Janis Joplin was born in Texas, but she got her start singing with the San Francisco-based Big Brother & the Holding Company. After the success of their 1968 album 'Cheap Thrills,' Joplin launched a solo career that produced only two albums before her death at the age of 27 in 1970 of a heroin overdose. But the records she left behind (including the posthumous No. 1, 'Pearl') have influenced scores of younger artists. Joplin was a big, bluesy singer whose defining rasp allowed her to push the somewhat basic songs she recorded into fiery new territories. With her solo work, she explored more R&B and country paths, with horns and a backing band as big as her voice.