caption current_members website associated_acts years_active label image_size article_title past_members background genre image origin name
left , gurley , albin . c. 1967 to right : getz , joplin , andrew peter odetto albin dave getz tom finch darby gould tommy -lsb- http://www.bbhc.com www.bbhc.com -rsb- country band , kozmic blues band joe and the fish , full tilt boogie 1965 -- present -- 1968 , 1969 -- 1972 , 1987 columbia , mainstream 220px big brother and the holding company
 sam gravenites kathi mcdonald dave schallock mike finnigan ben nieves cathy andrew richardson james gurley chuck jones janis joplin nick group_or_band blues hard rock rock , psychedelic rock , acid rock , janis joplin big brother and the holding company.jpg san francisco , california big brother and the holding company
big brother and the holding company

big brother and the holding company is an american rock band that formed in san francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the grateful dead , quicksilver messenger service , and jefferson airplane .
they are best known as the band that featured janis joplin as their lead singer .
their 1968 album `` cheap thrills '' is considered one of the masterpieces of the psychedelic sound of san francisco ; it reached number one on the `` billboard '' charts , and was ranked number 338 in `` rolling stone `` s the 500 greatest albums of all time .
the album is also included in the book `` 1001 albums you must hear before you die '' .
