News and Updates
April 1 , 2007

Wow… the autobiography research continues. How frightening. I’m almost done. Perhaps I can forget about actually writing it, and just get a job somewhere as a researcher. I could be happy doing research, I’m sure I could. Particularly if it were all research on myself….

I took time out to participate in a wonderful tribute to Odetta. It was chock full of people I admire – Madeleine Peyroux, Josh White Jr., Jesse Winchester (my absolute favorite male singer in the world, not to mention a great writer which annoys me to no end…). But of course, the star of the show was Odetta, so have a look at these.

Here’s me and Odetta in 1972 (I’m pretty sure that’s the year – note the hair size....). The very first concert I ever asked my parents to take me to was Odetta, sometime around 1960; she played at Rutgers or Princeton, and Mom and I had the only seats my folks could afford, up in the nosebleed section. A few years later, there was Odetta sitting next to my mom whenever I played in the Village, patting her hand and saying “She’ll be fine, Pearl, don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

Here’s a couple of later pictures as well, Vancouver in 2004, and then me singing a new song I’d written for her to Odetta after the tribute show ended.

Odetta and Janis. Note abundance of hair.

Odeta and Janis, 2004

Odetta and Janis, 2007

What a wonderful woman she is! Peter Cunningham has put up a great site with a lot of the concert photos here . Enjoy!!

Oh, wow, here’s my all-time favorite photo of myself as a kid – swimming. My life goal at that point was to be a lifeguard. I was seriously considering being a veterinarian on the side, since I knew lifeguards didn’t make much money, but I definitely was going to own my own business so I could take summers off. And of course, somewhere in between I’d have a career as a pianist.

Maybe I could just be a lifeguard and researcher, instead of being a writer.

Janis in 1956, swimming...

Actually treading water, which is sort of like swimming, except you don't go anywhere.

Janis discovers the magic words "Can I have more 'me' in the monitors?"

Here I am in a New York demo studio, sometime during June 1966, laying down all my songs so we could pick the material for my first album. Note the baby fat. And I’m wearing a dress (and heels, though you can’t see them.)

Yes, you got dressed up to go to the studio in those days. The men always showed up in suits, except for Artie Butler (organist/harpsichordist on Society’s Child), who showed up in a suit, then changed into an electrician’s jumpsuit. Go figure.

Janis teaching Leonard Bernstein the latest licks.

Ah, the Bernstein show. This is March 1967; a little less baby fat and just as much chutzpah. Apparently, I’m showing Leonard Bernstein how to play the piano….

Janis on her way *somwhere* with a guitar

Ah, walking down a New York street in July of 1967. Life Magazine did a big story on me, and they shot tons of photos in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. The nice thing was that afterwards they sent me a beautiful book with about 30 unused photos in it.

What you’re seeing here is my normal mode of dress in those days; the famous green boots I bought with my first earnings, a Masai bag Merka had brought me back from her time in Kenya, and guitars. I remember excitedly writing to Sis Cunningham at Broadside that after only 8 shows, I’d have enough money to finally buy a soft guitar case – that was the height of being a “real” folksinger to me

Me and Shadow, August 1967, Mira Sound Studio, where we were cutting A Song for All the Seasons Of Your Mind.

In retrospect I’m sure there was a lot of pressure on Shadow to make sure I had a hit single on the record; fortunately or unfortunately, I was no help whatsoever in that regard.

Shadow Morton attempts to slide out of the room without Janis noticing.

Here’s me on September 9, 1967, doing the Joey Bishop show.

Joey had me on the show pretty early on, which was considered quite a brave thing to do. In return, I usually caused him nothing but consternation. Honestly, the world would probably breath easier if I became an Olympic swimmer instead.

Okay, I am actually doing a couple of things besides blasting through my past. I’m listening to a ton of music, and have just discovered my absolute favorite new singer/writer, Sarah Bettens. Highly recommend her CD Scream, especially cut seven! And I’m going to do some gardening. Which is my excuse to stop writing this right now….