta.
Two artists sang songs inspired by Janis: Country Joe McDonald performed “Janis” from Country Joe and the Fish’s album I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die (1967) and Nona Hendryx worked up a version of “Night Bird” which Labelle recorded on Nightbirds (1974). But no one expected to get a brand new song for Janis written for the occasion. Lucinda Williams closed out the night with a new song inspired by Janis’s life tentatively called “Difficult Child.” Played solo on guitar, it was a poignant ending to the night and a testament to Janis Joplin’s legacy. Lucinda’s set also included “Me and Bobby McGee” and a stripped down, bluesy version of “Ball and Chain” that showed the range of music that Janis Joplin recorded.
Thanks to all the artists who traveled to Cleveland to take part in a tribute to Janis Joplin that showcased her depth and significance as a singer and artist. And thanks to Laura and Michael Joplin, Janis’s sister and brother, who supported our work and even jumped on stage with their daughters for a sweet version of “Mercedes Benz” with Bob Neuwirth.
Posted by: Dr. Lauren Onkey
Gregg Rolie thanks the audience at the AMM Janis Joplin Tribute Concert on November 14, 2009. Photo: Rock Hall/Janet Macoska.
The Museum’s Exhibition Coordinator Shares How Tomatoes, Drugs, and Rock and Roll Brought this Rock Hall-Inducted Band Together
There are few things better that come out of our education programs than the real “behind the music” style stories shared by the artists and musicians who we celebrate. Such a story was told to me this past weekend by the co-founder and lead singer of Santana, Hall of Fame Inductee Gregg Rolie when he was in town to perform with fellow Inductee Michael Carabello for our 14th Annual American Music Masters series honoring Janis Joplin.
In most of the biographies you will read about Santana, they are rather ambiguous about the details of how the band was actually formed. You read about how Gregg Rolie and Carlos Santana were both in San Francisco in the 1960’s and then magically, there was Santana. When Gregg Rolie said to me, “you know how Santana really formed, don’t you?…it was in a tomato patch.” I knew I was about to be let in on a rock and roll secret.
This is how it really happened.
The origins of the Santana Blues Band, which later became just Santana, lie in a chance meeting between keyboardist and lead singer, Gregg Rolie and guitarist, Carlos Santana. The two knew of each other, both playing in separate bands around the San Francisco area in 1966. One sunny afternoon there was a house party out in the middle-of–nowhere California (which is now a highly developed suburb of San Francisco), where in character of the times, there were a lot of drugs being passed around. I mean, hey, it was a party! Carlos was there. So was Gregg. Eventually, so were the cops. Now, Gregg was interested in what he had seen Carlos do musically from being around the scene and seeing his band at the time. When the cops showed up at the party, he saw a chance to meet Carlos. In haste, he had seen an escape route from the cops and was about to let Carlos in on the action. As soon as he reached Carlos, he realized Carlos was already on the run, utilizing the aforementioned escape plan that he had apparently scouted out on his own. Gregg followed, running as fast as he could out the back door and into the tomato field that ran for miles behind the house. Hiding from the cops together in this tomato field for about two hours, Gregg and Carlos starting talking music and decided it was a great idea to start a band. This is how Santana was really formed…in a tomato patch.
Backstage at the AMM Tribute Concert, L-R: Gregg Rolie, Carolyn Wonderland, Jason Hanley and Michael Carabello. Photo: Rock Hall/Janet Macoska.
Jorma Kaukonen performs in the Rock Hall's Foster Theater on November 11, 2009. Photo: Rock Hall/Janet Macoska
American Music Masters is in full swing. Last night our signature Hall of Fame Series featured Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Jorma Kaukonen – a founding member of two legendary bands, the Hall of Fame Inducted Jefferson Airplane, and the still-touring Hot Tuna. The packed audience was treated to a special evening of live music and conversation that gave us all an insider’s look into the San Francisco music scene that Janis Joplin was a part of in the 1960s.
