© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Singer Janis Ian on her career, upcoming performance

By Peter Cunningham

This Friday, musician Janis Ian will perform at the Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing. In 1967, Ian wrote her first hit song, "Society’s Child," which was about an interracial relationship. She was 13 years-old. The song was banned by some radio stations, and Ian received hate mail, but it became a national hit after conductor Leonard Bernstein featured it in a TV special.

In 1975, Janis Ian won a Grammy Award for her song “At Seventeen.” Fast forward through dozens of albums and projects to 2013, and Ian wins her second Grammy, this time for a spoken word recording of her autobiography, called “Society’s Child.”

WKAR’s Melissa Benmark speaks with Janis Ian about her life and career.

Related Content
Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!