By Connie Strong

“I’ll go home, I’ll go home
Where the wild shadows roam
And the dawn over mountaintops spills
Where the deer pause in flight
On the edge of the night
I’ll go home to my Tennessee hills”

Lyrics by Janis Ian, duet by Janis and Dolly Parton

************************************************************

“Hi there! Need any help? I’m Janis!”

Walking up to my car with a big smile on her face and offering to help us lug cameras was certainly not the first impression I was expecting  to have of a Grammy winner, but then again you just never know what to expect from Janis Ian. It didn’t take long to realize that here was an artist that is not afraid to “color outside the lines,” as well as one who is able to dispel just about any preconceived notion you could possibly have about fame.

In 2008, “At Seventeen” was placed in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Having earned Janis five nominations and two Grammy Awards, this song is one of those rare recordings that has timeless, universal appeal. Performed by Janis on the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live” (1975), its lyrics tell the all-too-often truth about “ugly duckling girls” and their struggles with both societal and personal acceptance.

Janis knows, firsthand, about personal trials. In 1966, at the age of only 15, she found instant fame, along with harsh criticism, through her controversial song about a romantic, interracial relationship. “Society’s Child” soared to the top of the charts, despite its divisive subject matter.

In her recent memoir, “Society’s Child; My Autobiography,” Janis writes, “People got crazy. A radio station in Atlanta dared to put [the song] in rotation, and someone burned the station down. Strangers walked up to me in restaurants and spit in my food. Sometimes, when I tried to walk onstage from the audience, a person would deliberately put their foot out to trip me.”

Those difficult years were underscored by days spent in Greenwich Village, writing and performing– living the lifestyle so typical of the 70s’ music scene, befriending music artists who were cultural icons of the age.   Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Odetta were part of her inner circle, and each did much to cultivate the other’s creativity. During these years, her song “Jesse” became a hit record for Roberta Flack, another Grammy Award nomination was gained for her duet (”Silly Habits”) with Mel Torme, and Janis Ian had become a global household name.

But after years of disenchantment with the industry, and after seven albums—two of which were platinum– Janis resolved to take what eventually became a nine year hiatus from the music business.   During those “absent” years, Janis continued to write and faced many personal challenges: marriage, divorce, illness and much self discovery.

Resurfacing in 1993 with “Breaking Silence,” she was once again a Grammy nominee.  In 2006, Janis released her 20^th major-label album, “Folk is the New Black,” followed by “The Essential Janis Ian” which was released in September 2009 in support of her critically acclaimed autobiography, “Society’s Child; My Autobiography.”

Speaking candidly, and many times poetically, Janis pens a painfully revealing look at her struggles with IRS, losing her home and belongings to an unscrupulous business manager and surviving an abusive marriage–giving her reader clear insight to the days of living in Greenwich Village, coping with the drugs and ugliness that can accompany fame.

She turned down Woodstock. She turned down an offer to write the score for “The Graduate.” And in 2002 she shocked the industry when she wrote “The Internet Debacle” in which she argues that free music downloading will boost, not impede, music sales. (Yes, check it out, she has free downloads available on her website.)

Although never hesitant to take a stand, there is also a softer side to Janis. In 1998, after an internet auction that raised $65K, a scholarship program was started as a tribute to Janis’ mother, Pearl, who lost her battle with Multiple Sclerosis, but not before she earned her Master’s in Playwriting from Goddard. The Pearl Foundation scholarship is given to “returning students” to help them attain a degree, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.  Janis says, “Our sole [criterion] is that they’ve been out of school for 3 years or more.” Her worthwhile project has been very successful, “Last year we were able to donate $180,000 to various schools to establish scholarships.”

On Oct. 25, 2009, Janis brought her globally acknowledged talent to The Bugle Boy. Even though she has performed in some of the largest arenas, she loves the smaller venues. “They are wonderful. They provide the artists a wider range of places to play; the audience is attentive and respectful. These venues are an integral part of the community.”

Referring metaphorically to those who have good intentions, but cannot bring to fruition the opportunity to promote live, quality music, Janis says, “Many people write about the dance, yet don’t dance. Somehow, magically, [Lane] has built an audience and made it happen.”

Living in Nashville since 1988, and happily with her partner, Pat, since 1989, Janis Ian has managed to weave a beautiful tapestry from the, at times, threadbare fabric of her life. She is at the top of her game, comfortable in her own skin.

Janis has written the chapters of her life, both literally and figuratively, in a way that makes no apologies for the choices she has made or for the person that has evolved from the once-fragile “Society’s Child.” There is a peace and easiness about her that made The Bugle Boy listeners—and this interviewer—feel as though we had spent the afternoon with a friend.

After two long standing ovations, it was clear: despite her 4’ 10” frame, Janis Ian is still “standing tall.”

And she does not stand alone.

You can support the work of The Bugle Boy with an online donation to The Bugle Boy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.