Though creating original paintings is my most enjoyable (and most enduring) career, initially, I pursued a musician lifestyle back in the 1970's.  I had the pleasure to meet and perform with a number of musicians in the San Francisco area music scene of that time, which we discovered years later, was like being in Liverpool, England at a time when new music directions were being developed.  But surprisingly, a chance encounter with one of the more notable of these musicians has now resulted in placing me as a guaranteed footnote in the history of that world famous music scene!

I'll explain:  When I was living in the Palm Desert, California area (near Palm Springs) back in 1978, I received a phone call from a talented multi-instrumentalist friend I had met there.  Gerry Soneff, a bass guitar player.  He asked me if I wanted to go with him to meet one of the famous members of a band from San Francisco known to have launched JANIS JOPLIN to worldwide fame, BIG BROTHER and the HOLDING COMPANY.  Of course I said YES!!  This fellows name was JAMES GURLEY, a guitarist and innovator who helped compose and arrange many of the bands songs.

(Top;  Peter Albin.  Center;  Sam Andrew, Janis Joplin, Dave Getz, James Gurley)

Mr. Gurley had tired of the chilly temperatures of the San Francisco area and had relocated to Palm Desert, California, a town near Palm Springs.  New to the area, he was apparently anxious to meet musicians in that region.  Of course I was greatly excited at this rare opportunity to meet this famous fellow, so Mr. Soneff and I drove over to Mr. Gurley's house.  Once we established who we were to Mr. Gurley's satisfaction, we were invited into his home music recording studio.

It was like being in a wacky DREAM!  I don't think I've ever been as excited about something as I was concerning this meeting. I was shaking with excitement.  I couldn't believe this was actually happening!  Here I was actually in the presence of one of the members of what was a famous and historic San Francisco band at one time.  Within a few minutes, we decided to relax and see if we could make a little music.  Just the three of us, no vocals.  I set up my custom drum kit and we improvised for about three or four hours into the late evening.  Just making up songs as we played. 

We were all happy about the results, and somewhat surprised by how well things were going.  It's not uncommon for musicians from different backgrounds to have differing views of how to play and just what to play, but the three of us seemed to be operating on the same wave length.  For me, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I didn't want to risk squandering it.

Mr. Gurley was one of two guitar players for the band, and was actually the focal point of the band before Janis Joplin showed up.  During a break between songs, I couldn't resist the urge to ask him what he thought about Joplin and he said, "She just wasn't that good!".  Those were his exact words.  I chuckled to myself, having heard that some of the band members (especially Mr. Gurley) weren't getting along too well with Joplin after the first year or so. 

As for me, I had been playing drums since the tender age of 14, taking lessons from a man who was a drummer in the Marine Corp, and knew all the "rudiments", as they are called.  In the insuing years, I eventually became very adept at this craft of being a drummer/percussionist.  Quite literally, I could play my drum set blindfolded.  It was like operating a machine, and I was the guy running it.

Then, the long parade going in and out of local bands began, trying to discover like-minded musicians (more difficult than it sounds).  I had only recently exited a San Francisco Bay Area band that had been performing regularly for about a year, so I was at my peak skills level, and was sufficiently confidant that I was "up to the challenge" of this surprise, unexpected meeting with James Gurley.  It was one of those "sink or swim" moments and I was ready to roll.

Janis Joplin and James Gurley photographed at a concert in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

His small home recording studio had a nice, shelved display section devoted to Joplin's instruments, however.  I picked up and closely examined her tambourine, maraccas and her acoustic guitar.  One of the walls of the studio had about five or six gold record awards proudly displaying Mr. Gurley's achievements in writing and/or participating in the music and albums of Big Brother and the Holding Co. 

During a short break, as Mr. Gurley tuned one of his guitars, I noticed his private record collection on shelves beneath his numerous Gold Record awards.  I asked him if I could examine his record albums, and he said I could.  I guess I assumed he would somehow have "different" music albums than the rest of us, but what a unique chance to glimpse what James had in this collection!  No surprise, however, as he had albums from all the recent bands of the period, and of course a number of blues music albums.  Pretty much like the rest of us musicians.

