Big Brother & the Holding Company/Janis Joplin: Piece of My Heart
[purchase]
For better or worse, Peter Albin, James Gurley, Sam Andrew
and Dave Getz will be forever associated with Janis Joplin – even though she
sang with them for a little less than two years. The band was then, and is still
called Big Brother and the Holding Company, and except for James Gurley, the
guitarist, who passed in 2009, the original members are still making music and
you can keep up with their tour schedule at their website (http://bbhc.com). Granted, they’ve taken breaks from
it all off and on and they’ve added and removed additional members from time to
time, but Albin, Andrew and Getz are still together. While not one of the
musicians, Chet Helms is given credit for forming the band (the official web
site calls him “the real Big Brother”); as one of the first SF rock
producers/promoters/organizers, he brought them together. He, too passed away a
few years back.
I must confess that I probably wouldn’t have kept them in
mind all these years if it weren’t for Janis, and – although I knew deep in the recesses of my
mind that Big Brother was not the band backing her on Pearl (her best work) –
Joplin and the band’s Cheap Thrills includes one of my (many) favorite songs.
Piece of My Heart was first recorded by Erma Franklin in
1967. Erma Franklin (sister of Aretha) sings it with a different feel: it’s the same song but nowhere near as rough
as Janis’ vocals and Big Brother’s hard rocking, which seem to try to scratch
their way out of the romantic situation the song describes (and you’ll find
versions by many others, including Bonnie Tyler, Nazareth, Faith Hill ..) They
all sing:
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough,
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby!
Janis and Big Brother (above)/Erma Franklin (below)