On the Road with Janis Joplin

by John Byrne Cooke

One of Parade 's Top Ten Rock n' Roll Reads

As a road manager and filmmaker, he helped run the Janis Joplin show—and record it for posterity. Now he reveals the never-before-told story of his years with the young woman from Port Arthur who would become the first female rock and roll superstar—and depart the stage too soon.
 
In 1967, as the new sound of rock and roll was taking over popular music, John Byrne Cooke was at the center of it all. As a member of  D.A. Pennebaker’s film crew, he witnessed the astonishing breakout performances of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival that June. Less than six months later, he was on a plane to San Francisco, taking a job as road manager for Janis and her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. From then on, Cooke was Joplin’s road manager amid a rotating cast of musicians and personnel, a constant presence behind the scenes as the woman called Pearl took the world by storm.
 
Cooke was there when Janis made the difficult decision to leave Big Brother and form a new band. He was with her when the Kozmic Blues Band toured Europe in the spring of 1969, when they performed at Woodstock in August, and when Janis and Full Tilt Boogie took their famous Festival Express train trip across Canada. He accompanied Janis to her friend and mentor Ken Threadgill’s 70th birthday party, and was at her side when she attended her tenth high school reunion in Port Arthur, Texas.
 
This intimate memoir spans the years he spent with Janis, from her legendary rise to her tragic last days. Cooke tells the whole incredible story as only someone who lived it could.
 
INCLUDES PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHS

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, History, Audiobook, Celebrity

414 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

John Byrne Cooke was an American author of five books, road manager to Janis Joplin from late 1967 until her untimely death in 1970, a musician, a photographer, and a documentary film maker. He was the son of Alistair Cooke, and the great-grandnephew of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Reviews

[Rob Dwyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a Janis Joplin fan since I was just 10 years old. In fact, Myra Friedman's BURIED ALIVE was the very first rock biography I'd EVER read. My grandmother recommended it to me during a library visit in 1979, when I was just 10 years old. I was a little surprised that she would point me to something so "heavy" at such a young age. I believe she was trying to give me an early warning about the dangers of drug abuse. And while this did dissuade me from every even considering using heroin, I also became the biggest Janis Joplin fan in my 5th grade class! To this day, I consider Janis one of these greatest blues-rock singers EVER. Hearing "Summertime" never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Her delivery was so honest, emotive, passionate and always moving.

I was actually quite pleased with John Byrne Cooke's book about his years working as a road manager for Janis Joplin. Their time together (1967-1970) actually spanned the majority of her time as a major label recording artist. Given this fact, John was in the unique position of knowing the intimate details of her daily itinerary for so many years. It was an opportunity that Mr. Cooke wisely preserved and has so graciously shared with us in his personal accounting of her glory years and final days.

My sole criticism of the book would be the author’s decision to spend so much time in the introductory chapter discussing his own experience at Monterey Pop while working with filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker. While I DID find this section to be interesting, I can imagine some Janis fans will begin wondering whether the author has all that much to say about Janis. The answer is YES, but you do have to wait a chapter before he really digs in to his main topic. I do think this back story is helpful and does go a long ways towards explaining the important of that festival to her career, as well as how they met.

I found the book to be greatly insightful in explaining her early days with Big Brother, the risky transition to becoming a solo artist with Kozmic Blues and her happier final months with Full Tilt Boogie. This book also takes this time to refute many allegations about Janis, her career & death that I've long believed to be true. I won’t spoil any of these new discoveries for you here, but would instead encourage any Janis fan to rediscover her magic once again in reading this book.

I was tempted to give this book 5 stars and would certainly award it 4.5 if Goodreads allowed such a rating. One of the main reasons I prefer this to so many Janis Joplin biographies I've read is become it is much more matter of fact, than dramatic or sensational. I would definitely recommend this one and would like to personally thank John for sharing his story with us after so many years. It has taught me so much about Janis’ professional career and has also inspired me to relive the magic of her music once again.

