Guitar Amp Pioneer Jim Marshall Dies Aged 88

Jim Marshall, who helped shape the sound of rock with his groundbreaking amplifier designs, has died. He was 88. His son Terry Marshall said he died in a hospice in England on Thursday morning after suffering from cancer and several severe strokes. Jim Marshall was known throughout the music world for founding Marshall Amplification, which produced the amplifiers that rocked music halls and arenas after their introduction in 1960. Photographs from the era show many of rock's most illustrious guitarists performing in front of stacks of Marshall amplifiers. Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page and others were drawn to the rough, loud sound produced by the English-made amps.