James Gurley RIP

Big Brother and the Holding Company, the band that accompanied Janis Joplin on her rise to fame in the late 1960s, lost its former guitarist, James Gurley, to a heart attack earlier this week. He was 69. Gurley was born in Detroit on December 22, 1939. In 1962, he moved to San Francisco and became part of the coffee house scene, playing mostly folk music, country and blues.  The guitarist was introduced to Big Brother and the Holding Company's Peter Albin and Sam Andrew by legendary promoter Chet Helms in the summer of 1965, and joined the band shortly thereafter.
In June of 1966, Joplin joined the band. She and Gurley shared a brief affair while performing together. Gurley died only two days shy of his 70th birthday.