[Diane Moyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was only twelve when Janis Joplin was found dead from an overdose of heroin. I liked her music then but I grew to love it as I got older. She was the type of strong woman that you either loved or hated, she was way ahead of her time. Her life style was very bohemian and she was considered a hippie. My parents, like most at the time, were not fans because of what she stood for which made me love her all the more.

The author of this book, John Byrne Cooke was her road manager for most of her short career. He has written a moving tribute to this great singer who was often times misunderstood. He was a personal friend and confidante. He heard her when she first performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. A musician himself, he recognized her for the tremendous vocalist that she was. Through mutual acquaintances and twists of fate, he became her manager. Their lives were intertwined until her premature death at 27.

I love this book and recommend it. You get a glimpse into the real life of Janis Joplin. Although it doesn’t make excuses for either, it explains the reasons for her drinking and drug use. It humanizes her and makes you realize that she was as insecure and fallible as anyone. After I turned the last page, I was struck again by the senselessness of her passing and couldn’t help wondering how rock and roll would have evolved if this great songster had lived.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this all I knew about Janis was: her nickname was pearl, she died young from an overdose, and I've heard like 4 or 5 of her songs. Basically I didn't know diddly squat. Some of the reviews have been unfavorable towards this book because readers feel as if the author talks too much about himself. Personally, I liked that. He validated how he knew Janis and he had an interesting life as well! He was her road manager through all three of her bands and he knew her as well as you could know her during the musical part of her life. They weren't always best buds but he was there for her through thick or thin and I think this book was an excellent chronicle of her musical life. I learned so much about her talent, her prowess, and her loving freespirited nature. I won't lie I even got choked up at then end even though I knew it was coming. A life cut short. What a shame. A great read that inspired to sit on the porch, drink, and jam out to her music.

[Katt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nie jest to zła książka ale też nie jest to moja książką. Jeśli tak jak ja ktoś szuka typowej biografii Janis Joplin od dzieciństwa aż do jej śmierci to może się po prostu lekko rozczarować.Jest tutaj naprawdę dużo informacji o trasach koncertowych (w sumie to po tytule można było się tego spodziewać), o powstawaniu płyt czy samych koncertach. Jest też trochę ciekawostek dzięki którym poznajemy lepiej charakter Janis ale nie zmienia to faktu że to tylko rozbudziło moją ciekawość co do jej osoby jeszcze bardziej. Myślę że jest to książka dla ludzi którzy dobrze znają jej biografie i chcą się jeszcze dowiedzieć jakiś ciekawostek.

[Ashley Reading Stewardess · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I have to thank First to Read for providing me with a copy of "On the Road with Janis Joplin" is John Byrne Cooke's first hand account of the rise and gone before her time of female rock legend, Janis Joplin. In telling about the rock and roll lifestyle of Janis Joplin, Cooke also makes sure to share with the reader information about what was happening in the world around them from the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, to the various events of the Vietnam War, and of course Janis's performance at Woodstock. As Janis's road manager, Cooke was there to witness both the good and the bad of Janis's life. He tells not only of her well known drug use, but also of the life and vibrancy she exuded and her complete and unfailing love for those who were closest to her.

I really enjoyed reading this book for I truly did learn a lot more about Janis Joplin than I knew previously. It was amazing to read about all of the various famous people of the time she knew, such as: Shel Silverstein who was working for "Playboy" as a cartoonist and writer at the time, Jerry Lee Lewis who she got into a physical altercation with after he told her he didn't think her sister was all that attractive, and her utter and mutual dislike of Jim Morrison. While reading this wonderful insight into what some would deem a tragic life, I couldn't help but find myself listening to many of the songs which were produced by the bands that are mentioned throughout the book for not only being popular at the time, but also for their interactions with Janis. I became not only fully immersed in the reading of this book and Janis's life, but in the music of the time.

Janis Joplin said the following about her life: "All my life, I just wanted to be a beatnik. Meet all the heavies, get stoned, get laid, have a good time. That's all I ever wanted. Except I knew I had a good voice and I could always get a couple of beers off of it. All of a sudden someone threw me in this rock-n-roll band. They threw these musicians at me, man, and the sound was coming from behind. The bass was charging me. And I decided then and there that was it. I never wanted to do anything else."

