Shakin' Up Big Brother
Houston-born Wendy Rich possesses a raspy, robust, voice that more than hints to that of fellow Lone Star native Janis Joplin. Several years ago, following a serendipitous Internet encounter and with the help of a friend, Rich was given the opportunity to fill Joplin's gigantic sandals.
"It was one of those coincidental days," gushes Rich. "I was on the Internet talking to Tom White (co-owner of Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa) about maybe doing a Janis Joplin tribute show. I was just kinda thinking of something to make some money. I didn't really wanna do it, but Tom was all into it. So I got on the Internet and searched out Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company. And I ended up on Big Brother's site and it had (original member, guitarist/vocalist) Sam Andrew's e-mail address, so I just clicked on it and e-mailed him and said, "Check out this singer.' And put a link to my page."
By the end of the day, Andrew, who was in France at the time, returned Rich's e-mail.
Also that day, Rich learned that a longtime friend and fan of Wendy and her band of 11 years, The Soulshakers, had talked to Big Brother's drummer, original member Dave Getz, and informed him of Rich's talent as a soulful, gravelly voiced frontwoman. "It was a total coincidence," enthuses Rich. "I had no idea she had met these guys. I didn't even know they were (still performing together). I did that e-mail thing and got a response. She talked to Getz and got a response. I sent the press kit to Dave (Getz). Then Sam (Andrew) came here (to St. Petersburg) to see me perform live and hang out for a week."
Since Andrew's visit to Florida several years ago, Rich has spent the last three summers filling in as Big Brother's lead female vocalist. "I was so nervous," admits Rich. "I've sang with different bands, but I've had my band for a long time. Then I had to learn material without rehearsal."
She got very little help from the Brothers. "Sam gave me CDs, but he didn't tell me shit," grumbles Rich while shaking her head and chuckling. "I was like, "Can we rehearse?' But he said, "We don't have time for that. Just show up and know the songs.'"
Rich says she made her own band learn the Joplin material (some of which she still includes in her Soulshakers sets, in addition to self-penned originals) in order to help her prepare. However, once she learned the songs, she still had to face the problem of performing them in front of large audiences alongside Joplin's non-compromising ex-band mates.
Duane Plikunas, Rich's boyfriend and Soulshakers' drummer, explains, "Sam told her, "If any of them you need to change the key on, go ahead.' And she got there and he said, "We can't change this one, we can't change that one.'"
Singing in the same key as Joplin was usually not an issue for the capable vocalist. However, one sticky afternoon in Gettysburg, Penn., Rich's brass pipes failed her.
"In "Need a Man to Love,' I can do it, if everything's perfect," clarifies Rich. "If the monitors are perfect, if I'm rested, if my voice is on. I can hit (the high notes) seven out of eight times. But, I don't like that risk. One day we were playing and we didn't have any friggin' sleep. ("Need a Man to Love') came up and nothing came out when I went for the real high note. I just wanted to crawl into myself. I was so embarrassed."
Aside from the uncomfortable experience in Pennsylvania (Andrew finally lowered the key for her), the singer says she has immensely enjoyed each of her last three tours with Big Brother.
Rich, along with her boyfriend Plikunas and the rest of The Soulshakers — guitarist Steve "Red" Lasner and bassist Steve Way — reside in St. Petersburg. For 10-plus years they've played an inspired blend of Rich originals and covers, such as Joplin's "Try Just a Little Harder" and John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery." Incorporating elements of soul, singer/songwriter fare and old school R&B, The Soulshakers have carefully walked the line between rock and blues in an effort to appeal to fans of both genres. "I kind of do find the blues tag limiting," concedes Rich. "But it's also funny, because the real blues traditionalists, they kinda shun us because we're not traditional diehards. But, luckily, there's a market for the rocking blues."
Music writer Wade Tatangelo can be reached via e-mail at wtatangelo@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2002.