Janis Joplin's guitarist dies at 69
James Gurley, the brilliant lead guitarist for Big Brother and the Holding Company, the psychedelic rock band which propelled Janis Joplin to fame, has died in California.
Surviving members of Big Brother said Gurley died aged 69 on Sunday in a Palm Springs hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Peter Albin, one of the band's founding members, called Gurley one of the most influential musicians of the psychedelic era which emerged from the San Francisco music scene in the mid-1960s.
Gurley blended a wild, self-taught finger-picking style with a creative genius for customising electric guitars and amplifiers.
Albin said Gurley revolutionised lead guitar sounds and influenced practically every other guitarist of the era.
Gurley died two days before his 70th birthday. He is survived by his wife and two sons.