JetCraft Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 James Gurley was the one of the guitarist's for Big Brother and the Holding Company. Take care James...we will miss you man! For more info on James Gurley go to the links below... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gurley http://www.bbhc.com/james.html Thanks for looking... Jet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I saw Big Brother early on, and I guess that Janis was new to the band because she only performed on some of the songs. The rest was a blend of one of the guys singing and long extended guitar jams. Might not hold up today, I don't know. But in the 60s, with what had gone before, it was truly mind-blowing stuff. Cheap Thrills still stands as a classic, and their version of "Summertime" an inspiration. "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Loved James' playing. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Wow! A real milestone. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Wow! A real milestone. Thought that I would veer to the left here.... since you knew that I was standing in ElectricLadyLand, do you know who is pictured on my shirt? "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertbluesman Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 RIP James, I was a big admirer of BB&THC because of Janis mostly but I always admired his different style of playing. He was all by himself technique wise. dbm If it sounds good, it is good !! http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=143231&content=music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingerstyle_Jim Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I still dig out and listen to my LP of "Cheap Thrills" when I really want to get back to where it all started for me. The total abandon they all displayed in songs like "Ball and Chain" always gives me the chills, RIP James. Jim My SoundClick Page My New Music Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d halfnote Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 That's a drag but in a way, the way he lived, he's lucky to've made it this far. Was it Gurley or Andrews who did the intro guitar part on "Piece of My Heart" ? d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 My favorite BB&THC tune... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 It may sound like heresy to some, but my favorite cut on on Cheap thrills was the first one, Combination Of The Two, which featured Sam Houston Andrew on lead vocals and Janis on backup. I love Janis' vocals on everything she ever did, but that is such a different song for them, and it has such a killer groove to it, it's just irresistible. James' guitar playing on it hits like a truck. I've read that when Janis came into the group and basically became the star of the show, it was a real adjustment for James. HE had been the focus of the band before Janis, and all of a sudden, he was second string. What kills me is that the consensus among the music critics of the day was that Big Brother was a only a so-so band, and holding Janis back. I always thought they were a great band, and that Janis and they worked really well together. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 They release at least one album after Janis left, but it was nothing to get excited about. "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle" was abut the best thing on it and that was a novelty song. They were vibrant and exciting, originally. I think that it was the drugs that ruined it for them. San Fran became a very unsavory place in a hurry after the Summer of Love. "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d halfnote Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 In pre-Hendix San Francisco JG held the spot of the most exploratory guitarist on the scene, using feedback & exotic scales, etc., but (as for most guitarists, even the best) Jimi wiped the floor with everyone. "Ball & Chain" feat. (I think) Gurley on lead guitar (& yes that's a deliberate gap in the intro) Besides Gurley's status Peter Albin considered himself the frontman before Ms. Joplin's arrival. He & drummer Dave Getz seem to've been to only remotely restrained characters regarding chemical indulgence but more than that I'd suggest that personal jealousies & the fact that even before the Cheap Thrills album was recorded Joplin was being courted as a solo star & had planned to leave with Sam Andrews to form a new separate band tore the house down. This film, while hardly the best evidence for their power, offers some interesting cross-stage shots with all 4 frontline members in many of the shots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmC5kjUy1i0 BTW Post-Joplin Discography Big Brother & the Holding Company (1967) Cheap Thrills (1968) Be a Brother (1970) How Hard It Is (1971) *** Can't Go Home Again (1997) Live at Winterland '68 (1998) Do What You Love (1999) Hold Me (2006) The Lost Tapes (2008) *** This is the only post-JJ record I've heard. It features the vocal stylings of Kathi McDonald & has at least a couple OK blues-rock tunes, most notably "Black Widow Spider" & the title track. Note also the final track's title. "B W Spider" http://www.rhapsody.com/-search?query=black%20widow%20spider%20+%20big%20brother&searchtype=RhapKeyword Rhapsody listing for entire album (listening is free) http://www.rhapsody.com/-search?query=how%20hard%20it%20is%20+%20big%20brother&searchtype=RhapKeyword d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I love that album....I loved it when it came out and still do. Lotsa fuzz box action on Ball and Chain.......... throw in all that finger vibrato...... that and whatever else happened to be your poison at the time...... what a trip! So who's on your shirt Bill...did that get answered yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Wow! A real milestone. Thought that I would veer to the left here.... since you knew that I was standing in ElectricLadyLand, do you know who is pictured on my shirt? I can't really make it out very well; enlarging the image just results in a very blurry, sort of pixilated view; and I don't recognize it off the top of my head. Would it be too obvious and easy if you gave up a better shot of it? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Would it be too obvious and easy if you gave up a better shot of it? Thinking about musicians from the 60s and 70s brought it to mind, and I was looking for a happier outcome in my mind. That is Kinky Freedman, formerly with Kinky Freeman and the Texas Jewboys, famous for songs such as "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore". He became an author of detective fiction, incorporating his many friends like Willie Nelson into his stories. Then he ran for Governor of Texas under the slogan, "Why the Hell Not?" He is a frequent guest on the Charlie Rose show, because he is a pretty interesting and bright guy. "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 ...... Kinky Freedman, formerly with Kinky Freeman and the Texas Jewboys, famous for songs such as "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore". He became an author of detective fiction, incorporating his many friends like Willie Nelson into his stories. Then he ran for Governor of Texas under the slogan, "Why the Hell Not?" He is a frequent guest on the Charlie Rose show, because he is a pretty interesting and bright guy. LOL.....I always get a good laugh the couple of times I've seen him on the telly. I enjoy watching him. He is way out there.......LOL!!! http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/Gypsyfingers/KinkyFriedman01.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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