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Big Brother and the Holding Company
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Biography Page 1
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"Big Brother and the Holding Company was a prime example of a band where the chemistry was right, where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. You cannot buy or manufacture the natural feeling that was in that band. Big Brother played from the heart and soul with the goal of achieving a direct connection with the innermost feelings of the audience." - Sam Andrew
Genuine rock legends of the 60’s from San Francisco, Big Brother and the Holding Company was in the forefront of the psychedelic music movement, and made history as the band that brought Janis Joplin to stardom.
The band was formed by Peter Albin, Sam Andrew, James Gurley and Chuck Jones in San Francisco, in a Victorian mansion-cum-boarding house owned by Peter's uncle at 1090 Page Street in the Haight Ashbury section. Originally called the Blue Yard Hill, with various members floating in and out, Big Brother and the Holding Company became a reality in September 1965. They played their first official gig in January 1966 at the Open Theater in Berkeley. Within a short time they became the house band for Chet Helms at the Avalon Ballroom and began to develop a loyal following of fans. The band had what Sam Andrew described as a "progressive-regressive hurricane blues style" in the early days. Highlights of their early performances included "Coo Coo", "That's How Strong My Love Is"and "Hall Of The Mountain King" usually relying on Peter Albin for lead vocals. Later, Peter would also sing the lead on the early versions of "Down On Me", and "Summertime".
In 1966 the band decided they should begin looking for a female lead singer as a "copycat thing" - the Jefferson Airplane and other San Francisco bands had woman singers. Chet Helms suggested Janis Joplin, a transplanted Texan who had performed in the Bay Area in 1963-64 before returning home. On Chet's urging Janis auditioned for the band at their rehearsal hall in an old firehouse. Janis debuted with Big Brother on June 10, 1966, at the Avalon Ballroom. The majority of Big Brother fans approved of the addition, and Janis became an instant hit.
When Janis joined, the musical direction of the band began to change. In the early days they regularly launched into extended improvisations such as The Hall of the Mountain King, a number they playing in concert that often stretched out into a fifteen-minute flight of fancy. After Janis came, the format became more structured to accommodate a vocalist.
In August 1966, Big Brother went to Chicago for an extended engagement at Mother Blues, a major blues-rock venue. It was there that they signed their first record contract with Mainstream Records. Nearly a year later their self-titled album was released. Throughout the winter of 1966 and the spring of 1967, their popularity and their audience continued to grow. In June 1967 the band was invited to play at the Monterey Pop Festival. It was their performance at Monterey - particularly Janis and her "screamingly mournful vocals and potently sexual stage act", as a reviewer wrote - that truly shot Big Brother into the national spotlight. But though Janis was hailed as a great blues singer, Ed Denson of the Berkeley Barb observed that "it was the instrumentalists who really made the group out of sight."
Biography Page 2 Photos
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