Well, after reading this book, I would have to say that Janis did exactly as she set out to do. For those who: lived during this time and remember the events of the 60s and 70s, who were fans of the music of Janis Joplin, and those who want to know more about this legendary singer and what was going on around her, I would recommend this book to.

[Gerry FitzGerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written memoir about the all-too-brief, tragically sad career of Janis Joplin. I was in Vietnam the day Janis died and I cried like a baby. We had one scratchy reel-to-reel tape of BB&HC, and played it over and over again. But it was never about her music - always about her spirit. It was a kick in the stomach, like there would be nothing left to go home to.

I've read everything there is to read about JJ, and I thoroughly enjoyed OTR. And, I loved and appreciated the final point made very eloquently by the author, that JJ wasn't trying to end her life and she wasn't just being careless by overdosing. She wanted to live and had so much to live for. The heroin she took was simply too pure. Her supplier's error.

When I reflect on Janis Joplin, I always think that if she could have just survived that last lethal dose, and lived to see that album published, she would have been able to quit the drugs one more final time and enjoyed a long and successful career as one of the consummate entertainers of my lifetime.

[Mark Berton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is less "On the Road with Janis Joplin," and more "Memoir of John Cooke." I understand that the author's connection to the subject matter is essential, but good God, Cooke includes every detail of his pre-Janis hippy life and most every detail of his life that Janis just happened to be in. It's a long read and really doesn't give you much insight into Janis' motivations or personality. In any given chapter, you might get 95% of Cooke telling you how he skinny dipped with a bunch of people, or how he rubbed elbows with any number of folk singers, and 5% of "Janis giggled at that like a little girl." I can't imagine spoiling Janis' ending since it's history, but if you don't know, SPOILER ALERT: Even when Cooke is the first to find Janis's corpse, his relation of the discovery is so antiseptic and cold. It was all about him and how he was going to tell people, etc. This, for me, was not even a loosely construed biography of Janis, it was a self-indulgent story that you can picture John Cooke telling over and over again on the golf course or at the club.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Byrne Cooke is an interesting guy in his own right, having played in a seminal Cambridge Bluegrass band, and been a soundman on D.A. Pennebaker's film of "Monterey Pop," before becoming the road manager for Big Brother and The Holding Company and Janis Joplin's last two bands. He's since been a writer, photographer and filmmaker. He tells the story of Janis's rise to fame and tragic death with the close detail of one who knows what he's talking about. Probably the most definitive book on the subject that will ever be written. A must read for any fans of the San Francisco scene. - BH.

[Sárka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jako milovnice Janis Joplin jsem se zamilovala i do této knihy. Poslouchala jsem ji jako podcast od Českého rozhlasu. Smála jsem se, užívala jsem si její hudbu a na konci jsem brečela. Kniha je neuvěřitelně dojemná a doporučila bych ji i lidem, kteří Janis neposlouchají. Po tomhle příběhu dost možná začnou.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I’ve been a fan of Janis since I was in Je. High. The appeal of the book is going to be for people who are already familiar with her music and her story. One of the greats gone too soon.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this one without prior planning; I saw it cheap and secondhand at a random book store and bought it as a fan of Joplin's. What I got was much more than I expected. Cooke's deeply personal account of his time with Janis reveals the person behind the star, one that most artists can connect with. Her music, as well as her life in general, was part of a pursuit to find the same love she so desperately wanted to give to the world. What felt very relatable was how Cooke brought Janis the HUMAN, longing simply for someone to care about her, out from behind the image we all have of Janis as a voice. I was not expecting to be so moved by this book, but don't think I'll ever hear her music the same way.

Maybe I'm biased, as someone who was already so attached to her music. But this is probably one of the best musical biographies, in print OR on screen, that I've ever come across and I'm grateful to the universe for dropping it in my lap.

[Mary Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Cooke has written an interesting account of his brief stint as the infamous Joplin's road manager and friend. It's a fascinating trip back into the peace-loving, free spirit, musical times of the mid Sixties and Seventies. Cooke shares his vast knowledge of music history with style and class and does Joplin justice by portraying her as an intelligent but flawed musician. Cooke describes Janis as a powerhouse with a smart mind and quick wit but also extremely insecure and perhaps some of her insecurities led to her addictions that would sadly claim her far too soon.

