Be a Brother

Be a Brother is the third album by Big Brother and the Holding Company, released in October 1970. It was their first album after Janis Joplin's departure. Recruited in her place were guitarist David Shallock and singer-songwriters Nick Gravenites and Kathi McDonald.

Included are ten original Holding Company compositions; though "Home on the Strange" is credited as "Arranged and adapted by P. Albin and S. Andrew", it is in fact a new composition with no apparent derivation from any public domain work.

Track listing

 * 1) "Keep On" (Sam Andrew, Peter Albin, David Getz, James Gurley, David Schallock) – 4:21
 * 2) "Joseph's Coat" (Nick Gravenites, John Cipollina) – 3:10
 * 3) "Home on the Strange" (Albin, Andrew) – 2:15
 * 4) "Someday" (Andrew) – 2:17
 * 5) "Heartache People" (Gravenites) – 6:36
 * 6) "Sunshine Baby" (Andrew, Albin, Getz, Gurley, Shallock) – 3:30
 * 7) "Mr. Natural" (Andrew) – 3:31
 * 8) "Funkie Jim" (Andrew, Albin, Getz, Gurley, Shallock, Gravenites) – 3:47
 * 9) "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle" (Gravenites) – 3:14
 * 10) "Be a Brother" (Gravenites) – 3:04

Personnel
with:
 * Big Brother and the Holding Company
 * Nick Gravenites – lead (2, 5, 8-10) and backing vocals
 * Sam Andrew – guitar, lead (1, 4, 6, 7) and backing vocals
 * David Schallock – guitar, backing vocals
 * Peter Albin – guitar
 * James Gurley – bass, guitar
 * David Getz – drums, piano
 * Kathi McDonald - Vocals
 * Richard Greene – violin
 * Mike Finnigan – keyboard
 * Tower of Power – horn section
 * Ira Kamin
 * Mark Naftalin
 * Technical
 * David Brown, Jerry Hochman, Sy Mitchell – engineer
 * Bob Seidemann – album design, photography
 * John Van Hamersveld – design concept