Janis Ian

Janis Ian winner of the 2013 Grammy award for "Best Spoken Word Album" for her autobiographical "Society's Child," which rocked the nation at a time when the Supreme Court had yet to repeal the laws against interracial marriage, and when civil rights unrest was cresting. It was banned across the country by radio stations as "subversive", a position that was later reversed when the brilliant composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein became Janis' most vocal supporter. The song went to #1 and the teenager… Show more was suddenly hanging out with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, appearing on television shows, and getting hate mail.

A few years later, she had given most of her money away to friends and charities, and was considered a "has-been". With the tenacity and perseverance that would see her through four decades as an artist, she staged her first "comeback" with what would be become a classic anthem for disaffected teenagers "At Seventeen". Not only did the song win Ian two Grammys, selling over a million copies; it led to a seven-year period of unbridled success that gave her #1 records in every Western country. The "has-been" was suddenly in demand as the first musical guest on the inaugural broadcast of Saturday Night Live, the first pop artist to play the Sydney Opera House, and too many other “firsts” to mention. Ian,never one to be comfortable with the status quo, used her new-found popularity to challenge social trends by daring toappear in pants on The Tonight Show.
Janis has continued her writing, performing and activism ever since. More at janisian.com.

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