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.