Brian Jones: The Forgotten Stone

Brian Jones is not mentioned much after his death by drowning (some say murder) in 1969, on his estate in Sussex, England. However, he, more than anyone else, is responsible for the creation of the most famous rock-n-roll group in history. Born on February 28, 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, Brian Jones learned to play the piano, clarinet, saxophone and guitar at a young age with the help of his musically inclined parents. Hostile to all the authority figures in his youth, the young Jones fathered several children out of wedlock, eventually leading to him leaving home with his guitar on his back, ultimately ending up in London.

In the spring of 1962, he founded and named The Rolling Stones with pianist Ian Stewart, singer Mick Jagger, and their friend Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts would soon join the band. By all accounts, Brian was the leader of the band and by far the most important musical force. Brian Jones’s love and mastery of performing blues-based rock-n-roll and, over time, other forms of music remains an integral part of the early lineup of the band, now known throughout the world.
His bad boy image and womanizing ways, coupled with his mod-dress attire and highly photogenic nature, made him, more than any of the others in the group, the one who gave the Stones commercial viability. His musical genius was evident on tracks with the sitar on “Paint it Black”, the recorder on “Ruby Tuesday”, the marimba on “Under My Thumb”, the piano on “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, the dulcimer on ” Lady Jane,” and gave the Rolling Stones’ music the pop appeal they desperately needed to compete in the mid-’60s.

Brian actually managed the band in the early years until the group hired Andrew Loog Oldham as manager, marking the beginning of Brian’s gradual departure from the band. His excessive drug and alcohol use and subsequent arrests further alienated him. Jones was highly intelligent (135 IQ) and musically talented, but he had a paranoia about songwriting. He contributed to some of the early tracks, but generally no major songs were credited to him. Oldham very quickly recognized the financial benefits of the group writing their own music; the songwriting duo Jagger-Richards added to Brian’s growing isolation and the growth of the other members.

In June 1969 the Rolling Stones are said to have freed their founding father and allowed him to explain it to the public however he pleased. It is reported that Jones had contacted Ian Stewart and a few others and was actually in the beginning stages of putting together another band. On July 2-3, 1969, Jones was found in his backyard swimming pool and his death was officially ruled “Unfortunate Death.” However, his girlfriend who was present at the time, Anna Wolhin, published a book describing how Brian and his contractor, Frank Thorogood, had been at odds and basically believes that Thorogood kept him underwater until he he drowned We may never know the truth. What we do know is that Brian Jones started the “27 club,” which later included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jim Morrison. We also know that without the forgotten Stone, Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones would never have existed.