Janis Joplin was the premier white blues singer of the 1960s, known for her raw, explosive vocal style and her uninhibited stage presence. She shot to fame after a staggering performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival with Big Brother and the Holding Company. Her voice, which could go from a whisper to a jagged scream in an instant, conveyed a level of emotional vulnerability and power that was revolutionary for a female rock performer. Songs like 'Piece of My Heart' and her posthumous number-one hit 'Me and Bobby McGee' became anthems of the counterculture. Joplin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout her brief career and died of a heroin overdose in 1970 at the age of 27. She remains an iconic symbol of the San Francisco psychedelic era and a pioneer for women in rock music.