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BEHIND THE GROOVES: a music blog by Jeff Harris

On this day in music history: March 20, 1971 - “Me And Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks. Written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, it is the biggest hit for the rock vocal icon. While working as a songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, Kristofferson pens “Me And Bobby McGee with Monument Records founder Fred Foster. After it’s written, it is initially promised to The Staler Brothers, but before they have the chance, it is recorded by country music star Roger Miller. The song is also covered by Gordon Lightfoot and by Kris Kristofferson himself on his first album "Kristofferson” released in 1970. In Miller, Lightfoot, and Kristofferson’s versions, the character “Bobby McGee” is actually female. In mid 1970, Kris meets Janis Joplin and the two have a brief affair before parting ways. Joplin likes “Bobby McGee” so much that she records it for her next album, altering some of the lyrics to make the protagonist male in her version. Tragically, Janis dies of an accidental drug overdose just three days after recording her lead vocal on the song. Released as the first single from her final album “Pearl” on January 11, 1971, it is an immediate hit. Entering the Hot 100 at #94 on January 30, 1971, it climbs to the top of the chart seven weeks later. “Bobby McGee” becomes only the second posthumous number one single of the rock era after Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, three years and one week later. The success of “Me And Bobby McGee” drives the album “Pearl” to number one, spending nine weeks at the top, and selling over four million copies in the US alone.