I’ve been extremely lucky in the number of lost or previously unreleased recordings that I’ve discovered over the years. This one came from a consignor who bought the recording as part of a large collection of material from the manager of Janis Joplin’s band, Big Brother and The Holding Company. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was but after listening to it and researching various clues written on the label it didn’t take long to figure out that the quarter-inch magnetic tape reel contained a live performance by Joplin and Big Brother at the University of California Medical Center on March 4, 1967. The concert, which also featured The Steve Miller Blues Band, was billed as “Journey to The End of Night – A Benefit for Peace.” The amateur recording included Joplin’s famous rendition of the Big Mama Thornton song “Ball and Chain,” which, apart from a less developed example produced at a live performance in 1966, is the earliest known live version to exist. This recording, made a few months prior to the release of the Band’s first album and before their historic performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, provides an amazing window into the group’s pre-fame sound. The tracks included: Intruder; Light Is Faster Than Sound; Bye, Bye Baby; Coo Coo; I’m Mad (Mad Man Blues); All Is Loneliness; Catch Me Daddy (I’m Coming Home); Blindman; Women Is Losers; Ball and Chain; and Amazing Grace, along with several psychedelic jam tracks. Posters from the event still survive and one example is shown above. The recording was expected to sell between $2,000 and $3,000 but was unfortunately pulled from the sale due to legal claims made by surviving members of the band.
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