Along the road to fame, James Gurley had met nearly all the famous musicians of that era, even befriending Linda Eastman (McCartney), soon to be wife of Beatle Paul McCartney (whom I have ancestral family connections).  Linda was a photographer and took many photos of Big Brother and the Holding Company.  The band also did many gigs (concerts) with Jimi Hendrix.

After about twenty minutes of playing music, his wife (Margaret) and young son came into the studio and we were introduced to each other.  James Gurley impressed me as "just a regular guy".  A bit on the quiet side, perhaps, but friendly and unpretentious despite his illustrious past.  I was expecting him to be loud, self-righteous and egotistical.  Such was not the case.

He was certainly a "real character", however.  We discussed the chilly climate of San Francisco and how he just couldn't take it anymore and the scariness of driving mountain roads, where Mr. Soneff and I shared a cabin at the time.  Most of the old photos of the band show Mr. Gurley wearing some sort of bulky coat. 

One thing that I remember being impressed with immediately was his FIRM handshake!  Nothing whimpy about Mr. Gurley's handshake.  Many years of playing guitar had given him powerful hands, not unlike a construction worker, though he had never done anything but play guitar for most of his adult life.

Apparently we impressed him as well, as he invited Mr. Soneff and myself to perform with him again at a neighborhood party a week later (in which a wild summer lightening storm, complete with thunder and heavy rain, lit up the background).  We just played right through the whole thing, though the poolside party-goers sought shelter (we were sheltered by a patio roof).   Fortunately the electricity stayed on! 

Mr. Gurley was about thirteen or fourteen years older than we were, but he was a big kid at heart and we all got along like old friends.  I was greatly allergic to the plants and pollen of the desert area (not to mention the horrific heat), so I resisted the urge to buddy up to him, knowing it could rope me into hanging around the desert area longer than I wanted to.  A tough decision I sometimes regret.  How often does one meet and befriend a music legend, right?  My health and overall mental attitude had top priority, even with something as astonishing as this situation was.

All of this would have come and gone without much fanfare except for ONE BIG DETAIL.  I RECORDED OUR ENCOUNTER.  I brought a tape recorder with me when we played and recorded the improvisations we came up with at his home studio as well as the party.  While noteworthy in itself, in that it featured the guitar playing of one of the key members of Big Brother and the Holding Company, it would eventually attain MUCH more significance!

Though James Gurley died in 2009, in 2013, Mr. Gurley was nominated and inducted into the BLUES HALL of FAME.  WOW!!  The tape recordings I made back in the summer of 1978 were now HISTORIC AUDIO documents of a certified Blues Legend!  Just as though I had played with the likes of B.B. King, or any of the many other Blues Legends of America. 

Believe it or not, as a direct result of this recording in my possession, I will be listed (along with Mr. Soneff) somewhere in the musical history of the recordings of the San Francisco music scene along with those directly responsible for creating that unique sound. 

I could even have these recordings certified and documented in the National Archives of the United States, since it pertains to music containing actual playng by a certified Blues Artist. A footnote to a historic musician who attained even greater fame now as a LEGENDARY BLUES ARTIST.  No matter one's perception of this....It just doesn't get much better than that!

There are few recordings featuring Mr. Gurley, aside from Big Brother and the Holding Co. recordings and two or three side projects.  Life can indeed be stranger than fiction, and I have the proof of that, now.  I hold the licensing rights for these recordings in my possession.

I recently converted these historic recordings where I played drums with Mr. Gurley and Mr. Soneff to digital files and created a CD, which I play regularly to remind me of an ENCOUNTER with a BLUES LEGEND!!  Naturally, I'm quite proud and honored to have these unique recordings. It's the culmination of many long years of honing my skills as a drummer/percussionist in a highly competitive  industry.