Some of the most fascinating discussion of the night came when Kaukonen talked about how in the early 1960s he had moved from Washington D.C. to Ohio, and finally out to San Francisco. As a new student at Santa Clara University Kaukonen walked into a small club that was featuring a hootenanny (a term typically used at the time to describe a folk-music party). That night he met several people who would become his friends, among them Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin. When asked about his time with Janis he described how they were all learning about music together. Everyone was caught in the folk craze, looking back at classic blues and country music. Jorma described how Janis was interested in the classic blues of Bessie Smith, and told the audience about his own admiration of gospel blues guitar finger-picker Rev. Gary Davis (1896-1972). And while they all shared common interests and played the same music together, each artist in the San Francisco scene eventually took the music in a different direction.
Kaukonen performed during the interview including a handful of tunes he had recorded with Janis in 1964 on the now famous typewriter tapes (because the “demo” style tapes featured Jorma’s wife typing in the background), including “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “Hesitation Blues.” Janis was such a powerful performer, he said, and even though they only knew each other for a short time, he will always remember the intensity of those years. Kaukonen also performed the Jefferson Airplane songs “Embryonic Journey” and “Trial by Fire,” the Hot Tuna song “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” and music from his new album including “Another Man Done a Full Go Round.”
L-R: Rock Hall education manager Stephanie Heriger with educator Nancy Boutilier. Photo: Rock Hall/Janet Macoska
Rock Hall’s Education Manager Discusses Tuesday’s Teachers Rock Event
It’s hard to watch Girls Rock!, the acclaimed documentary about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, and not be moved. As a woman, I saw myself – every part of myself – in the girls featured in the movie. As a female musician, I wished that I could have attended a camp like this when I was younger (or now, for that matter). As an educator and former elementary school teacher, I recognized a lot of my students (male and female) in the stories told on-screen. And as a member of the Education staff here at the Rock Hall, I couldn’t help but connect the dots between the world of Girls Rock! and the legacy of this year’s American Music Masters honoree – Janis Joplin. I realized very quickly that Girls Rock! would be a great way to get teachers to think about and discuss a lot of the complicated issues surrounding teaching in the 21st century – all through the power of rock and roll and the lens of Janis Joplin’s life and music.
Yesterday afternoon, as part of our monthly Teachers Rock series, I was joined by over twenty teachers from across Northeast Ohio to do just that. We were lucky enough to be joined by Nancy Boutilier, an area educator and active musician featured in the film. Having worked as a bass teacher and band manager at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls since 2004, Nancy gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the camp and revealed some of the story behind the story of Girls Rock! And as a high school teacher for fifteen years, Nancy also helped us to recognize the camp-classroom connection. Participating teachers left with resources and lesson plans pulled from our own educational programming here at the Rock Hall, including materials exploring the cultural history of the 1960s and the musical legacy of Janis Joplin.
It seems more than fitting to showcase a film like Girls Rock! as part of our American Music Masters series honoring Janis Joplin. Listening to Joplin sing is an experience – that voice is undeniable (you can read more about Joplin’s signature vocal delivery in Jason Hanley’s blog post below). Simply put, she was a performer who demanded that she be heard. And her voice spoke to and for a generation of women who struggled to find, and to claim, their own voice – in an industry and a society largely dominated by men. In a way, the Girls Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls owes Janis Joplin a debt of gratitude. I know I do.
Posted by: Stephanie Heriger
Rock and Roll Night School on November 9. Photo: Rock Hall/Janet Macoska.
Rock Hall’s Director of Education Discusses the Sound of Janis’ Voice
Last night we hosted the first event of American Music Masters week: Rock and Roll Night School at the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. The evening featured multi-media presentations by Dr. Lauren Onkey, Dr. Mary Davis (Chair of the Music Department at CWRU), and myself, examining Janis Joplin’s contributions to rock and roll history.