Cooke's book brings up a lot of WHAT IF's. What if Big Brother and the Holding Company had never played at the Monterey Pop Festival? What if Cooke hadn't been there holding a camera, filming Janis' break out moment? Cooke refers early to a ripple effect and a Destiny with a set course.

It's not hard to wonder: What IF Janis Joplin had survived? No doubt she would have had much more bluegrass rock to share, in that soulful style that Joplin fans grew to love. And maybe, just maybe, Janis could've shared more than a few pieces of her heart.

Special thanks to Penguin's First to Read program for a digital copy in exchange for a review.

[False · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by her former road manager. A pity her life ended so soon, but...she died by her own choices. I saw the infamous pulled groin show, and she did not "complete the set" as he cites. She came onstage drunker than drunk drunk and sang about three songs and was gone, and this was after waiting through two opening acts, one of which was Van Morrison and he threw out vitrol at the audience during his whole show. Ah...the good ole days.

[Brittnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a little dry, but interesting overall.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

From this book I learn what a road manger does.
If you want to know about Janis life, this book doesn't go into great detail.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janis Joplin was, clearly and nonpareil, simply the greatest white female blues singer to ever have lived. To give five stars to this book is maybe to gild the lily, as a first hand account from the man who helped keep her on track for gig after gig, and the one who discovered her in her LA hotel room, dead on the floor with the change of a pack of cigarettes still in her hand. There is so much to say about her life, I would rather hear it told by someone like this than her hagiographic lover Peggy Caserta's "Going Down with Janis" or the stories of her childhood seen from her sister's eyes, since for the best and most meteoric portion of her life she was always at a remove from the rest of her family. No matter. This is an excellent book and even if you know how it ends (we all d0) there's plenty of juice in it, lively, giving us the real woman that only someone with a daily rapport like her road manager would be able to tell. It's a tragic story, but she went out on top, knowing she was on top of her game, with a great band she was happy about and some great stuff in the can. The story of how the album Pearl was produced (posthumously in great part) is revealing. All the stories of the various great accomplishments, from Monterey Pop through the Festival Express train tour of Canada are here, and all the mise-en-caricature players are included, from ALbert Grossman to Bob Neuwirth and Kris Kristofferson & plenty of input from the other members of Big Brother & the Holding Co. Reading this book, you can get to LIKE John Cooke just like you can get to HATE Peggy Caserta... One of the best fitting "eulogies"-(would that even be the right word?" from the era comes from a performance the Grateful Dead were giving at Winterland in San Francisco (with the Jefferson Airplane, and Quicksilver Messenger Service) on the night she passed. This was Pigpen's version of "Good Lovin'"- whether Pig had heard the news yet or no,t he really puts his heart into that one. Search out a tape of it, (Winterland, 10/6/70)and the night she played at Pepperland earlier in the year with "Pig & the boys" for a heartfelt squeeze goodbye...

[Indydave1958 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a sordid tell-all memoir. It is a smartly written, often wry and always touching description of an amazing artist’s astonishing rise and tragic demise, all within a few years.

The author would seem to be an unlikely narrator in this fascinating story. John Cooke was the son of Alistair Cooke, the well-known British-American writer. His keen intellect was already well-honed by the time he was recruited to manage Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company’s first major concert tour in 1967. Cooke also was an accomplished musician and audiophile in his own right, so his analysis of his charges’ performances — so eloquently described throughout — was well-founded.

Cooke, who would go on to become a successful writer and filmmaker before his death in 2017, takes the reader through Joplin’s meteoric ascent, from the small clubs in San Francisco to the large stadium tours with Big Brother and Joplin’s two successor bands. Janis comes across as a caring, instinctive person who wore her emotions on her satin sleeves. “On the Road,” published 42 years after Joplin’s death, is at its heart a love story.