I'm researching options into a possible future release of these historic recordings (or portions of it).

Big Brother and the Holding Company

 (from left, Sam Andrew, Dave Getz, Janis Joplin, James Gurley, Peter Albin)

-  THOUGHTS  ON  THE  MUSIC  BUSINESS  -

                 While I was never in a nationally known pop music band, I certainly had a few opportunities to do so, as the years progressed.  Mainly, I began to greatly dislike some of the "normal" activities involving this type of business.  Too many alcoholics, primarily.  Alcoholic musicians. Way too much boozing (not to mention drug abuse, as well), which created numerous problems for the bands I was involved in.  I may have the occaisional beer or mixed drink, but that's the limit for me.  I'm just not attracted to (and never have been) alcohol in any of its many and varied concoctions.  Seems like "kid stuff", to me.

Additionally, I became sick and tired of reeking of stale cigarette smoke, which was ever-present at nearly every show or gig that we did.  I don't smoke cigarettes, and never have, so that gradually became a real concern to me, especially as I learned more about the danger of second hand smoke. 

Another concern was the idea of living out of a suitcase and being "forced" to be in what amounted to "show business", with all the attendent phoniness.  Most pop bands simply have to travel around (whether they like it or not) to make any money.  I didn't find that appealing in any way whatsoever, to say the least.  A "suitcase lifestyle" was NOT what I wanted.

But most importantly, I grew increasingly more annoyed at the concept of "creating art by committee".  In other words, having to create music by working in conjunction with four or five other band members who nearly always clashed about how to play a song "correctly". 

It was great fun for a few years at the beginning, but I gradually came to see that there wasn't much REAL satisfaction in having to include a bunch of other people's input into creating music I was involved with. Lots of arguments and disagreements between band members.  What was once "fun", became a nuisance and just another job in the big world.

In the end, there was simply no way I could comfortably continue pursuing this "musician lifestyle", having these many concerns and drawbacks looming over me.  But it was my first career goal in life, so I think (in retrospect) that I didn't do too badly, all things considered!  It kept me out of lots of mischief as a young guy, and allowed me to become a competent musician (drummer/percussionist).

Had I not been as good of a drummer as I was, there was no way I would have spent even a few minutes in such close proximity of James Gurley, who had played with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and dozens of other world famous musicians.  I KNEW I had to be at least as competent as David Getz, Big Brother and the Holding Company's original drummer, and apparently I DID.

After my "Encounter with a Blues Legend", I decided I would stop playing drums while I was at this amazingly lofty position.  It seemed like a good stopping point.  One has to devote a lot of time and energy into being a professional musician, in order to do it correctly, and I no longer felt the overwhelming desire to subject myself to the rigors of that lifestyle. Much more relaxing, profitable, and satisfying to paint pictures!  (More responsibilities, however).

Like the old saying goes, "Quit while you're ahead".  And so it was. I stepped out of the spotlight and the musician lifestyle, knowing I could return to it should I chose to.... thus far, I have not.  I'm actually a pretty qualified jazz drummer, as well.  Hmmmm....

Besides, how many people do you know who were fortunate enough to actually make an albums worth of recordings with a legendary musician?  As fate would have it... I was actually the fellow who got to do that very thing! 

                   It highlights and informs my life every day.

JAMES GURLEY

Blues Guitar Legend

                          Official Certificate indicating James Gurley's induction into the BLUES HALL of FAME

A proud and delighted  Mrs. Gurley displaying the above certificate.  Sam Andrew, on the left, was also a guitarist, singer and songwriter in Big Brother & the Holding Co.

Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin

Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin

  Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1986 with Michel Bastian, one of many singers who replaced Janis Joplin.  James Gurley on the lower right.

James Gurley and wife Margaret backstage at a concert in Golden Gate park in later years.

Note: Some images above may be enlarged by clicking small box in lower right hand corner of image.