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Janis & Jack: An Evening with Holly George-Warren

Holly George-Warren is one of the most respected rock journalists and cultural historians in the country, whose 2019 biography, Janis, has been widely lauded for its intimate look into Joplin herself, the woman inside the rock star, and the personality that was so much more than a SoCo-swilling caricature.

George-Warren reveals Janis Joplin as a deep, complicated person with big dreams, a natural talent she worked arduously to develop, and a rebellious streak that informed her counterculture cred in 1960s Haight-Ashbury—along plenty of contradictions …which sounds awfully similar to another figure we all know—Jack Kerouac—the subject of Holly George-Warren’s eagerly anticipated new biography, currently in progress. George-Warren also previously edited The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats (1999).

Join Holly George-Warren as she appears at the Beat Museum for a talk on Jack and Janis, and their respective legacies as literary and musical pioneers, and as driving forces behind the movements they inspired.

Janis & Jack – An Evening with Holly George-Warren

Sunday, November 10th, 7 PM

THE BEAT MUSEUM

540 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO

Janis & Jack – An Evening with Holly George-Warren

‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ set to make it’s West End / UK Debut

A Night with Janis Joplin has its UK premiere at the Peacock Theatre this Friday, January 19th. This multi award-winning show is an extraordinary musical journey paying homage to the inspirations of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest legends. Find tickets to the show here.

Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock & roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock.

A stunning celebration of the blues and those beautiful bruises they leave on a singer’s soul
VARIETY

Rocks the house with a fervor that is riveting
NEW YORK TIMES

Fuelled by such unforgettable songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart”, “Mercedes Benz”, “Cry Baby” and “Summertime”, a remarkable cast and breakout performances. A Night with Janis Joplin, written and directed by Randy Johnson, is a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences—icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock ‘n roll’s greatest legend

Janis Joplin’s LP ‘Pearl’ to Get Major Vinyl Re-Release

On November 9, famed vocalist Janis Joplin will have her quadruple-platinum 1971 album Pearl re-released as a box set by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, which specializes in high-end reissues, in honor of its 50th anniversary. Fans can pre-order the new vinyl boxset here.

Pearl, which came out in 1971, was Joplin’s second and final solo album. The record came out posthumously three months after her death in 1970. Joplin was 27 years old. Among other hit songs on the album is “Me and Bobby McGee” by famed songwriter, Kris Kristofferson.

“Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is honored to be a part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of Janis Joplin’s landmark recording,” said Jim Davis, president of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. “Our limited-edition, audiophile-grade vinyl box set brings out the explosive dynamics and delicate intricacies of Ms. Joplin’s powerhouse performances, allowing listeners to get closer to the singer’s music, passion, and emotions. Most importantly, this definitive version helps ensure Pearl will forever be regarded as one of the most important rock albums of all time.”

Read more about the Pearl re-issue at American Songwriter 

JANIS JOPLIN’S SCRAPBOOK DAYS & SUMMERS IS AN INTIMATE SELF PORTRAIT OF A ROCK ICON

Read the full article at People.com

This funny, warm and achingly fragile side of the vocal powerhouse is revealed in Janis Joplin: Days & Summers, a new book that showcases the scrapbook Joplin kept during the time she shot to fame between 1966 and 1968. Packed with rare photos, articles, artifacts, letters, and in-depth commentary from friends, family and fellow rock icons, the first page features a question handwritten in her distinctive script: “Doncha wanta see me be a star?” It’s a line utterly devoid of hubris or ego. More than half a century after she put pen to paper, it’s impossible not to detect a desire to make the reader proud, and prove herself more than a misfit from a Texas oil town.

Her notes can be charmingly childlike, brimming with wonder and amazement as she gleefully takes in every moment of her ascent to rock royalty. “Your first-born is really doing great in the music business,” reads one letter to her family. “Did I tell you about all my reviews? Can I tell you again? This is all so exciting to me!”

The scrapbook is a touching self-portrait presented through mementos and small private moments, illustrating both how she saw herself and how she wanted to be seen. “You save stuff because it means something to you, and you can share it with somebody special,” says Michael. “That’s what this was for her.” For years, he and sister Laura — executors of their elder sibling’s estate — grappled with whether to keep the scrapbook private. “It’s so personal,” Michael admits. “It’s Janis’ handwriting and her notations and what she cut out of magazines with her little scissors in her apartment with her Elmer’s glue. The personal aspect is one of the reasons we hadn’t shared until now.”

Order Janis Joplin “Days & Summers” now via Genesis Publications

 

Genesis Publications- Janis Joplin: Days & Summers Pre Order Now

Janis Joplin: Days & Summers

Scrapbook 1966-68

Check out the full site here.

‘I’m sure you’ve heard that I’m a new breed swinger now, the idol of my generation, a rock’n’roll singer. Yes fans, yes, it’s true.’ – Janis Joplin

As the first-ever female rock star who dazzled listeners with her powerful voice and fierce uninhibited style, few musicians have attained the same iconic status as Janis Joplin. Now, Janis’s personal scrapbook is revealed for the first time, compiled between 1966-1968, as the singer found her star rising.

