Miles Davis, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters Guitarist Dead At 68.

Pete Cosey, guitarist best known for his work with Miles Davis, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, has died at the age of 68.

He might not be among the most well known guitarists of our generation – hell, he's not even the most well known guitarist to play alongside the great Miles Davis – but his wildly adventurous playing and unwillingness to snap to convention made him one of the instruments most exciting players of the time.

Cosey played with Davis in his early-'70s psychedelic period, lending his shredding skills to the Get Up with It, Dark Magus, Agharta and Pangaea albums. Before working with Davis he was a session player with Chess Records, meaning you can hear his playing all over records from the likes of Etta James and Rotary Connection, as well as the aforementioned Wolf and Waters.

His time with the legendary bluesmen saw him play on two of the most revered records of that era; Muddy Waters' Electric Mud and Howlin' Wolf's The Howlin' Wolf Album. Both albums were somewhat controversial in that they were seen as Chess Records' attempt to change the styles of these blues players against their will and while many didn't agree with their conceptions, they became intensely influential pieces of work for psychedelic bands and musicians of the early 1970s.

Cosey was not a particularly public figure, he never issued any solo recordings and after appearing on a song from Herbie Hancock's Future Shock record in 1983, wasn't heard on record until the year 2000. But he didn't need to put himself in the spotlight to be heard and admired and joins the ever-growing list of great guitarists who we'll sadly never have the chance to hear again.

Cosey passed away yesterday of unspecified causes at the age of 68.

Here are five great moments from the career of Pete Cosey, as selected by theMusic.com.au.