Big Brother and the Holding Company – Ball And Chain
Recorded Live: August 16, 1968 – San Francisco, CA
Janis Joplin, who frequently acknowledged Thornton’s musical influence, recorded several live performances of “Ball and Chain”. According to Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist James Gurley, Joplin first heard the song during a performance by Thornton at a bar in San Francisco.
The group transformed the song into a slow minor-key blues with breaks. They performed the song at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 to an enthusiastic audience and critical reception. The first performance on June 17 was not filmed, so the band was persuaded to perform the song again on the next day. Drastically edited footage of this second performance (cutting out the second verse and a lengthy guitar solo) featured in the 1968 film Monterey Pop, while the full June 17 performance was released in 1993 on the three-disc box set Janis. Another live version of “Ball and Chain”, recorded March 8, 1968, at the Fillmore East, was included on Big Brother’s 1968 breakthrough album Cheap Thrills. Other live versions are included on Cheaper Thrills, Live at Winterland ’68, Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968, The Woodstock Experience, and In Concert.
Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968
Sam Andrew – guitar
James Gurley – guitar
Peter Albin – bass
Dave Getz – drums
Janis Joplin – vocal
“Ball and Chain” – is a song from the Big Brother and the Holding Company album Cheap Thrills, released August 12, 1968.
Songwriter: Big Mama Thornton
Producer: John Simon
