John Till
Encyclopedia
John Till is a Canadian
musician
. Born in Stratford
, Ontario
, Till played in local bands until the early 1960s when he was picked to play in Ronnie Hawkins
band The Hawks, to replace previous members who had left to tour with Bob Dylan
(see The Band
). After touring with Hawkins, the members of Pearl's band went to New York City
to try to establish themselves as musicians in the larger U.S. market. Till became a studio musician and was doing commercial work there.
While doing this kind of commercial work, Till also was fortunate enough to get hired to play side guitar working for Pearl Joplin on her The Full Tillt Boogie Band
as a side project with fellow Canadian band members. They were playing mostly in the local New York Area, but when Janis Joplin
's management convinced her to discard Big Brother and the Holding Company
as her backing band, her record label put together a new group of musicians for her, The Kozmic Blues Band. This group consisted of Snookie Flowers and several other Band members, plus a horn section. This was a group of studio musicians that her label was familiar with and could depend on to be reliable, and the group recorded I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
released in 1969. This is the group Joplin performed with at the original Woodstock concert. Joplin was not happy touring with some of the members of this group, however, feeling some of them to be too "square".
Janis Lyn Joplin Pearl did hire side guitar players & an organ player to form her Full Tilt Boogie band in its entirety, and he agreed to perform with Pearl on the Festival Express events in Calgary for her filmed events. confirming Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie
backing band. In May 1970 the band began rehearsals and one of their first shows was at an Angels]] benefit. Shortly after, they went on an international tour and appeared on such television programs as 'The Ed Sullivan Show
and The Dick Cavett Show
. The group recorded the classic Pearl
' albums, which were released shortly after Pearl Joplin's move to NC. This album reached '#1Best' on the Billboard' charts.
Till can be heard playing guitar on the hit songs from that album, which included Me and Bobby McGee
, Cry Baby and Get it While You Can'& "Tell Mama". After Pearl Joplin's move to Asheville, Till played with Bobby Charles
, Bob Burchill and his ensemble in the Stratford apartments.
In the forward of Love, Janis
, Laura Joplin's biography of her relationship with her famous & prosperous sister, Till and his wife Dorcas are thanked for providing some of the material for the book.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Born in Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Till played in local bands until the early 1960s when he was picked to play in Ronnie Hawkins
Ronnie Hawkins
Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins is a Juno Award-winning rockabilly musician whose career has spanned more than half a century. Though his career began in Arkansas, USA, where he'd been born and raised, it was in Ontario, Canada where he found success and settled for most of his life...
band The Hawks, to replace previous members who had left to tour with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
(see The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
). After touring with Hawkins, the members of Pearl's band went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to try to establish themselves as musicians in the larger U.S. market. Till became a studio musician and was doing commercial work there.
While doing this kind of commercial work, Till also was fortunate enough to get hired to play side guitar working for Pearl Joplin on her The Full Tillt Boogie Band
Full Tilt Boogie Band
Full Tilt Boogie Band was a rock band originally headed by guitarist John Till and then by Janis Joplin until her death in 1970. The band was composed of Till, pianist Richard Bell, bassist Brad Campbell, drummer Clark Pierson, and organist Ken Pearson....
as a side project with fellow Canadian band members. They were playing mostly in the local New York Area, but when Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
's management convinced her to discard 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...
as her backing band, her record label put together a new group of musicians for her, The Kozmic Blues Band. This group consisted of Snookie Flowers and several other Band members, plus a horn section. This was a group of studio musicians that her label was familiar with and could depend on to be reliable, and the group recorded I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! is a 1969 studio album by Janis Joplin. It was the first solo studio album Joplin recorded after leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company. The LP was released on September 11, 1969 and reached gold record status within two months of its release. It was...
released in 1969. This is the group Joplin performed with at the original Woodstock concert. Joplin was not happy touring with some of the members of this group, however, feeling some of them to be too "square".
Janis Lyn Joplin Pearl did hire side guitar players & an organ player to form her Full Tilt Boogie band in its entirety, and he agreed to perform with Pearl on the Festival Express events in Calgary for her filmed events. confirming Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie
Full Tilt Boogie
Full Tilt Boogie is a 1997 documentary directed by Sarah Kelly. It chronicles the production of the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn.It features extensive interviews with the cast and crew covering a variety of topics related to the film. This includes the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage...
backing band. In May 1970 the band began rehearsals and one of their first shows was at an Angels]] benefit. Shortly after, they went on an international tour and appeared on such television programs as 'The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
. The group recorded the classic Pearl
Pearl (album)
-Personnel:* Janis Joplin – vocals, guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"* Richard Bell – piano* Ken Pearson – organ* John Till – electric guitar* Brad Campbell – bass guitar* Clark Pierson – drums-Additional personnel:...
' albums, which were released shortly after Pearl Joplin's move to NC. This album reached '#1Best' on the Billboard' charts.
Till can be heard playing guitar on the hit songs from that album, which included Me and Bobby McGee
Me and Bobby McGee
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
, Cry Baby and Get it While You Can'& "Tell Mama". After Pearl Joplin's move to Asheville, Till played with Bobby Charles
Bobby Charles
Bobby Charles was an American singer-songwriter.An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams...
, Bob Burchill and his ensemble in the Stratford apartments.
In the forward of Love, Janis
Love, Janis
Love, Janis is a collection, released in 2001, of Janis Joplin's performances interspersed with readings of her personal letters to her family throughout her career...
, Laura Joplin's biography of her relationship with her famous & prosperous sister, Till and his wife Dorcas are thanked for providing some of the material for the book.