JANIS JOPLIN - THE LAST RECORDING

During September 1970, Janis Joplin and her band began recording the album “Pearl” with producer Paul A. Rothchild who had produced albums for The Doors. Two of the tracks on the album, “Mercedes Benz” and “Buried Alive In The Blues” were not completed before her death.

Despite her death producer Paul Rothchild felt there was enough usable material to compile an LP and included both tracks on the LP. The acapella “Mercedes Benz” was a rough first take having been the last song that she recorded. Janis had been scheduled to add her vocals to “Buried Alive In The Blues” on the day that she was found dead. The song was added to the album as an instrumental. The posthumously released album became the most successful album of her career and contained her biggest hit single, “Me and Bobby McGee”.

The last actual recording Joplin completed was a birthday greeting for John Lennon. The birthday greeting was her singing “Happy Trails” written by Dale Evans which she recorded on October 1st, the same day that she recorded “Mercedes Benz." Lennon, whose birthday was October 9, later told Dick Cavett that her taped greeting arrived at his home after her death.