Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English
multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency.
Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...
and
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
. Initially a guitarist, he went on to provide
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones recordings and in concerts.
After he founded the Rolling Stones as a
British blues
British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gu ...
outfit in 1962, and gave the band its name, Jones' fellow band members
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
and
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
began to take over the band's musical direction, especially after they became a successful
songwriting team. Jones and fellow guitarist Richards also developed a unique style of guitar play that Richards refers to as the "ancient art of weaving" in which both players would play rhythm and lead parts together, which became a Rolling Stones trademark. Jones, however, did not get along with the band's manager,
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.
Early life
Loog Oldha ...
, who pushed the band into a musical direction at odds with Jones' blues background, and with whom he got into many fights.
When Jones developed
alcohol and
drug problems, his performance in the studio became increasingly unreliable, leading to a diminished role within the band he had founded. In June 1969, the Rolling Stones dismissed Jones; guitarist
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...
took his place in the group. Less than a month later, Jones died by drowning in the swimming pool at his home at
Cotchford Farm
Cotchford Farm is a farmhouse building to the southwest of the village of Hartfield, East Sussex, in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in southern England. The building stands on Cotchford Lane, TN7 4DN, a private lane off the ...
,
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
. His death was referenced in songs by many other pop bands, and
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
and
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...
wrote poems about it. In 1989, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as a member of the Rolling Stones.
Biography
Early life
Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was born in the Park Nursing Home in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, on 28 February 1942. An attack of
croup
Croup, also known as laryngotracheobronchitis, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms o ...
at the age of four left Jones with
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
that lasted for the rest of his life. His middle-class parents, Lewis Blount Jones and Louisa Beatrice Jones (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Simmonds), were of Welsh descent. Brian had two sisters; Pamela, who was born on 3 October 1943 and died on 14 October 1945 of
leukaemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
; and Barbara, born on 22 August 1946.
Jones attended local schools, including
Dean Close School
Dean Close School is a public school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest privat ...
from September 1949 to July 1953; and
Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys, (now
Pate's Grammar School
en, That which is hidden shall be revealed
, established =
, closed =
, type = Grammar school;Academy
, religion =
, president =
, head_label =
, head = Russel Ellicott
, r_head_label =
, r_head =
, chair_label =
, chair =
, founder ...
) which he entered in September 1953 after passing the
eleven-plus
The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...
exam. He enjoyed
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
and
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
at school, and became first
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
in the school orchestra. Jones reportedly obtained seven
O-level
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
passes in 1957, thence continuing into the
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
and obtaining a further two O-levels. He passed
A-levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, but failed
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
.
Jones was able to perform well in exams despite a lack of academic effort. However, he found school regimented, and disliked school uniforms and
conformism
Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often choo ...
in general; Jones himself said: "When I made the sixth form I found myself accepted by the older boys; suddenly I was in". His hostility to authority figures resulted in his suspension from school on two occasions. According to Dick Hattrell, a childhood friend: "He was a rebel without a cause, but when examinations came he was brilliant".
Both Jones' parents were interested in music; his father was a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
teacher in addition to his job as an
aeronautical engineer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
, and his mother played piano and
organ and led the
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
at the local church. Jones listened to
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
as a child but preferred
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, particularly
Elmore James
Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...
and
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
. In 1957 he first heard
Cannonball Adderley
Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...
's music and took an interest in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
. Jones persuaded his parents to buy him a
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
and two years later his parents gave him his first
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
as a 17th-birthday present. Jones began performing at local blues and jazz clubs, while
busking
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
and working odd jobs. He reportedly stole small amounts of money from work to pay for cigarettes, for which he was fired.
Relationships and fatherhood
In late summer 1959, when both were aged 17, Jones' girlfriend, a Cheltenham schoolgirl named Valerie Corbett, became pregnant. Although Jones is said to have encouraged her to have an
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, she carried the child to term and placed the baby for
adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
. Jones quit school in disgrace and left home, travelling for a summer through northern Europe. During this period, he lived a
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
lifestyle, busking with his guitar on the streets for money and living off the charity of others. Eventually, he ran short of money and returned to England.
In November 1959, Jones went to the Wooden Bridge Hotel in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
to see a band perform. He met a young married woman named Angeline, and the two had a
one-night stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
that resulted in her pregnancy. Angeline and her husband decided to raise the baby, Belinda, born on 4 August 1960. Jones never knew about the pregnancy or her birth.
In 1961, Jones applied for a scholarship to
Cheltenham Art College. He was initially accepted into the programme, but two days later the offer was withdrawn after an unidentified acquaintance wrote to the college, calling Jones an irresponsible
drifter
A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment.
Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to:
Films and television Films
* ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey
* ''Th ...
. Later that year, on 22 October, Jones' girlfriend Pat Andrews gave birth to his third child, Julian Mark Andrews. Jones moved in with them and sold his record collection to buy flowers for Andrews and clothes for the newborn.
In a television interview in 1965, Andrews stated that in the early days of their relationship, although she and Jones were both working, his interest in the guitar meant he didn't have much money for buying food or anything beyond paying the rent. According to Andrews, Jones was initially proud of Julian Mark (called Mark), but when the Rolling Stones acquired a manager, Brian was instructed not to be seen with either mother or child. Jones, she said, agreed, telling her she'd have to "put up with it for a few months" until the band had had some success. However, once the Stones did become successful, she noted Jones "just seemed to drift away", becoming more interested in famous people he met, and that she "never received a penny from Brian at all". In the same interview, Pat also noted she felt sorry for Brian as "he just uses people".
In early 1963, Jones began a relationship with
Linda Lawrence
__NOTOC__
Linda Anne Lawrence (also called Linda Leitch; born Windsor 1946) is the British wife, muse and sometimes collaborator of folk-rock star Donovan Leitch. Donovan wrote his US #1/UK #2 hit song " Sunshine Superman" for her as well as "Le ...
. On 23 July 1964, Lawrence gave birth to Jones' fourth child, Julian Brian Lawrence. Lawrence later married Scottish folk/pop singer
Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
. They raised Julian together, changing his name to Julian Leitch. Two years later, while on tour, Jones met Italian-German model and actress
Anita Pallenberg
Anita Pallenberg (6 April 1942 – 13 June 2017) was a German-Italian actress, artist, and model. A style icon and "It Girl" of the 1960s and 1970s, Pallenberg was credited as the muse of the Rolling Stones: she was the romantic partner of the ...
backstage and began a significant relationship with her. Jones became extremely
abusive, at one point breaking his hand on Pallenberg's face. In 1967, Pallenberg left Jones for his bandmate Keith Richards, which added to tensions between Brian and Keith.
