My Janis Story…
Janis was certainly a fav. I got to meet her by chance, in 1969. I attended a concert at the Music Hall with my friend Mark Fiedler (he was a Pine Valley resident) . We were leaving the venue after the concert, and we saw her crossing the street behind the hall. I stopped the truck I was driving in the middle of the street, left Mark in the truck, and headed over to her group that was apparently leaving. I had a poster that a classmate at Texas Academy of Art had drawn of Big Brother and the Holding Company. His name was George Goode.
I ran up to the group with poster in hand. I asked for an autograph. She laughed, and said, “What’s that? A California traffic ticket” Ha, even then, I thought that was a weird reply, but heck, it was Janis. Not only did she sign it, but Sam Andrews, guitarist for Big Brother also sign it, But, more incredibly, the rest of the group consisted of her family members. Her parents were in the group, but only her brother Mike signed it as well. So there it was. Janis signed a poster drawn by my friend, her guitar player signed it, and her brother signed it. What a treasure.
Mark, who was sitting in the truck I had left him in to occupy after bailing, was a gasp when I returned. I told him what happened and he freaked. Unfortunately there was only one poster. We talked, and it was decided, I would keep the poster. It was cool that all that happened, but at the time, we didn’t place any value in the encounter…it was just something that happened. If I could make this story have a happier ending I would, but heck, it was the sixties, and I left that poster hanging on the wall of an apartment I shared with friends. In 1970.
