Brian Jones turns his back to the audience during a Rolling Stones set at the All Night Rave at Alexandra Palace, London, June 24, 1964
Photo by John “Hoppy” Hopkins
Brian Jones was born 80 years ago today.
An English musician and a founding member of The Rolling Stones, Jones’ main instruments were the guitar, the harmonica and the piano, but he was a talented and wide-ranging multi-instrumentalist.
His innovative use of traditional or folk instruments, such as the sitar and marimba, was integral to the changing sound of the band.
Although he was originally the leader of the group, Jones' fellow band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards soon overshadowed him, especially after they became a successful songwriting team. He developed a serious drug problem over the years and his role in the band steadily diminished.
He was asked to leave the Rolling Stones in June, 1969 and guitarist Mick Taylor took his place in the group.
Jones died less than a month later at age 27 by drowning in the swimming pool at his home on Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, East Sussex.
Original Stones bassist Bill Wyman said of Jones: "He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. Very influential, very important and then slowly he lost it — highly intelligent — and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away."
His death, at 27, was the first of several major rock artists. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison found their own drug-related deaths at the same age within two years (Morrison died two years to the day after Jones). The coincidence of ages has been described as the "27 Club."
When Alastair Johns, who owned Cotchford Farm for over 40 years after Jones's death, refurbished the pool, he sold the original tiles to Jones’s fans for £100 each, paying for half of the work. Johns noted that Cotchford Farm remained for decades an attraction for Jones' fans.
The Stones' "Shine a Light" was written by Jagger after his death and depicts Jones's behavior and remoteness from the band, and asks God to shine a light on his soul.
Several other songs have been written about Jones. The Doors' song, "Tightrope Ride," was originally written for Jones by Morrison, but after Morrison's death Ray Manzarek rewrote some of the lyrics so that they apply to both musicians.
The Psychic TV song, "Godstar," is about Jones's death, as are Robyn Hitchcock's "Trash," The Drovers' "She's as Pretty as Brian Jones Was," Ted Nugent's "Death by Misadventure" and Salmonblaster's "Brian Jones."
Here, the members of the Rolling Stones discuss the life of Brian Jones