During the time when people were involved in the Civil Rights Movement, the student movements and speaking out against the Vietnam War, a rapid number of people were becoming more interested in the rights of women. These events provided a great model for women on how to effect change. Female blues artists were the first women to be employed by the microphone. For women, establishing themselves as female rock, sound, funk or jazz artists was extremely difficult because the standards society held for women didn’t include “music star.” But there were many women who pulled it off.

Peggy Lee was one of these women. She was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota on May 26, 1920. She began her singing career with high-school glee cl

Janis Joplin, another well known female artist, was born January 19, 1943 and died October 4, 1970. During that time, she led a triumphant and tumultuous life blessed by an innate talent to convey powerful emotion through heart stomping rock-and-roll singing (Joplin 2). Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, where she followed artistic interests drawn by her parents Seth and Dorothy Joplin. Janis began singing in a coffee house. She started copying the styles of Bessie Smith, Odetta and Leadbelly She was singing at college and was getting lost in her experiments with drugs and alcohol, especially speed. The San Francisco Community offered a singing position in obscure group “Big Brother and Holding Company.” Then she signed with Mainstream Records. During 1967, (“Summer of Love”) she played a large concert called Monterey International Pop Festival. Janis was courted by Albert Grossman, who was the most powerful entertainment managers of the day. She signed three record recording contracts with Columbia Records. Drugs began affecting her performances and the Christmas of 1968, they played their last gig together. She started forming more groups, but the drugs would become such a big problem, that the band didn’t last very long. One of these groups were called “Full Tilt Boogie Band.” She was very happy with this band because she felt she’d finally found her unique style of white blues. Her last public appearance took place in September 1970 when she returned to Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur to participate in the tenth reunion of her graduating class. Everything was going right and she was about to get married, she even stopped using drugs. But, on October 4, 1970, at the Landmark Hotel, she apparently was suddenly seized by depression and called her connection for a supply of heroin (Rolling Stones Magazine 2). She had overdosed from heroin mixed with a quart of tequila and two Valiums. Janis Joplin’s body was cremated and her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean off San Francisco. “Maybe I won’t last as long as other singers, but I think you can destroy your now by worrying ab

Some topics in this essay:
Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Vietnam War, Peggy Lee, Benny Goodman’s, North Dakota, Chuck Mitchell, Performing Arts, Boogie Band”, Records Drugs, joni mitchell, peggy lee, janis joplin, october 4 1970, bands peggy, october 4, business joni, change female, port arthur, 4 1970, san francisco,