March 16th marks the 42nd anniversary of Janis Joplin’s one and only performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Here is a little background on Janis Joplin on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Janis rose to fame with Big Brother Holding Company in 1967 following a rousing performance at The Monterey International Pop Festival. Two years later, Janis’ run with the psychedelic rock band came to an end. By early 1969 Janis had formed a new group, the Kozmic Blues Band, that was oriented more towards a bluesy, funky, soulful sound. One of the group’s earliest performances took place on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Janis Joplin and the Kozmic Blues Band took to The Ed Sullivan Show stage on March 16, 1969. Following Ed’s introduction of Janis, the band opened with a performance of “Raise Your Hand,” a song written by Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd and Al Bell. She then followed that with a moving, psychedelic rendition of “Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.” During the bluesy number, Janis was soulful and passionate putting every ounce of herself into the song. The performance truly exemplified Janis Joplin’s style and sound. Here is a clip from the show:
That evening Janis blew audiences across the nation away with her power and soul. Nobody had yet to really see a female singer become so completely consumed by her music the way Janis did. Janis Joplin’s “Raise Your Hand” and “Maybe, Maybe, Maybe” have gone down as two of the legendary Ed Sullivan Show performances of all-time.
Following Janis Joplin’s Ed Sullivan Show appearance, her popularity only continued to grow. Over the next year and half, she toured North America and Europe, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and performed at the legendary Woodstock festival with other great bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Santana.
While we sadly lost Janis on October 4, 1970 we will never forget her.
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