Artist:   Janis Joplin
Song:   "Cry Baby"
Year:    1970

It takes self-confidence to cover a song that a previous singer has already made his own. Garnet Mimms turned Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy's "Cry Baby" into a gut-wrenching, testifying tour-de-force that left listeners drained. Joplin, with her unique understanding of the blues, took the song, added a layer of hippie/stoner sass and came up with something that was as powerful as Mimms' staggering version. No small accomplishment.

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