Brian had subsequent relationships with English model
Suki Potier and Swedish model Anna Wohlin, as well as a short relationship in 1968 with American model
Donyale Luna
Peggy Ann Freeman (August 31, 1945 – May 17, 1979), known professionally as Donyale Luna, was an American supermodel and actress who gained popularity in Western Europe during the late 1960s. Generally cited as "the first Black supermodel" ...
, who appeared with him in the concert film ''
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'' was a concert show organised by the Rolling Stones on 11–12 December 1968. The show was filmed on a makeshift circus stage with Jethro Tull, The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and The Rolling S ...
'' several months before his death. Wohlin was living with Jones in 1969 when he died, and has written two books about her time with him.
Paternity cover-up
In early October 1964, Jones' occasional girlfriend, Dawn Molloy, announced to Jones and the Rolling Stones' management that she was pregnant by him. She received a cheque for £700 () from group manager
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.
Early life
Loog Oldha ...
. In return, she signed an agreement that the matter was now closed and that she would make no statement about Jones or the child to the public or the press. The undated statement was signed by Molloy and witnessed by
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
.
Forming the Rolling Stones
![Brian_Jones,_Statesboro,_Georgia,_May_4,_1965_(377872218)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Brian_Jones%2C_Statesboro%2C_Georgia%2C_May_4%2C_1965_%28377872218%29.jpg)
Jones left Cheltenham and moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where he became friends with fellow musicians
Alexis Korner
Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major in ...
, future
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...
singer
Paul Jones, future
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of British rock band Cream. After the group disbande ...
, and others who made up the small London
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
and jazz scene. He became a blues musician, for a brief time calling himself "Elmo Lewis" and playing
slide guitar
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
. He also started a group with Paul Jones called the Roosters. In January 1963, after both Jones and Paul left the group,
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
took over Brian's position as guitarist.
Jones placed an advertisement in the 2 May 1962 edition of ''Jazz News'', a
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
club information sheet, inviting musicians to audition for a new
R&B group at the Bricklayer's Arms pub; pianist
Ian Stewart was the first to respond. Later, singer Mick Jagger also joined this band; Jagger and his childhood friend Keith Richards had met Jones when he and Paul were playing Elmore James' "
Dust My Broom
"Dust My Broom" is a blues song originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. It is a solo performance in the Delta blues-style with Johnson's vocal accompanied by his acoustic guitar. A ...
" with Korner's band at the
Ealing Jazz Club
Ealing Jazz Club was a music venue in Ealing, west London, England, which opened in 1959. It became London's first regular blues venue, with performances by the Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies band Blues Incorporated.
History
Ealing Jazz Club ...
. Jagger brought guitarist Richards to rehearsals; Richards then joined the band. Jones' and Stewart's acceptance of Richards and the
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
songs he wanted to play coincided with the departure of blues purists guitarist
Geoff Bradford
Geoffrey Reginald William Bradford (18 July 1927 – 30 December 1994) was an English professional footballer who spent his entire career at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England ...
and singer Brian Knight, who had no tolerance for Chuck Berry.
As Richards tells it, Jones came up with the name the "Rollin' Stones" (later with the 'g') while on the phone with a venue owner. "The voice on the other end of the line obviously said, 'What are you called?' Panic! ''The Best of Muddy Waters'' album was lying on the floor—and track five, side one was 'Rollin' Stone Blues'". The Rollin' Stones played their first gig on 12 July 1962 at the
Marquee Club
The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...
in London, with a line-up of Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart, bass player
Dick Taylor
Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founding member of the Pretty Things.
Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to resume his studies at Sidcu ...
(later of
the Pretty Things
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
) and
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
Tony Chapman
Anthony Chapman is a British drummer and songwriter who was especially active during the 1960s. He gained valuable drumming experience as part of the Cliftons in 1960, then jammed with an early line-up of the Rolling Stones before they settled ...
.
From September 1962 to September 1963, Jones, Jagger and Richards shared a flat (referred to by Richards as "a beautiful dump") at 102 Edith Grove,
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, with James Phelge, a future photographer whose name was used in some of the group's early "
Nanker/Phelge" writing credits. Jones and Richards spent day after day playing guitar while listening to blues records (notably
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...
,
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...
,
Willie Dixon
William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
and
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...
). During this time, Jones also taught Jagger how to play
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
.
The four Stones went searching for a bassist and drummer, finally settling on
Bill Wyman
William George Wyman (né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who achieved international fame as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member ...
on bass because he had a spare
VOX AC30
The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox. It was introduced in 1958 to meet the growing demand for louder amplifiers. Characterised by its "jangly" high-end sound it has become widely recognized by British musicians and others, su ...
guitar amplifier
A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which a ...
and always had cigarettes, as well as a bass guitar that he had built himself. After playing with
Mick Avory
Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, ...
, Tony Chapman and
Carlo Little
Carl O'Neil Little (17 December 1938 – 6 August 2005), better known by his stage name Carlo Little, was a rock and roll drummer, based in the London nightclub scene in the 1960s. He played in an early version of the Rolling Stones. Little ...
, in January 1963 they finally persuaded jazz-influenced
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021.
Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...
to join them. At the time, Watts was considered by fellow musicians to be one of the better drummers in London; he had played with (among others) Alexis Korner's group
Blues Incorporated
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, or simply Blues Incorporated, were an English blues band formed in London in 1961, led by Alexis Korner and including at various times Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Terry Cox, Davy Graham, Ginger Baker, Art W ...
.
Watts described Jones' role in these early days: "Brian was very instrumental in pushing the band at the beginning. Keith and I would look at him and say he was barmy. It was a crusade to him to get us on the stage in a club and be paid
half-a-crown and to be billed as an R&B band".
While acting as the band's business manager, Jones received £5 more than the other members (), which did not sit well with the rest of the band and created resentment. Richards has said that both he and Jagger were surprised to learn that Jones considered himself the leader and was receiving the extra £5, especially as other people, like
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Sergio Alessando Gomelsky (28 February 1934 – 13 January 2016) was a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter (as Oscar Rasputin) and record producer. He was born in Georgia, grew up in Switzerland, and later lived in the Unit ...
