Janis Joplin... An influence on Axl Rose?

[Eva GnRAxlRosette]

From a JanisJoplin (fan) site...  http://halleydevestern.com/janis/janis.html

"Though Joplin's sound and style could, at their best, transcend artfulness and penetrate to the listener's soul, she had created them through a combination of inspiration, determined study, and practice.  She wore her influences on her sleeve, freely crediting the great artists like Bessie Smith and Leadbelly from whom she drew.  But the fact remains that the totality of Janis Joplin the performer was something neither the public nor the music establishment of the era had seen before.

And though Joplin's life and works profoundly affected many among her audience, from an artistic standpoint no female pop singer has picked up where Janis Joplin left off at her untimely death.

Halley DeVestern, who has sung Janis's classic songs on tour with Big Brother and the Holding Company, believes that in mainstream pop music it is no female singer at all, but rather... Guns n Roses' male singer Axl Rose who picked up Janis's style and ran with it more than anyone else.  Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes is another male singer who displays a strong Joplin influence. "

I have never heard Axl mention her as an influence...  
But, I can understand why Halley DeVestern would make this statement...
I think its rather a compliment...
I myself, when watching old video footage of Janis Jopln, have felt reminded of Axl Rose.

Has the comparison ever crossed any of you guys' minds?
 

[SlashFan]

Axls vocals have always reminded me of Janis Joplin,they have that push in their voices,I don't know if she was an influence on Axl,but I know what you mean.

[matt88]

I'm not to sure about that. Janis and Axl are completely different from what i see and hear

[nesquick]

Janis Joplin and Axl Rose had the same type of voice, and they are VERY CLOSE. Just pure Rock n' Roll voices, RAW and broken. Listen to the early version of "don't cry" in 1986, the vinyl version, put "sumertime" of Janis Joplin and you have 2 very similar voices.
Joplin and Rose would have been the greatest duet of all time on vocals  

[SINSHINE]

Well I can tell you that Janis Joplin is one of Steven Tyler's largest influences. He's quoted in the autobiography, Walk This Way, as saying he always wanted to have voice that was the combination of Janis Joplin and James Brown.

So, I guess at the very least, she's indirectly an influence of Axl's as Steven is one of Axl's direct influences.

[Neemo]

once in a while I see a similarity between the two. for instance the way Janis sings "Oh... Child" is pretty similar to the way Axl does it.

[Annie]

The song Bette Midler sings from the movie about Janis Joplin , THE ROSE, makes me think of AXL. I think there are similarities.  I actually have a friend, we work together in a children's hospital, who is in a band and she REALLY reminds me of Janis. Her voice is so amzing that she should be famous!

[SON OF A PREACHER]

SHANNON HOON sounds like janis too.....both Hoon and Axl howl at the moon in the best tradition of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin.

RIP.

[SlashFan]

SHANNON HOON sounds like janis too.....both Hoon and Axl howl at the moon in the best tradition of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin.

RIP.

That's very true,all awsome vocalist

[shaun]

SHANNON HOON sounds like janis too.....both Hoon and Axl howl at the moon in the best tradition of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin.

RIP.

Oh man, Blind Melon were so good. I got to BM that as a warm up band during one of GN'Rs UYI concerts (Milton Keynes/UK). I'm off to see if i can find some Janis Joplin tracks now  

I think i read somewhere the other day that Blind Melon are now looking to find a new lead singer. Without Shannon Hoon they will never be the same band. They could still be a good band though. Maybe Axl should quit GN'R and join Blind Melon  

[Buddha_Master]

Man...cool topic. I kind of forgot about this, but this takes me back. I remember countless discussins back when I discovered 60's music when I was a teenager and talking to friends and family about Axl Roses voice and its raw powerful similarities with Janis's.

Ill take this one step further. Melissa Ethridge, who is one of the biggest Joplin fans in the world, said this very same thing in regards to this Axl Rose/ Janis Joplin comparison. Major props to the one to find the quote but, I know for a fact she talked about this. I found it funny at the time, that Ethridge was such a fan of Axl's voice as she was of Janis's.

I will try to find it.