Big Brother and the Holding Company

Big Brother and the Holding Company
Left to right: Getz, Joplin, Andrew, Gurley, Albin. c. 1967
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California
Genres	Psychedelic rock,acid rock,blues rock
Years active	1965–1968, 1969–1972, 1987–present
Labels	Columbia, Mainstream
Associated acts	Country Joe and the Fish, Full Tilt Boogie Band, Kozmic Blues Band
Website	www.bbhc.com
Members	Peter Albin Dave Getz Tom Finch Darby Gould Tommy Odetto
Past members	Sam Andrew James Gurley Chuck Jones Janis Joplin Nick Gravenites Kathi McDonald Dave Schallock Mike Finnigan Ben Nieves Cathy Richardson

Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their lead singer. Their 1968 album Cheap Thrills is considered one of the masterpieces of the psychedelic sound of San Francisco; it reached number one on the Billboard charts, and was ranked number 338 in Rolling Stone's the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Leader Peter Albin, a country-blues guitarist who had played with future founders of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia and Ron McKernan, met Sam Andrew, a professional rock & roll guitarist with a jazz and classical background. After playing together at Albin's home, Andrew suggested they form a band. The pair approached guitarist James Gurley, the resulting threesome playing open jam sessions hosted by entrepreneur Chet Helms in 1965. Helms found them a drummer, Chuck Jones, and Big Brother and the Holding Company was formed at their first gig, the Trips Festival in January 1966. In the audience was painter and jazz drummer David Getz, who soon displaced Jones.

Big Brother went on to become the house band at the Avalon Ballroom, playing a progressive style of instrumental rock. Feeling a need for a strong vocalist, Helms contacted Janis Joplin in Austin, Texas, who at the time was considering joining up with Roky Erickson of The 13th Floor Elevators. She traveled to San Francisco and debuted with Big Brother at the Avalon on June 10, 1966.