, appeared to be doing the booking.
Musical contributions
![Kungliga Tennishallen Stones 1966a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Kungliga_Tennishallen_Stones_1966a.jpg)
Jones was a gifted
multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency.
Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...
, proficient on a wide variety of musical instruments. Prior to his dismissal from the Stones in 1969, Jones typically played all their instruments that varied from the drums, guitars, piano, and bass that were standard in rock. His ability to play a wide variety of instruments is most evident on the albums ''
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an Americ ...
'' (1966), ''
Between the Buttons
''Between the Buttons'' is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and on 11 February in the US as the follow-up to ''Aftermath''. It reflected the St ...
'' (1967) and ''
Their Satanic Majesties Request
''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' is the 6th British and 8th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 by Decca Records in the UK and by London Records in the US. It is their first to be relea ...
'' (1967). As a guitarist, in the early days he favoured a white
teardrop-shaped electric guitar produced by the
Vox company, especially in live performances; he also played a wide variety of electric and acoustic guitars from companies such as
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range ...
,
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
, and
Fender. As a slide guitarist, he favoured the
open E and
open G
Among alternative tunings for the guitar, an open G tuning is an open tuning that features the G-major chord; its open notes are selected from the notes of a G-major chord, such as the G-major triad (G,B,D). For example, a popular open-G tuning ...
tunings.
Examples of Jones' contributions are his slide guitar on "
I Wanna Be Your Man
"I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song first recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, and finished by Lennon and McCartney in ...
" (1963), "
I'm a King Bee
"I'm a King Bee" is a swamp blues song written and first recorded by Slim Harpo in 1957. It has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists and in 2008, Slim Harpo's original received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Original song ...
", "
Little Red Rooster
"Little Red Rooster" (or "The Red Rooster" as it was first titled) is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. His ...
" (1964), "I Can't Be Satisfied" (1964), "
I'm Movin' On" (1965), "Mona" (1965), "Doncha Bother Me" and "
No Expectations
"No Expectations" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones featured on their 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. It was first released as the B-side of the " Street Fighting Man" single in August 1968. The song was recorded in May 1968. Bria ...
". Jones can also be heard playing
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
-style rhythm guitar on "
I Need You Baby", "
Please Go Home
''Between the Buttons'' is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and on 11 February in the US as the follow-up to '' Aftermath''. It reflected the S ...
", "
19th Nervous Breakdown", and the guitar riff in "
The Last Time";
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
on "
Street Fighting Man
"Street Fighting Man" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, written by the songwriting team of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Considered one of the band's most popular and most controversial songs, it features Indian instrume ...
" and "
Paint It Black
"Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European infl ...
"; organ on "
Let's Spend the Night Together
"Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released by the Rolling Stones as a double A-sided single together with " Ruby Tuesday" in January 1967. It also appears as the opening track ...
";
marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
on "
Under My Thumb
"Under My Thumb" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones. Although it was never released as a single in English-speakin ...
", "
Out of Time" and "
Yesterday's Papers
Yesterday's Papers is a song by the Rolling Stones from their 1967 album, '' Between the Buttons''. It was the first song that Mick Jagger wrote by himself for the group. It appears as the opening track on the UK version of the album and on the U ...
";
recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
on "
Ruby Tuesday" and "All Sold Out"; saxophone on "Child of the Moon" and "
Citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
";
kazoo
The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifi ...
on "Cool, Calm & Collected";
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of ...
on "I Am Waiting" and "
Lady Jane",
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
on "
She's a Rainbow
"She's a Rainbow" is a song by the Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album ''Their Satanic Majesties Request''. via the Digital Library of the University of North Texas. It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic ...
", "
We Love You
"We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was first released as a single on 18 August 1967, with "Dandelion" as the B-side. The song peaked at number eight in Bri ...
", "
Stray Cat Blues
"Stray Cat Blues" is the eighth song on the Rolling Stones' album ''Beggars Banquet''. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Jimmy Miller. Miller's production of the song is very representative of his style, featuring a ...
", "
2000 Light Years from Home
"2000 Light Years from Home" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on their 1967 album ''Their Satanic Majesties Request''. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it also appeared as the B-side to the American sin ...
", and "Citadel"; and the
autoharp
An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...
on "
Ride On, Baby
"Ride On, Baby" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1965. It was first released as a single by Chris Farlowe in October 1966 and reached No. 31 on the British charts. The Rolling S ...
" and (for his final recording as a Rolling Stone) on "
You Got the Silver
"You Got the Silver" is a song by the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from their 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. It was also released as the B-side to the "Let It Bleed (song), Let It Bleed" single in Japan.
Recording
Recorded on 18 F ...
". He also played the oboe/soprano sax solo in "
Dandelion
''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...
".
Jones also played harmonica on many of the Rolling Stones' early songs. Examples of Jones' playing are on "
Come On
Come On may refer to:
Music
* Come On (EP), ''Come On'' (EP), by Elf Power, 1999
* Come On (Billy Lawrence song), "Come On" (Billy Lawrence song), 1997
* Come On (Christine Anu song), "Come On" (Christine Anu song), 1995
* Come On (Chuck Berry son ...
", "
Stoned" (1963), "
Not Fade Away" (1964), "
I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Now I've Got a Witness" (1964), "Good Times, Bad Times" (1964), "
2120 South Michigan Avenue" (1964) (from the
EP ''Five By Five''), "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man", "One More Try" (1965), "High and Dry" and "
Goin' Home" (1966), "Who's Driving Your Plane?" (1966), "Cool, Calm & Collected", "Who's Been Sleeping Here" (1967), and "
Dear Doctor
"Dear Doctor" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', and originally aired on January 23, 2002, on UPN. The episode was written by Maria and Andre Jacquemetton, ...
" and "Prodigal Son" (1968).
In the early years, Jones often served as a backing vocalist. Notable examples are "
Come On
Come On may refer to:
Music
* Come On (EP), ''Come On'' (EP), by Elf Power, 1999
* Come On (Billy Lawrence song), "Come On" (Billy Lawrence song), 1997
* Come On (Christine Anu song), "Come On" (Christine Anu song), 1995
* Come On (Chuck Berry son ...
", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "
Walking the Dog
"Walking the Dog" (or "Walkin' the Dog") is a song written and performed by Rufus Thomas. It was released on his 1963 album ''Walking the Dog''. It was his signature hit and also his biggest, reaching number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in ...
", "Bye Bye Johnny", "
Money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
", "I'm Alright", "
You Better Move On", "
Poison Ivy",
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff ...
, and "
It's All Over Now
"It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover versio ...
". He contributed backing vocals as late as 1968 on "
Sympathy for the Devil
"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership.
It is consi ...
". He is also responsible for the whistling on "Walking the Dog".
Richards maintains that what he calls "guitar weaving" emerged from this period, from listening to
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...
albums: "We listened to the teamwork, trying to work out what was going on in those records; how you could play together with two guitars and make it sound like four or five". Jones' and Richards' guitars became a signature of the sound of the Rolling Stones, with both guitarists playing rhythm and lead without clear boundaries between the two roles (although Keith Richards would play most of the standard guitar solos while Brian played the slide guitar solos).
Estrangement from bandmates
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
's arrival as manager marked the beginning of Jones' slow
estrangement. Oldham recognised the financial advantages of band members writing their own songs, as exemplified by
Lennon–McCartney
Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...
, and that playing
covers would not sustain a band in the limelight for long. Further, he wanted to make Jagger's charisma and flamboyance a focus of live performances. Jones saw his influence over the Stones' direction wane as their repertoire comprised fewer of the blues covers than he preferred; more
Jagger/Richards originals developed (although many still had a bluesy sound), and Oldham increased his own managerial control, displacing Jones from yet another role.
The toll from days on the road, the money and fame, and the feeling of being alienated from the group resulted in Jones' overindulgence in alcohol and other drugs. These excesses had a debilitative effect on his physical and mental health and, according to Oldham, Jones became unfriendly and antisocial at times.
In March 1967,
Anita Pallenberg
Anita Pallenberg (6 April 1942 – 13 June 2017) was a German-Italian actress, artist, and model. A style icon and "It Girl" of the 1960s and 1970s, Pallenberg was credited as the muse of the Rolling Stones: she was the romantic partner of the ...
, Jones' girlfriend of two years, left him for Richards when Jones was hospitalised while the three were on a trip to
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, further damaging the already strained relations between Jones and Richards. As tensions and Jones'
substance abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
increased, his musical contributions became sporadic. He became bored with the guitar and sought exotic instruments to play, and he was increasingly absent from recording sessions. In
Peter Whitehead's promotional film for ''
We Love You
"We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was first released as a single on 18 August 1967, with "Dandelion" as the B-side. The song peaked at number eight in Bri ...
'', made in July 1967, he appears extremely groggy and disorientated.
Jones was arrested for
drug possession
The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances.
While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...
on 10 May 1967, shortly after the
Redlands bust at Richards' Sussex home. Authorities found
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
,
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, and
methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
in his flat. He confessed to marijuana use, but said he did not use hard drugs. In June 1967, he attended the
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...
. There he met
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
, and went on stage to introduce the
Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
who were not yet well known in the United States.
Hostility grew between Jones, Jagger, and Richards, alienating Jones further from the group. Although many noted that Jones could be friendly and outgoing, Wyman, Richards, and Watts have commented that he could also be cruel and difficult. By most accounts, Jones' attitude changed frequently; he was one minute caring and generous, the next making an effort to anger everyone. As Wyman observed in ''Stone Alone'': "There were at least two sides to Brian's personality. One Brian was introverted, shy, sensitive, deep-thinking. The other was a preening peacock, gregarious, artistic, desperately needing assurance from his peers." Wyman added: "He pushed every friendship to the limit and way beyond".
Jones' last substantial sessions with the Stones occurred in spring and summer of 1968, when the Stones produced "
Jumpin' Jack Flash
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, the song was perceived by some as ...
" and the ''
Beggars Banquet
''Beggars Banquet'' is the 7th British and 9th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Ro ...
'' album. He can be seen in the
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...
film ''
One Plus One'' playing acoustic guitar and chatting and sharing cigarettes with Richards, although Jones is neglected in the music-making. The film chronicles the making of "
Sympathy for the Devil
"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership.
It is consi ...
".
Where once Jones played multiple instruments on many tracks, he now played only minor roles on a few pieces. Jones' last formal appearance was in the December 1968 ''
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'' was a concert show organised by the Rolling Stones on 11–12 December 1968. The show was filmed on a makeshift circus stage with Jethro Tull, The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and The Rolling S ...
'', a part-concert, part circus-act film organised by the band. It went unreleased for more than 25 years because Jagger was unhappy with the band's performance compared to others in the film such as
Jethro Tull,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
,
the Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, and
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
.
Commentary included as bonus material indicated that almost everyone at the concert sensed that Jones' time with the Rolling Stones was nearing an end, and
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who.
Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...
and
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
of the Who thought it would be Jones' last live musical performance.
Legal issues and departure from the Rolling Stones
Jones was arrested a second time on 21 May 1968, for possession of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
, which he said had been left by previous tenants of the flat. Because he was on
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
at the time, he faced a long jail sentence if found guilty. The jury found him guilty, but the judge had sympathy for Jones; instead of jailing him, he fined him £50 () plus £105 in costs () and told him: "For goodness sake, don't get into trouble again or it really ''will'' be serious".
Jones' legal troubles, estrangement from his bandmates, substance abuse, and mood swings became too much of an obstacle to his active participation in the band. The Rolling Stones wanted to tour the United States in 1969, for the first time in three years, but Jones was not in a fit condition to tour, and his second arrest exacerbated problems with acquiring a US
work visa. In addition, Jones' attendance at rehearsals and recording sessions had become erratic. When he did appear he either rarely contributed anything musically or, when he did, his bandmates would switch off his amplifier, leaving Richards to play nearly all the guitars. According to author Gary Herman, Jones was "literally incapable of making music; when he tried to play harmonica his mouth started bleeding".
This behaviour was problematic during the ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' and ''Beggar's Banquet'' sessions and had worsened by the time the band commenced recording ''
Let It Bleed
''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...
''. In March 1969, Jones borrowed the group's
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
and went shopping in Pimlico Road. After the parked car was towed away by police, Jones hired a chauffeur-driven car to get home. In May 1969, Jones crashed his motorcycle into a shop window and was secretly taken to hospital under an assumed name. From this point, he was still attending recording sessions but was no longer a major contributor to the band's music. By May, he had made two contributions to the work in progress:
autoharp
An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...
on "
You Got the Silver
"You Got the Silver" is a song by the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from their 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. It was also released as the B-side to the "Let It Bleed (song), Let It Bleed" single in Japan.
