Janis with Autoharp

John Byrne Cooke

PHOTOGRAPHY

Image No. 69-3-2: Janis with Autoharp

London, England, April 1969

Bessie Smith and Leadbelly were among Janis's earliest musical influences, but she also knew the music of traditional white performers like the Carter Family. On her first trip to San Francisco, in 1963. she played the Autoharp and sang Carter Family songs in North Beach coffeehouses.

To buy a print of this image, please see To Buy One


thumbnail of Janis Angelic
thumbnail of Faster than Sound thumbnail of Janis Triumphant thumbnail of Janis's bass player blown away by her singing

Janis looking left Janis standing, in fur hat Janis and Sam rehearsing Janis Rampant Janis with lips pursed

More photos of Janis: Clark Pierson, Janis's drummer in the Full Tilt Boogie Band, took photos of Janis when he was touring with her in the summer of 1970. John Byrne Cooke is authorized by Clark Pierson to sell prints of these images and to license them for use in books and film. To See Clark Pierson's images of Janis click here

Please note: The use of images of Janis Joplin for commercial purposes is controlled by the Janis Joplin Estate. To inquire about commercial use of Janis's image, please email Kenny Nemes: kenny@jamincla.com. If you are interested in using one or more of John Byrne Cooke's photographs of Janis for a commercial product, please include that information, including image number(s) and title(s), in your inquiry.

Also available - Janis Joplin video: While traveling with Janis Joplin as her road manager, John Byrne Cooke filmed Janis and her band members on Fuji Single-8 film. This film has color superior to Kodak Super-8 and is undimmed by the passage of 40 years. John's footage provides a unique and intimate view of Janis offstage as well as on. Approximately 98 minutes of this film has been transferred to video in scene-by-scene wet-gate transfers by Brodsky & Treadway of Rowley, Mass. For licensing, Beta SP copies will be provided. The film will only be licensed to film and television producers with projects in active production.

The footage is available for consideration on two window-dub DVDs. To inquire about viewing and licensing this footage, please first read the Licensing Information page and use the link there to send your inquiry.