(Nightwatcher) James Gurley, former guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company, the psychedelic blues acid rock band from San Francisco who assisted Janis Joplin on her meteoric rise to fame in the late 60's has passed away from a heart attack December 20th at the age of 69. He was two days shy of his 70th birthday.Born in Detroit, Michigan on December 22, 1939, Gurley took up the guitar at the age of nineteen, practicing long hours listening to blues, particularly fond of bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins. In 1962, he moved to San Francisco and became part of the coffee-house circuit, playing in the folk and country blues tradition.
In the summer of 1965, legendary promoter Chet Helms brought James to 1090 Page Street to meet Peter Albin and Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and shortly thereafter, he joined the band. In June of 1966, Joplin joined the band, and shortly thereafter she and Gurley began a short lived affair. - more on this story
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