Recording
Recorded on 18 F ...
" and percussion on "
Midnight Rambler
"Midnight Rambler" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released on their 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. The song is a loose biography of Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to being the Boston Strangler.
Keith Richards has called the nu ...
". Jagger informed Jones that he would be fired from the band if he did not turn up to a photo session. Looking frail, he nonetheless showed up and his last photo session as a Rolling Stone took place on 21 May 1969, first at
St. Katherine Docks
St Katharine Docks is a former dock and now a mixed-used district in Central London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and within the East End. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London an ...
,
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...
, London, and then at
Ethan Russell
Ethan Allen Russell (born November 26, 1945 in Mt. Kisco, New York) is an American photographer, author and video director, mostly of musicians. He is known as "the only rock photographer to have shot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling St ...
's photographic studio in
South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
. The photos would appear on the album ''
Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
''Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)'' is the second compilation album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in September 1969 by Decca Records in the UK and London Records/ABKCO Records in the US.
Background
Accordi ...
'' in September 1969.
The Stones decided that following the release of the ''Let it Bleed'' album (scheduled for July 1969 in the US) they would start a tour of North America in November 1969. However, the Stones' management was informed that Jones would not receive a work permit, owing to his drug convictions. At the suggestion of Stewart, the Stones decided to add a new guitarist. On 8 June 1969, Jones was visited by Jagger, Richards and Watts, and was told that the group he had formed would continue without him.
To the public it appeared as if Jones had left voluntarily; the other band members told him that although he was being dismissed, it was his choice how to break it to the public. Jones released a statement on 9 June 1969, announcing his departure. In this statement he said, among other things, that, "I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting". He was replaced by the 20-year-old guitarist
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...
, formerly of
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...
.
During the period of his decreasing involvement in the band, Jones was living at
Cotchford Farm
Cotchford Farm is a farmhouse building to the southwest of the village of Hartfield, East Sussex, in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in southern England. The building stands on Cotchford Lane, TN7 4DN, a private lane off the ...
in
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
, the residence formerly owned by ''
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.
The first collection of stories about the character w ...
'' author
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...
,
which Jones had purchased in November 1968. Alexis Korner, who visited in late June, noted that Jones seemed "happier than he had ever been". Jones is known to have contacted Korner, Stewart,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
,
Mitch Mitchell
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...
,
Alan Price
Alan Price (born 19 April 1942) is an English musician. He was the original keyboardist for the British band the Animals before he left to form his own band the Alan Price Set. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a m ...
, and
Jimmy Miller
James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of t ...
about intentions to put together another band. Jones had apparently demoed a few of his own songs in the weeks before his death, including "Has Anybody Seen My Baby?" and "Chow Time".
Death
![Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Brian_Jones_of_the_Rolling_Stones_-_geograph.org.uk_-_670236.jpg)
At around midnight on the night of 2–3 July 1969, Jones was discovered motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm. His Swedish girlfriend, Anna Wohlin, was convinced he was alive when he was taken out of the pool, insisting he still had a pulse. However, by the time the doctors arrived, it was too late, and he was pronounced
dead on arrival
Dead on Scene
('' 'DOS' '')
Found dead before first responders get on scene and no medical treatment was given.
Dead on arrival (DOA), also dead in the field and brought in dead (BID), are terms which indicate that a patient was found to be ...
at the hospital at the
age of 27. The coroner's report stated it was a drowning, later clarified as "
death by misadventure
In the United Kingdom, death by misadventure is the recorded manner of death for an accidental death, caused by a risk taken voluntarily.
Misadventure in English law, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, ...
", and noted his liver and heart were greatly enlarged by past drug and alcohol abuse.
Upon Jones' death, the Who's Pete Townshend wrote a poem titled "A Normal Day for Brian, A Man Who Died Every Day" (printed in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''), Jimi Hendrix dedicated a song to him on US television, and
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...
of
the Doors
The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
published a poem titled "Ode to L.A. While Thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased". Coincidentally, Hendrix and Morrison both died within the following two years, with Morrison's death falling on the same date as Jones's. All three died at the age of 27.
The Rolling Stones performed at a free concert in
Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
on 5 July 1969, two days after Jones' death. The band decided to dedicate the concert (which had been scheduled weeks earlier as an opportunity to present their new guitarist, Mick Taylor) to Jones. Before the Stones' set, Jagger read excerpts from "
Adonais", a poem by
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...
about the death of his friend
John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...
, and stagehands released hundreds of white butterflies as part of the tribute. The band opened with a
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...
song that was one of Jones' favourites, "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" with Mick Taylor on the slide guitar.
Jones was reportedly buried deep in
Cheltenham Cemetery
Bouncer's Lane Cemetery, also known as Cheltenham Cemetery and Prestbury Cemetery, at Bouncer's Lane, Prestbury, Gloucestershire, Prestbury, Cheltenham, is a cemetery founded by the Burial Board of the Improvement Commissioners for Cheltenham. C ...
, to prevent exhumation by trophy hunters. His body was embalmed, with hair bleached white, and was placed in an air-tight silver and bronze casket.
Watts and Wyman were the only Rolling Stones who attended the funeral. Mick Jagger and
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...
were travelling to Australia to begin the filming of ''
Ned Kelly
Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...
''; they stated that their contracts did not allow them to delay the trip to attend the funeral.
When asked if he felt guilty about Jones's death, Mick Jagger told ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' in 1995: "No, I don't really. I do feel that I behaved in a very childish way, but we were very young, and in some ways we picked on him. But, unfortunately, he made himself a target for it; he was very, very jealous, very difficult, very
manipulative, and if you do that in this kind of a group of people you get back as good as you give, to be honest. I wasn't understanding enough about his drug addiction. No one seemed to know much about drug addiction. Things like
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
were all new. No one knew the harm. People thought cocaine was good for you."
Wyman said of Jones, "As the years go by, I become even more convinced that he's entitled to a free pardon. Brian Jones is a legend and his legacy is there for all to hear. While the Rolling Stones damaged all of us in some way, Brian was the only one that died."