The author holds no grudges and makes no harsh judgments about the people, places and events he describes. Even four decades after her death, he seemed to feel some responsibility for her fatal heroin overdose. (His description of finding her body in her hotel room is difficult to read, even 52 years later.)

Those familiar with Janis’s story will be fascinated by descriptions of Big Brother’s performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at Woodstock two years later. How her posthumous “Pearl” was finished — she had completed vocals on only two tracks when she died — is also poignant. In the hands of the gifted Cooke, it is a fitting coda for this bittersweet memoir.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very intimate heartfelt memoir by John Byrne Cook. His years with Janis as road manager and friend reveal a complex, personal view of that time. What a time it was! From Monterey Pop to Pearl, these stories bring to light so many details of Janis' story.

I was a fan living in Canada when she broke out with Cheap Thrills and started following her then. The biggest moment of my life with Janis was seeing her in Winnipeg where she closed out the Festival Express in 1970. The performance was electrifying and John Byrne Cook was there.

I am listening to Pearl with new ears, Paul Rothschild is an incredible producer and was working far, far ahead of his time, when he completed Janis' final and most magnificent album. The story of completing "Cry Baby" brought shivers up and down my spine.

On top of that, this should have been the beginning, Janis' best years were ahead of her, this tiny glimpse of that future is what makes this book so sad.

I loved this book and there were many times I laughed out loud and many times I cried. This was my generation and the narrative really continued to tie me and Janis together with the times that I lived through. I never knew so many of these stories and I am so thankful that I have read them now and will read them again.

I have enjoyed everything written about Janis and I will continue to read about her, but I have the feeling this is the one I will always come back to as it deftly and oh so personally describes these heady times and lets me in on the true Janis Joplin.

I am listening to Pearl right now and "Cry Baby" just came on...Tears...

[Roo · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Cooke writes very well in that he is clear and descriptive of situations that he experienced. So although the first chapter seemed to be more about him instead of about Joplin, I knew he was laying the groundwork for the atmosphere of the music era of the late 60's and early 70's. This gave him credibility to place Joplin in space and time and how her style of music was something completely new.
There was a fair amount of recounting of individual concerts that Joplin and her bands performed at - maybe too many names and inclusion of every single one of their shows. I skimmed through a lot of that.
Cooke was not judgemental in his narration about joplin's use of alcohol, drugs, and "pretty boys." The reader is left to draw their own judgement about her rock & roll lifestyle. Although at the end of her life there is an unmistakable feeling of sadness, and attempts at a joyous celebration of her achievement in music by her many contemporary artists - Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, and others.
I liked that Cooke included historic events that were concurrent with Joplin's performing life and how they affected the country and her emotional state. I lived through much of that time - Vietnam, Johnson, Nixon, assassinations, and Kent State, so it revived many of my own memories - of course some that are painful to think about, but helps to put current events in perspective.

[Patrick Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

in 1967 the young artists were changing the face of music and making inroads on changing the face of society. Janis Joplin was at the tip of the sword of these changes. One of the first bonafide female rock stars she cut a wide path through the music business after bursting onto the scene at the Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix). This is the inside story of Janis's rise and eventual fall from the pinnacle of rock music at that time.

Written by John Cooke, an interesting guy in his own right, having played in a Bluegrass band, and been a sound man on D.A. Pennebaker's film of "Monterey Pop," before becoming the road manager for Janis Joplin and her bands (Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Kosmic Blues Band & Full Tilt Boogie). He's also been a writer, photographer and filmmaker which allowed him to convey clearly what he experienced with Janis.

The book is personal and insightful. For any fan of 1960's rock or of Janis's this is a very good book. Easy to read, it absorbs you, and chock full of information about Janis and the band members it is a clear view into the rock and roll world and to Janis's approach to her music, he bands and her fans from the time she was new to the more mature artist and self assured person she grew into.

Well worth the read.

