Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead are two key figures of the American ’60s counterculture. Joplin, the sultry psychedelic rocker from Texas, made her way to San Francisco in 1963 at the age of 20, eventually joining Big Brother and the Holding Company in the summer of 1966. Around that time, Joplin had her first encounters with the members of the Grateful Dead, and both bands frequently partied together, given their close living quarters. Eventually, Joplin became close with the Grateful Dead’s founding member and keyboardist, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and the two began a short romantic relationship.
However, while Joplin and Pigpen’s romance was brief, it marked the start of a relationship between her and the band that would last until her death in 1970. One landmark moment in both artists’ histories happened on this day in 1969, when Janis Joplin joined the Grateful Dead for the first of two known performances. During this legendary June 7th, 1969 show, Joplin appeared at the end of the Grateful Dead’s set at Fillmore West, adding her powerful vocals into the mix and helping Pigpen sing Bobby “Blue” Bland‘s classic rhythm and blues tune, “Turn On Your Lovelight”.
You can listen to Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead’s collaboration on “Turn On Your Love Light” along with the rest of the Dead’s performance from this day in 1969 at San Francisco’s Fillmore West. Enjoy!
Grateful Dead — Fillmore West — San Francisco, CA — 6/7/69
[Audio: A.J. Fink and Seth Kaplan]
Setlist: Grateful Dead | Fillmore West | San Francisco, CA | 6/7/69