We just watched a Netflix doc on Janis Joplin called Janis: Little Girl Blue. She was a Port Arthur resident. My wife went to high school with Janis's younger brother Mike and they were exactly 10 years younger than Janis. She died in 1970, soon after attending her 10th high school reunion in Port Arthur.
The film actually had interview footage of Janis Joplin at her 10th high school Reunion. That footage made me a bit sad. She seemed to struggle to get her ideas out, like she still felt shy even though she had fame that extended around the world. Kind of like she returned to the scene of the crime, her high school experiences, and really could not shake the feeling.
Interesting too that Paul Rothschild the producer who did "Me and Bobby McGee" with her had insights into her singing ability. He thought Janis had immense talent that maybe even she did not fully understand. I got the sense she could sing with phenomenal skill-- but the emotions were so strong they concealed her singing ability. Rothschild succeeded in opening her performance up with Bobby McGee-- and in that song there are more nuances of emotion than in her previous work. Apparently she was thrilled with the results.
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