Murder theory
Theories surrounding Jones's death developed soon afterwards, with associates of the Stones claiming to have information that he was murdered.
According to rock biographer
Philip Norman, "the murder theory would bubble back to the surface every five years or so".
In 1993, it was reported that Jones was murdered by Frank Thorogood, a builder who was doing construction work on the property. He was the last person to see Jones alive. Thorogood allegedly confessed the murder to the Rolling Stones' driver Tom Keylock, who later denied this. The Thorogood theory was dramatised in the 2005 film ''
Stoned''. Thorogood is alleged to have killed Jones in a fight over money; he had been paid £18,000 for work on Cotchford Farm but he wanted another £6,000 from the musician.
The killing is alleged to have been covered up by senior police officers when they discovered how badly the investigation into Jones' death had been botched by the local police.
In August 2009,
Sussex Police
Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Its jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The force is headquartered in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex.
His ...
decided to conduct a case review of Jones' death for the first time since 1969 after new evidence was handed to them by Scott Jones, an
investigative journalist
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
, who had traced many of the people who were at Brian Jones' house the night he died. The journalist had also uncovered unseen police files held at the
National Archives. In 2010, following the review, Sussex Police stated it would not be reopening the case. It asserted that "this has been thoroughly reviewed by Sussex Police's Crime Policy and Review Branch, but there is no new evidence to suggest that the coroner's original verdict of 'death by misadventure' was incorrect."
Songwriting credits
Unsure and insecure as a composer, Jones was not a prolific songwriter. The 30-second "
Rice Krispies
Rice Krispies (known as Rice Bubbles in Australia and New Zealand) is a breakfast cereal, marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928. Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice (rice and sugar paste that is formed into rice ...
"
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...
for
Kellogg's
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
, co-written with the
J. Walter Thompson
J. Walter Thompson (JWT) was an advertisement holding company incorporated in 1896 by American advertising pioneer James Walter Thompson. The company was acquired in 1987 by multinational holding company WPP plc, and in November 2018, WPP merge ...
advertising agency in 1963 and performed by The Rolling Stones incognito, was credited to Jones; this did not sit well with the rest of the band, who felt it was a group effort and all should benefit equally. Jones was also included in the "
Nanker/Phelge" songwriting credit, a pseudonym used on fourteen tracks that were composed by the entire band and Andrew Oldham.
Oldham tried to establish a songwriting partnership between Jones and
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician.
Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...
after "becoming bored senseless by Jones's bleating about the potential of half-finished melodies that by no means deserved completion", but after two days of sessions "the results remain best to be unheard, even by Rolling Stones' completists". In 1995, Mick Jagger told ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine that Jones had been jealous of the Jagger/Richards songwriting team, and added: "To be honest, Brian had no talent for writing songs. None. I've never known a guy with less talent for songwriting."
Faithfull reported that Jones wrote an early version of the melody for "
Ruby Tuesday" and presented it to the group.
Victor Bockris
Victor Bockris (born 1949) is an English-born, U.S.-based author, primarily biographies of artists, writers, and musicians.
He has written about Lou Reed (and The Velvet Underground), Andy Warhol, Keith Richards, William S. Burroughs, Terry Sou ...
reported that Richards and Jones worked out the final melody in the studio. Additionally, Jones is credited (along with Richards) for the instrumental piece "Hear It". However, in 1966, Jones composed, produced, and played on the soundtrack to ''
Mord und Totschlag'' (English title: ''A Degree Of Murder''), an avant-garde
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
film with Anita Pallenberg, adding the majority of the instrumentation to the soundtrack.
The only known released Jones song is "(Thank You) For Being There", which is a poem by Jones put to music by
Carla Olson
Carla Olson (born July 3, 1952) is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer.
Biography
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose debut album ''M ...
. It appeared on the 1990 album ''True Voices'' as performed by
Krysia Kristianne and
Robin Williamson
Robin Duncan Harry Williamson (born 24 November 1943) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller who was a founding member of The Incredible String Band.
Career
Williamson lived in the Fairmilehead area of Edinbur ...
.
Other contributions
![Brian Jones guitar, HRC Sacramento](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Brian_Jones_guitar%2C_HRC_Sacramento.jpg)
In summer 1968, Jones recorded the Morocco-based ensemble, the
Master Musicians of Joujouka
The Master Musicians of Joujouka are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective was first documented by Western journalists in the early 1950s, and was b ...
(
Jajouka
Jajouka, Jahejouka or Zahjoukah (In Tifinagh: ⵣⴰⵀⵊⵓⴽⴰ) (جوجوكة or جهجوكة) is a village in the Ahl-Srif mountains in the southern end of the Rif Mountains, Morocco. The mountains are named after the Ahl-Srif tribe who po ...
), which was later used by the band; the recording was released in 1971 as ''
Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka
''Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka'' is an album produced by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. The album was a recording of the Moroccan group the Master Musicians of Joujouka, in performance on 29 July 1968 in the village of J ...
''. Jagger and Richards visited
Jajouka
Jajouka, Jahejouka or Zahjoukah (In Tifinagh: ⵣⴰⵀⵊⵓⴽⴰ) (جوجوكة or جهجوكة) is a village in the Ahl-Srif mountains in the southern end of the Rif Mountains, Morocco. The mountains are named after the Ahl-Srif tribe who po ...
in 1989 after recording "Continental Drift" for the Rolling Stones album ''
Steel Wheels'' with
The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar
The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar (sometimes written as ...featuring Bachir Attar) are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes m ...
in
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
. An homage to Jones entitled "Brian Jones Joujouka very Stoned", painted by
Mohamed Hamri
Mohamed Hamri (August 27, 1932 – August 29, 2000), commonly known as Hamri, was a Moroccan painter and author. Self-described as "The painter of Morocco," Hamri was one of the few Moroccans to participate in the Tangier Beat scene.
He was bo ...
, who had brought Jones to Jajouka in 1967, appeared on the cover of ''
Joujouka Black Eyes
Joujouka Black Eyes is a CD by Moroccan Sufi trance musicians Master Musicians of Joujouka. It was released in May 1995 on Sub Rosa Records. It was produced by Frank Rynne and includes the song "Brian Jones Joujouka very Stoned" written by Jouj ...
'' by the Master Musicians of Joujouka in 1995.
''Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Jajouka'' was rereleased in co-operation with
Bachir Attar
Bachir Attar (Arabic: بشير عطار, born 1964) is a Moroccan musician and the leader of The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar. He is the son of Hadj Abdesalam Attar, who led the group Master Musicians of Jajouka at the time of ...
and
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
in 1995. The executive producers were Jones, Glass, Kurt Munkacsi and Rory Johnston, with notes by Attar,
Paul Bowles
Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...
,
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
, Stephen Davis,
Brion Gysin
Brion Gysin (19 January 1916 – 13 July 1986) was a British-Canadian painter, writer, sound poet, performance artist and inventor of experimental devices.
He is best known for his use of the cut-up technique, alongside his close friend, the ...
and David Silver. and included additional graphics, more extensive notes by Silver and Burroughs, and a second CD, produced by Cliff Mark, with two "full-length remixes". In 1967
Jones played
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
on the
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
song "
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)", which was released in March 1970, eight months after his death. Jones also played percussion on the Jimi Hendrix song "
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, ''John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original vers ...
": "that's him playing the ''thwack'' you hear at the end of each bar in the intro, on an instrument called a
vibraslap
The vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire (bent into a U-shape) connecting a wooden ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes th ...
."
Equipment
Jones' main guitar in the early years was a
Harmony
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
Stratotone, which he replaced with a
Gretsch
Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...
Double Anniversary in two-tone green. In 1964 and 1965, he often used a teardrop-shaped prototype
Vox Mark III
The Mark is an electric guitar made by Vox. The instrument is also known as the Vox Teardrop, but this is not the official name. The Vox Mark came in three variations, a 6 string (the Mark VI), a 9 string (the Mark IX) and a 12 string (the Mark ...
. From late 1965 until his death, Jones used Gibson models (various
Firebird
Firebird and fire bird may refer to:
Mythical birds
* Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures
* Bennu, Egyptian firebird
* Huma bird, Persian firebird
* Firebird (Slavic folklore)
Bird species
''Various sp ...
s,
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics arou ...
,
an ES-330, a
J-200 and a
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop) as well as two Rickenbacker
12-string models. He can also be seen playing a
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with P-90 pickups in the 1968 "Jumpin' Jack Flash" promo video. Jones used various different
Vox and
Fender amplifiers for use in recording sessions in the studio and live performances throughout the 1960s.
Public image and legacy
![Graffiti Tel Aviv, Khayim Ben Atar St - zoom](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Graffiti_Tel_Aviv%2C_Khayim_Ben_Atar_St_-_zoom.jpg)
Jones's musicianship, especially in the early days of the Rolling Stones, added much to the singles that propelled the band into the pop charts; it was his fashion sense and his hairstyle, that appealed to both men and women, that were copied by bands on both sides of the Atlantic.
Pallenberg has stated in an interview that Jones wanted to look like
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career of ...
, loved "dressing up and posing about" and that he would ask her to do his hair and make-up.
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
described Jones as "a little dude that was trying to pull the group ahead. I saw him as the leader. He didn't take no mess. He was a fantastic cat; he handled the group beautifully."
Jones' death at 27 was the first of the 1960s rock phenomenon, and was followed within two years by the drug-related deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...
, all at the same age. The coincidence of their deaths at the same age has been referred to in popular culture as the "
27 Club
The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific ...
".
When Alastair Johns, who owned Cotchford Farm for over 40 years after Jones' death, refurbished the pool, he sold the original tiles to Jones' fans for £100 each, which paid for half of the work.
Johns noted that Cotchford Farm remained for decades an attraction for Jones' fans.
The
Psychic TV song "
Godstar" is about Jones' death, as are
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...
's "Trash",
The Drovers
The Drovers was a Chicago-based rock band whose original songs are influenced by Irish traditional dance music.
Founded by Irish traditional fiddler Sean Cleland in 1988, the group recorded four albums and soundtrack music for the motion pictur ...
' "She's as Pretty as Brian Jones Was",
Jeff Dahl
Jeff Dahl (born 1955, Stuttgart, Germany) is an American musician. In 1960, the Dahl family relocated to Hawaii.
Dahl recorded his first single, "Rock N Roll Critic", in 1977, which was released on the Doodley Squat label. Dahl later performed ...
's "Mick and Keith killed Brian",
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
's "Death by Misadventure", and
Salmonblaster
Salmonblaster was a Canadian alternative rock band from London, Ontario, London. The band's lineup consisted of guitarist and singer Matt Werm, drummer Brady Parr and bassist Mat Davis. They were best known for their 1996 song "Freeway" from their ...
's "Brian Jones".
Toy Love
Toy Love was a New Zealand new wave and punk rock band that originated in Dunedin and was active from 1978 to 1980. Members included Chris Knox, Alec Bathgate and Paul Kean.
History
Chris Knox was the band's front man and other members w ...
's song "Swimming Pool" lists several dead rock icons including Jones (the others are Morrison, Hendrix, and
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted int ...
) just as
A House
A House were an Irish rock band that was active in Dublin from the 1985 to 1997, and recognized for the clever, "often bitter or irony laden lyrics of frontman Dave Couse ... bolstered by the and'sseemingly effortless musicality". The single " ...
's "
Endless Art" does; Jones is also mentioned in
De Phazz
De-Phazz is a downtempo jazz ensemble integrating modern turntablism and elements of soul, Latin, trip hop and drum and bass into a lounge music sound. De-Phazz is led by Pit Baumgartner, a German producer who has varied the lineup of artists fo ...
's song "Something Special". The Master Musicians of Joujouka song "Brian Jones Joujouka Very Stoned" was released in 1974 and 1996. The band
Tigers Jaw
Tigers Jaw is an American rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005. Their first album, ''Belongs to the Dead'', was released in 2006. They released a 7-inch single, "Spirit Desire", in 2009, on Tiny Engines. They released two more a ...
heavily references Jones and his death in their song "I Saw Water", and pop punk band
Groovie Ghoulies
The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was ...
released the song "Planet Brian Jones" on a 7" vinyl EP of the same name in 1997.
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Alvin Youngblood Hart (born Gregory Edward Hart; March 2, 1963) is an American musician.
Career
Hart was born in Oakland, California, and spent some time in Carroll County, Mississippi, in his youth, where he was influenced by the Mississippi ...