THE SCRAPBOOK

JANIS JOPLIN: DAYS & SUMMERS

‘We’ve had Janis’s scrapbook for a long time. It was really important to her. Scrapbooks may sound quaint and old-fashioned today, but by sitting down, cutting these things out, sticking them in place and annotating them, Janis has given us a unique record of the period.’ – Michael Joplin

In her handmade scrapbook Janis Joplin created a personal record of her meteoric rise to fame and the flowering of Sixties counterculture in which she was to play a lead role. From the singer’s earliest intimate blues gigs in local coffee houses, to her first appearances with Big Brother and the Holding Company, to the band’s breakthrough performance at Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, Janis’s story is remarkable. Throughout it all, she collected posters, souvenirs, press clippings, photographs and records, and annotated them with her comments.

More than 50 years later, Janis’s scrapbook is revealed for the first time. Featured alongside are previously unpublished items from her personal archive, including letters she wrote home to her family and a preceding scrapbook from her senior high school years, 1956-59. Collectively, they offer a brand new perspective on the Port Arthur girl that transformed into a rock goddess, setting the world on fire with her talent.

Janis Joplin Scrapbook, 1966-1968, coming from Genesis Publications

Genesis are proud to announce, in partnership with the Janis Joplin Estate, the forthcoming official limited edition book, Janis Joplin Scrapbook 1966-68 (working title).

Shared for the first time, Janis Joplin’s handmade scrapbook from the years 1966-1968 reveals the singer’s personal record of her meteoric success and the fascinating period of history of which she was a part.

From Janis’s earliest intimate blues gigs in local coffee houses, to her first appearances with Big Brother and the Holding Company, to the band’s breakthrough performance at Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 – which made her a rock star overnight – Janis’s story is remarkable. Throughout it all, she collected posters, souvenirs, press clippings, photographs and records. In Janis’s scrapbook you can see the Port Arthur girl transform into a rock goddess, setting the world on fire with her talent.

In a strictly limited edition of just 2,000 estate-stamped copies, Janis’s scrapbook will be reproduced in facsimile alongside further pieces from her archive. Her memorabilia will be interspersed with quotes and stories from the people who really knew her during that period and beyond, from friends, family and bandmates, to musicians, writers and photographers.

Register your interest here: https://www.genesis-publications.com/comingsoon/janis-joplin-scrapbook-1966-68/0806

Zach Theater’s “A Night With Janis Joplin”

Read the story at the Austin Chronicle.

There’s something I’ve never said in all my years of reviewing theatre, and as my editor is my witness, I’ll never say it again. Here goes: All the criticisms I can offer of Zach Theatre’s A Night With Janis Joplin don’t matter. If the audience is moved to tears of joy and people are on their feet celebrating, then something special is happening, and maybe that’s okay.

At a recent preview performance, people in the audience sang along, clapped, danced, and cheered. They were pretty well on board from the beginning, but once Janis (Mary Bridget Davies) sang the first notes of “Piece of My Heart,” the deal was done. A glance around the house showed over a hundred faces being thrown back to what must have been some amazing memories with that song for a soundtrack. (Do we want to know? Possibly not.) Even my guest – someone not inclined to clap and sing along at a rock concert – was on her feet.

A lot of this is due to Davies’ turn as Janis. You can quibble with how much she looks like her or whether her physicality is spot-on, but for real, y’all: that voice. She nails it. How exactly she manages to nail it night after night without killing her instrument? No idea. In fact, she sounds more like Janis than Janis did live. Davies – who was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance of the role on Broadway – takes your every memory of Joplin’s recorded music and gives a live performance so good, it may never have existed in reality. (That’s according to YouTube, because I’m too young to know firsthand. Yeah, boomers.)

The show features not just Janis, of course. It also gives us the amazing music of some of the women who influenced her, Black singers who were geniuses in their own right. To some ears, these ladies ought to have the show to themselves. That’s no slight to Davies but a nod to how remarkable the other women are – both in life and as embodied by the performers who sing with Davies in this production. Starting with “Tell Mama,” when Etta James (Tawny Dolley) struts back and forth upstage, it’s a great reminder that Janis wouldn’t have been Janis without the jaw-dropping talent of many Black women singers. With any luck, the creators of A Night With Janis Joplin will give us A Night With Aretha Franklin soon.

As a play, A Night is distinctly less than. The dialogue is thin, the plot nonexistent. Janis recites details from her life like an eighth-grade book report. The depression and addiction that led to her early death are all but unaddressed except with a few swigs from an onstage bottle.

But maybe it’s not really a play. Maybe it’s a glorified Janis impersonation, without apologies.

And you know what? That’s okay. It really is.

‘A Night With Janis Joplin’ wins Ovation Award

Read the story at the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-13/ovation-awards-2020-winners-fountain-theatre-pasadena-playhouse

A Night With Janis Joplin won the award for Best Presented Production at the La Mirada Theater.

As the 2020 Ovation Awards celebrated its 30th annual ceremony, it handed top honors to Pasadena Playhouse’s “Ragtime” for best production and direction of a musical and to Fountain Theatre’s production of “Cost of Living” as best play in an intimate theater.

The festivities, held Monday night by the nonprofit L.A. Stage Alliance, took place at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles and were hosted by actor George Salazar. Thirty-six awards were given to 13 Southern California theater companies. Winners were selected by local producers, directors, actors and other theater professionals chosen through an application process.

Fountain Theatre emerged as the night’s biggest winner after receiving the award for best season for a calendar of productions including “Cost of Living,” “Daniel’s Husband” and “Hype Man: A Break Beat Play.”

Other companies honored included Geffen Playhouse, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, Skylight Theatre, Center Theatre Group and Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.