Guitarist James Gurley dies at 69 (Big Brother & the Holding Co.: Janis Joplin's band)

[Hannah Bell]

LOS ANGELES — James Gurley, the innovative guitarist who helped shape psychedelic rock’s multilayered, sometimes thundering sounds as a member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, the band that propelled Janis Joplin to fame, has died of a heart attack. He was 69.

Mr. Gurley was pronounced dead Sunday at a Palm Springs, Calif., hospital, the band announced on its Web site.

One of many prominent guitarists to emerge from San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s — others included the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and the Jefferson Airplane’s Jorma Kaukonen — Mr. Gurley was hailed by many as the original innovator of the sound. Mr. Gurley created an esoteric sound that was the driving force behind Joplin’s voice on such songs as Ball and Chain, Piece of My Heart and Summertime.

http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/1853862.html

[laststeamtrain]

1. James Gurley was the real deal.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SAevTiHHVv8/SFOCZPnrLiI/AAAAAAAABb4/WQZAYlJTy24/S1600-R/%60AVALON+BALLROOM+-+QMS+%2B+BBHC++Poster1%5B1%5D.jpg

[Hannah Bell]

2. i liked the sound of big brother way better than the bands janis joplin used later.

[G_j]

3. wow

RIP James!

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Cool. Looks like he named a son after Django Reinhardt