[Kristina DiSanto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book. It’s no question that John is related to Ralph Waldo Emerson, as his writing is elegant, captivating, and informative all at the same time. He does speak a lot about how he got to the point that brought him to become Janis’ road manager, but as that involves speaking about the folk and hippie music scene of the era, it only adds to the ambiance of the book. I personally enjoyed learning more about what was going on around Janis to influence and shape her, as well as hearing about the social climate of that time. Once appropriately setting the scene he goes into detail about her life. When he isn’t objective, he’s kind and gentle in his descriptions. It’s clear he loves Janis, but also provides a full picture- the good and the bad. I wish I could thank John for his work.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting into this book was difficult. It was very esoteric, meandering, wordy. It felt like a lot of filler at the beginning. By the end of the book I appreciated the earlier backstory.

I didn't have much info on this book other than the title, so I was expecting a rollicking wild ride through drugs sex and rock. This was not that.

Written from the perspective of the road manager, there is very little party detail or wild nights detail. It is mostly booking data and accounting reminiscence. But, that thawed as the author got more comfortable with the band and I started to understand the book.

The story builds with the author through the years with Janis Joplin. All the way to finding her OD'd at her hotel.

This is a poor review, the book was good.

[Sam Shurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. Maybe my problem is that I’m too big of a Janis fan. I have already read “Janis” and watched “Janis: Little Girl Blue.”This was a lengthy read and I think I expected it to have more personal, intimate stories about her. Instead what I found was a collection of stories that had already been told in the biography and/or documentary, with the majority of the new content just being about what John was doing and what celebrities he was schmoozing with at the time.

Overall it was well written, but felt redundant and I was left with a… “meh” feeling by the end of it. I could have skipped this one and I wouldn’t have missed out on much.

[David Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a devoted Joplin fan, I had hoped to like this book and was surprised to find I loved it. Cooke is a careful observer and wise writer who conducted interview conversations from the 1970s into the 2010s to make sure he got the story correct. There's a winning modesty to a memoir/biography limited to the four years he worked with Joplin. For good or ill, by focusing on touring and recording, Cooke presents a refreshingly human portrait of Joplin and her bandmates, avoiding the sensationalism and emotional extremes of other Joplin biographies. Cooke reads the audiobook version and his voice adds even more to the proceedings.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Janis Fan. It was a nice surprise to receive this book on my birthday. At first I did not like this book because like everyone else I thought the author just liked to talk about himself. I am currently in the middle of this book and John has grown on me. I find myself looking up venues they have been too, Boy “toys” that Janis had, just to see what they looked like, also some people that I have never heard of. I bet it was awesome to live back then. I recommend this book if you would like to see what it was like to be Janis Joplin for her short period of life.

[Robert Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow starter because the author wanted to set the stage in the beginning of the book about the way the 60's were unfolding in his own life and how it crossed paths with Janis Joplin's life. But once he got started with that crossing it was a heartfelt book and I enjoyed reading it. He included quite a few perspectives from many different people that he interviewed that were friends, family and loves in Janis's life at the time. It had some stories included that I had never known about her life. It's worth reading if you're interested in Janis Joplin and that era.

[Heidi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

a career focused, moving piece written by someone dear to Janis who gave an insightful overview and behind the scenes glimpse into her motives alongside the differences between her public persona and her true character. Although this book is definitely very much about her talent and presence flourishing throughout her career, I would also have liked a bit more background info about her childhood etc to paint a stronger picture of her life. Overall though, a well written and touching biography!

[Patrick Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles the author's first hand account of Janis Joplin when he was her road manager. He describes the behind-the scenes formation of her various bands, Big Brother, Kozmic Blues, and the Full Tilt Boogie bands. Janis comes through as a larger than life talent who is ambitious, talented and self-destructive. The last two chapters are very poignant and I became teary- eyed reading how the managers and musicians tried to complete her last album after her death in Sept of 1970.
It's a fast read and John Cooke Byrne does an admirable job of reconstructing what life was like in her coterie.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final induction of Janis into the 27 Club was tragic and certain but I still going my self hoping for a different ending. Janis was a mix of innocence, passion and talent that that was destined to flame out way to soon.

[Saundra McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! His story and take on that period of time and the music world was fascinating. Deep and I tense his story of Janice and the music industry from the Moneray Music Festival till she passed. I also enjoyed what a business woman Janice was.