Janis Joplin was an American singer who became one of the defining voices of rock and blues in the late 1960s. Rising to prominence with Big Brother and the Holding Company before pursuing a solo career, she stood out for her raw, intense and deeply expressive voice, rooted in blues, soul and psychedelic rock. With songs such as Piece of My Heart, Cry Baby and Me and Bobby McGee, along with the album Pearl, Janis Joplin became an iconic figure of the counterculture and rock history.