's song "Watchin' Brian Jones" appeared on his 2014 single release ''Helluva Way (For A Man To Make a Livin')''. English group
Ultimate Painting
Ultimate Painting were an English alternative rock band, formed in London in 2014. The band was composed of co-frontmen Jack Cooper and James Hoare, with a revolving cast of rhythm sections. The band were named after a painting made by the Dro ...
recorded "Song For Brian Jones" for their 2016 album ''Dusk''.
Many of Jones' contemporaries admit to idolising him as young musicians, including
Noel Redding
David Noel Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.
Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 a ...
, who, according to
Pamela Des Barres
Pamela Des Barres (; born Pamela Ann Miller; September 9, 1948) is an American rock and roll groupie, writer, musician, and actress. She is best known for her 1987 memoir, '' I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie'', which details her experie ...
' book ''I'm With the Band'', contemplated
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
after hearing about his death.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American musical project and band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990.
The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film called '' Dig!'', and have gained media noto ...
, an American
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band, take their name partly from Jones and are heavily influenced by his work.
The 2005 film ''
Stoned'' is an account of Jones and his role in the Rolling Stones. The part of Brian was played by English actor
Leo Gregory
Leo Gregory (born 22 November 1978) is a London born English film, television, voice-over artist and pantomime actor. Best known for starring as Bovver in '' Green Street'' (2005).
Acting career
Gregory has appeared in films such as the BAFTA w ...
. A fictionalised version of Jones and the tribute concert to him appears in
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...
and
Kevin O'Neill's ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century'' in its second issue, "Paint it Black". The world of ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
'' is an alternate universe version of Earth where several works of fiction are real with the fictional characters frequently
interacting with each other, with these characters occasionally serving as analogues of historical figures. Jones's fictional stand-in is
Basil Fotherington-Tomas from the ''
Nigel Molesworth
Nigel Molesworth is a fictional character, the supposed author of a series of books about life in an English prep school named St Custard's. The books were written by Geoffrey Willans, with cartoon illustrations by Ronald Searle.
The Moleswo ...
'' books (who is now an adult, having grown up since the events in those books, and changed his name to "Basil Thomas") and his band is called "The Purple Orchestra". His musicianship and contribution to the band are featured heavily in the documentary ''
Crossfire Hurricane
''Crossfire Hurricane'' is a 2012 documentary film about the Rolling Stones written and directed by Brett Morgen. The film chronicles the early years of the band through to 1981. The film is a series of interviews conducted without cameras, while ...
''.
Discography
With
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
* ''
The Rolling Stones / England's Newest Hit Makers'' (1964)
* ''
12 X 5
''12 × 5'' is the second American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1964 following the success of their American debut '' The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hit Makers)'', is an expanded version ...
'' (1964)
* ''
The Rolling Stones No. 2
''The Rolling Stones No. 2'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1965 following the success of their 1964 debut album ''The Rolling Stones''. It followed its predecessor's tendency to largely fe ...
'' / ''
The Rolling Stones, Now!
''The Rolling Stones, Now!'' is the third American studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 13 February 1965 by their initial American distributor, London Records. Although it contains two previously unissued songs an ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Out of Our Heads
''Out of Our Heads'' is the 3rd British and 4th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in two editions with different covers and track listings. In the US, London Records released it on 30 July 1965, whil ...
'' (1965)
* ''
December's Children (And Everybody's)
''December's Children (And Everybody's)'' is the fifth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 4 December 1965. Compiled from disparate sources across the band's recording career up to that point, includin ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an Americ ...
'' (1966)
* ''
Between the Buttons
''Between the Buttons'' is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and on 11 February in the US as the follow-up to ''Aftermath''. It reflected the St ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Their Satanic Majesties Request
''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' is the 6th British and 8th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 by Decca Records in the UK and by London Records in the US. It is their first to be relea ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Beggars Banquet
''Beggars Banquet'' is the 7th British and 9th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Ro ...
'' (1968)
* ''
Let It Bleed
''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...
'' (1969)
With
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
*"
Yellow Submarine" (1966) backing vocals, sound effects
*"
You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" (1970, recorded 1967) saxophone
With
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
*"
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, ''John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original vers ...
" (1968) percussion
*"My Little One" (2011, recorded in 1967) sitar, percussion
*"Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That" (2011, recorded in 1967) sitar, percussion
With
Peter and Gordon
Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling single " A World Without Love". The duo had sever ...
*"A Mess of Blues" (1964) harmonica
*"You've Had Better Times" (1968) drums
With
McGough and McGear
*"Basement Flat" (1968) saxophone
*"Summer with Monica" (1968) saxophone
With
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...
*"Is This What I Get For Loving You?" (1966) euphonium
With
The Andrew Oldham Orchestra
The Andrew Oldham Orchestra was a musical side project in the mid-1960s created by Andrew Loog Oldham, the original manager and record producer of the Rolling Stones. There was no actual orchestra per se. The name was applied to sound recording a ...
*"365 Rolling Stones" (1964) lead vocals, handclaps
With
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat was an influential British graphic design and avant-garde musical partnership in the late 1960s, consisting of Michael English and Nigel Waymouth. It produced popular psychedelic posters, and two albums of under ...
*"Western Flier" (1969) piano, guitar, harmonica
Solo discography
*''
A Degree of Murder
''Degree of Murder'' (german: Mord und Totschlag, french: Vivre à tout prix) is a 1967 West German film, starring Anita Pallenberg and directed by Volker Schlöndorff. The film is mainly known because of the soundtrack composed by Brian Jon ...
'' (1967) (soundtrack)
*''
Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka
''Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka'' is an album produced by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. The album was a recording of the Moroccan group the Master Musicians of Joujouka, in performance on 29 July 1968 in the village of J ...
'' (1971) (recorded 1968)
References
Cited sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Gered Mankowitz
Brian Jones: Like a Rollin' Stone* Robert Weingartner
A tribute to Brian Jones* Terry Rawlings (1994), ''Who Killed Christopher Robin?: The Life and Death of Brian Jones'',
* R. Chapman, "The bittersweet symphony", ''Mojo'', 68 (July 1999), pg.62–84
* Alan Clayson, ''Brian Jones'',
*
Mandy Aftel
Mandy or Mandie may refer to:
People
* Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname
* Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer
* Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper
* Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Co ...
, ''Death of a Rolling Stone: The Brian Jones Story'' (Delilah Books, 1982)
* Graham Ride
Foundation Stone
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Brian
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Alcohol-related deaths in England
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