My presentation focused on what I most love about Joplin: her voice! Her vocal performances are so moving. She makes you feel something. She makes you want to jump and shout, dance and sing. People often talk about the wild abandon of her voice, as if she experienced a kind of rapture in her performances that pushed her and her audience to the edge. But after diving deep into her music over the last year I realized that her performances of rapture were just that, performances. It’s not that she didn’t feel them, but as a performer she worked at refining the way she created these moments for her audience. A great example of this is her performances of the classic Big Mama Thornton tune “Ball and Chain.” In early shows with Big Brother and the Holding Company Janis sings with a voice that suggests the classic blues sounds of Ma Rainey or Bessie Smith. She shouts out repeated words and even pushes her voice into the upper edge of her vocal range. By 1968 her technique had developed and expanded. She moved in and out of a falsetto register to push her voice even higher – up there her voice growls and hisses, but it’s all part of the sound. She sweeps the melody up and down, uses volume to create dynamic impact with very soft and very loud passages, and her repeated words found a rhythmic grounding that turned them into the equivalent of stabbing horn blasts. In her later performances with the Kozmic Blues Band and the Full Tilt Boogie Band, Joplin rules. The form of the song changes to allow her more time as a solo vocalist in which the vocal techniques she was honing are now full blown, and we all experience the ecstasy of her voice.
“Ball and Chain” was written by Big Mama Thornton (the first artist to record “Hound Dog”). Big Mama was one of the many blues singers that Janis admired. But when all of us in the education department went to look for the recording of Big Mama’s that Janis listened to in order to learn the song, we couldn’t find it. We wanted to play it in our Rockin’ the Schools program and use it to prepare for the tribute concert. Big Mama’s 1968 recording came out almost two years after Big Brother and the Holding Company started performing it live. Turns out that Joplin and Big Brother must have heard Thornton perform it live in San Francisco in 1966. This morning I was able to talk with Big Brother guitarist Sam Andrew on the phone (while the band is on tour in Europe) and ask him about the song. Sam confirmed that the band learned it from seeing Big Mama perform at the Both/And club on Divisadero St. in San Francisco. He said that Big Mama performed it as an up-tempo blues shuffle in a major key, but Big Brother decided to slow it down and put it in a minor key. While the LP dominated the late 1960s, the “Ball and Chain” story shows how powerful the live music experience still was for musicians.
Here’s a playlist of the Janis performances of “Ball and Chain” I used in Rock and Roll Night School:
· Big Brother and the Holding Company, Live in San Francisco (July, 1966)
· Big Brother and the Holding Company, Live at Monterey Pop (Saturday June 17, 1967)
· Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills (April 13, 1968)
· Kozmic Blues Band, Live at Woodstock (August 17, 1969)
· Full Tilt Boogie Band, Festival Express (July 4, 1970; Calgary)
American Music Masters week has arrived! We kick things off tonight with a special edition of Rock and Roll Night School on Janis Joplin’s career at the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. Everybody’s cranking Janis tunes around here today—in the last 10 minutes, I’ve heard “Ball and Chain,” (twice!) “Maybe,” “Bye Bye Baby” and “Cry Baby.”
I’m pleased to announce that we’ve added three artists to the bill for Saturday evening’s concert at PlayhouseSquare: Rock Hall Inductee Michael Carabello will be joining his old Santana bandmate Gregg Rolie during the show. Mike is a fantastic percussionist—he’s recorded with Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and the Rolling Stones, among others. Blues singer and songwriter Nick Gravenites will also be joining us. Nick crossed paths with Janis Joplin in the early 1960s during her first trip to San Francisco. Nick wrote “Buried Alive in the Blues,” which Janis was due to record for Pearl when she died (an instrumental version appeared on the final album). He has written songs for Paul Butterfield, The Electric Flag, James Cotton, and Quicksilver Messenger Service, among many others. And our last addition to the bill is Powell St. John from Austin, Texas. Powell sang with Janis Joplin in the early 1960s in Austin as part of the Waller Creek Boys. He also wrote “Bye Bye Baby” recorded on the first Big Brother and the Holding Company album. He also wrote a number of songs for the 13th Floor Elevators.
We’re thrilled that these guys are joining us to help tell Janis Joplin’s story. You can see a schedule of all the events here: www.rockhall.com/janisjoplinamm.
Posted by: Dr. Lauren Onkey
Bruce Springsteen performs tomorrow night at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans arena. Click here for details.
