Janis Ian - Breaking the Silence
In 1965, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey wrote "Society's Child," about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released just a year later, the song launched her career, but its subject matter ignited furious controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin-and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, "At Seventeen."
Over the next six decades she gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song "Stars" recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw in audiences around the globe. Featuring, among others, Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton.
