Janis Joplin: Stories And Life Of The Woodstock Generation's Queen

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Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company perform onstage at the Fillmore East circa 1968 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Julie Snow/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

When it comes to Janis Joplin, stories about about the one-of-a-kind singer's freewheeling life and personal struggles. She was a kind of hippie goddess of the Woodstock era, a hard-partying gypsy with a raw voice and the best wardrobe this side of a New Orleans cathouse. But she was also a severe addict, an extremely lonely person who turned to drugs to fill the void in her life. Joplin saw triumph and abuse -- she was teased by frat boys at the University of Texas, then wowed Mama Cass at the Newport Folk Festival. Throughout the ups and downs, she channeled her feelings into her music, leaving us with songs that are somehow painful and joyous at the same time.