In this segment of my interview, Bruce Springsteen talks about Nebraska, the solo acoustic album he released in 1982. In 1980, prior to embarking on The River tour, Bruce was basically broke. Despite all of his success, legal fees, taxes and the cost of studio time had taken their toll. So, in early 1982, he decided to try recording in a more low-tech way in an effort to save money. He asked his guitar tech, Mike Batlan, to purchase a four-track Teac cassette recorder. They set it up in Bruce’s bedroom. Many of the songs were cut in only one day, several of them in only one take. His intention was to create demos and cut them later with the full band. “I went into the studio,” Bruce said, “brought in the band, re-recorded, re-mixed and succeeded in making the whole thing worse.” He convinced Columbia Records to release the songs as he originally recorded them. The album was critically acclaimed upon its release. The Hall of Fame exhibit includes the Teac recorder Bruce used to record the album, as well as the Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar he played on Nebraska.
I made a vacation out of this event. Really, I mean, I could have worked, but that meant that at some point during the concerts, I would not have been watching the performances. Not a chance. Going into this I knew that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts were going to be an event for the ages.
Opening with remarks from event producer Tom Hanks, the music started with the Killer himself, Jerry Lee Lewis, a 1986 inductee, pounding out “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On.” He was followed by Crosby, Stills and Nash. The trio and their band were clearly psyched up for the show and hit the stage with an energetic “Woodstock.” Each of the night’s billed acts had a slate of special guests and CSN first brought out Bonnie Raitt. Possessing one of the greatest voices in rock, Raitt sang a moving “Love Has No Pride” with Crosby and Nash adding harmonies. Stills rejoined them and Raitt pulled out the bottleneck slide for a take on Gregg Allman’s “Midnight Rider.” Next up was “The Pretender” performed with its author, Jackson Browne. James Taylor was next with versions of “Mexico,” “Love the One You’re With” and Buffalo Springfield’s “Rock and Roll Woman.” They all returned for “Teach You Children” and enacted a No Nukes reunion of sorts.
Madison Square Garden is one of the oldest major arenas in the country and undoubtedly a legendary venue, but it’s also deceptively intimate. Even in the cheap seats, a relative term for this show, the energy was palpable all night. Paul Simon, a favorite son of Queens, worked that feeling with a tight set that featured hits from throughout his solo career. He welcomed interludes from fellow New Yorkers Dion, performing “The Wanderer,” and Little Anthony and the Imperials. Their version of “Two People in the World” made me wonder how many people in that crowd had actually heard an acappella group before. Simon brought out his longtime musical partner Art Garfunkel to a rapturous welcome. Their five-song set was commanding and deeply emotional. I can’t count how many people I witnessed wiping tears from their faces.
Faced with a sound system problem, Stevie Wonder dished up an impromptu solo version of Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,” a hit for him in 1966. Problem solved and full speed ahead. Wonder’s set was a voyage through his formidable solo career and a tribute to many of his contemporaries and heroes. Guests included John Legend (“Mercy, Mercy Me”), Smokey Robinson (“Tracks of My Tears”), B.B. King (“The Thrill is Gone”), Sting (“Higher Ground” and “Roxanne”) and Jeff Beck (“Superstition”). During “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Wonder’s homage to Michael Jackson, he choked up in a wellspring of emotion only to recover and lead the crowd in a call and response.
You could witness a hundred shows from Bruce Springsteen and never have seen anything like the set he and the E. Street Band delivered on Thursday. In a seventeen-song set, there were only two performances by just Springsteen and the band. Like Stevie Wonder, it was a guest-filled bonanza that covered soul (with Sam Moore), rock and roll (with John Fogerty), Brill Building pop (with Darlene Love), and social consciousness (with Tom Morello). If that wasn’t enough, Springsteen and fellow east-coast legend Billy Joel paired for a rare set of duets from both of their respective songbooks. Six hours after it all began, Springsteen brought out all his guests for a roof-raising run at Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher.
