Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist. In 2004, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Joplin #46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Her vocal range was mezzo-soprano. 