James Gurley obituary

Guitarist in Janis Joplin's band, who epitomised San Francisco's psychedelic eraJames Gurley, who has died of a heart attack aged 69, became known as a ­pioneer of psychedelic blues guitar during his career with the San Francisco band Big Brother & the Holding Company. It was the addition of the singer Janis Joplin to the group in 1966 that propelled them to international acclaim, but within the west coast musical ­community, Gurley's inventive, boundary-stretching playing was ­consider...

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