Big  Brother & The Holding Company first performed in the Haight  Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1965.  After their appearance at The Monterey  Pop Festival in 1967, Janis Joplin quickly became a phenomenon, and Big  Brother made a real contribution to Janis’ rise to international fame.   Big Brother’s classic 1968 album Cheap Thrills charted at #1 for eight  weeks.