Revisiting the show like this is nearly exhausting as the actual experience. As I went over my notes, I kept thinking, this was all one night? One show? I need a vacation from my vacation, just to digest it all. Posted by: Howard Kramer
Click here for a set list from the Rock Hall’s 25th Anniversary shows.
The Rock Hall's Atlantic Records exhibition case in the Main Exhibit Hall.
While the Rock Hall team was in New York for the 25th Anniversary Concerts, a celebration of the late Jerry Wexler’s life and his legacy was held at the Director’s Guild. This tribute was a lively event meant to rejoice in all of the music that Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry was responsible for or had touched in his inimitable way.
Jerry’s daughter and son, Lisa and Paul, got it started with a few words about their Dad. Both discussed how much he meant to each of them and what a powerful influence he had been on their lives as well as so many others in the music industry.
The program was divided into two parts: first, speakers who gave personal remembrances; and second, a group of performers doing renditions of songs that Jerry produced and/or loved…..or both.
Many of the speakers gave testimony as to what Jerry had meant to their lives. Several talked of his being a “rabbi” of sorts. David Ritz, who co-authored Jerry’s autobiography and is the dean of musical biographers, even provided the audience with some very specific legal advice that Jerry had proffered in response to one of David’s problems. It was hilarious and unrepeatable.
As for the performances, they ran the gamut from heartfelt to riveting. They included a terrific set by Jerry’s daughter, Lisa with her long running band, Big Sister. Lenny Kaye, my old college chum and Hall of Fame Inductee Patti Smith’s guitarist, assisted them.
Other highlights included a song by Joe South, whom few had seen in almost 30 years. It was truly a special moment. William Bell brought it all back to Stax with “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and was outstanding as always. Bettye Lavette followed with a stirring version of “Drown in My Own Tears.” She also told the audience that Jerry Wexler was the only person in the record industry that ever helped her. This statement came with a profound explanation and commentary on her remarkable journey in the biz to where she is today. Bettye is a featured performer in our American Music Masters event this year honoring Janis Joplin. Her fabulous contribution just made me more anxious for the AMM week to begin.
Next, Lou Ann Barton did the song Jerry first heard her perform which she later recorded with him. It’s one of my all time favorites, “It’s Raining”, a classic from Irma Thomas.
All in all, it was a fitting celebration of someone who truly changed the landscape of musical history and world culture. I was proud and honored to be there.
Posted by: Terry Stewart
Jerry Wexler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 1987.
Early Sunday afternoon I decided that I had to see the Michael Jackson film, This Is It. I’d read the reviews which were pretty much all over the place, so I was a bit apprehensive. You know, I was a little fearful of something too exploitive.
What a surprise! Michael’s fans and music fans alike should take in this film before it leaves the theaters in its short run….seeing it at home on DVD will not do it justice. It’s a joyous revelation of the talent and spirit of this man.
I must admit that I had a very emotional response to this film about an artist I always listened to and loved so much. The viewer gets a great look at how the show was coming together and what a ground-breaking, incredible performance was intended. Unfortunately, it’s also a window to what we all lost with Michael’s passing.
Given the few cameras used and the hours of film, the seamless nature of the songs and the continuity is remarkable. Just remember though, that as a fan, it is very powerful to watch and so sad to know what will never be again.
Posted by: Terry Stewart
Welcome to the official blog of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
This is where we will post insights from Rock Hall staff and guest writers about exhibits, events, concerts and more with an emphasis on lesser known facets of the Rock Hall.
Consider this your backstage pass.
rock_hall: Watch the 25th Anniversary Concerts in our Foster Theater Nov 29 at 8 p.m. Free event but seats are limited! RSVP here: http://bit.ly/4ttonA
American Music Masters week has arrived! We kick things off tonight with a special edition of Rock and Roll Night School on Janis Joplin’s career at the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. Everybody’s cranking Janis tunes around here today—in the last 10 minutes, I’ve heard “Ball and Chain,” (twice!) “Maybe,” “Bye Bye Baby” and “Cry Baby.”
the performances. Not a chance. Going into this I knew that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts were going to be an event for the ages.
