The Late Brian Jones, Founder of the Rolling Stones

Diego_Sideburns · March 26, 2009

In Cheltenham on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. S. and I went in the Beechwood Shopping Centre, where there is a sculptured bust of the ‘Golden Boy’, the late Brian Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones.

The bust was designed by local sculptor Maurice Juggins and unveiled on 15th November 2005.

As I was taking the pictures, a bloke arrived, who introduced himself as Richard Hattrell, who was a genuine friend of Brian Jones and the original manager of the Rolling Stones in the early 60s, until his health failed, which was when Andrew Loog Oldham took over.

Richard gave us a flyer about The Brian Jones Music Club and the Brian Jones Fan Club, which are planning a massive gig in July to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Brian’s death, still claimed by many to have been murder.

Brian Jones was born in Cheltenham and, after passing his eleven-plus in 1953, he went to Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys. His exam results were excellent, but his refusal to conform to authority brought the anger of the teachers upon him. In 1959 his 14-year-old girlfriend Valerie got pregnant and she chose to have the baby boy adopted, refusing any further contact from Brian. The matter reached the local newspaper and Brian left school and went travelling through Europe. When he come back to Cheltenham, he began playing at local blues and jazz clubs (among others at what is today called The Prom) with a local group called The Ramrods. In addition to busking he worked at various odd jobs, such as a bus conductor and an assistant on the record counter of a local shop, and used the money he earned to buy more instruments. In 1961 his second child, Julian Mark Andrews, was born and for a while Brian settled with his then girlfriend Pat Andrews.

Soon after though, Brian left Cheltenham for London. He became a proficient blues musician. A favourite hangout for Brian became the Ealing Club where he would see Alexis Korner's Blues Inorporated. with nineteen-year-old drummer Charlie Watts.

In 1962 he placed an advertisement in Jazz News (a Soho club information sheet) inviting musicians to audition for a new R&B group at the Bricklayer’s Arms pub; From responses to this advert Brian recruited Ian ’Stu’ Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards into his newly-formed band. It was also Brian who came up with the name The Rollin' Stones, after the track on Muddy Waters album. The Stones had their first gig on 12 July 1962 in the Marquee Club in London, with the following line-up: Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart, bass player Dick Taylor (later of The Pretty Things) and drummer Tony Chapman. Charlie Watts and Billy Wyman joined the group after several auditions and try-outs.

The arrival of Andrew Loog Oldham as the band’s manager marked the beginning of Brian’s slow estrangement, his prominent role gradually diminishing as the Stones' centre shifted from Jones to Jagger and Richards.

Hostility grew between the three of them, and Bill Wyman observed in Oldham’s book ‘Stone Alone‘ "There were two Brians... one was introverted, shy, sensitive, deep-thinking... the other was a preening peacock, gregarious, artistic, desperately needing assurance from his peers... he pushed every friendship to the limit and way beyond”.

On 23 July 1964, Brian fathered another child , this time to girlfriend Linda Lawrence. Brian named this child Julian Brian Lawrence. Julian adopted the surname Leitch after Linda Lawrence married folk singer Donovan on 2 October 1970. Brian is said to have named both sons Julian in tribute to the jazz saxophonist Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley.

In March 1967,Anita Pallenberg, Brian’s girlfriend of two years, left him for Keith Richards when Brian was hospitalised during a trip the three made to Morocco.

Brian was unable to get a work permit to go on tour in the USA, due to his drug convictions. On 8 June 1969, Brian was visited by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie 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 asked to leave, 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". Brian’s replacement guitarist was Mick Taylor (formerly John Mayall‘s Bluesbreakers).

At around midnight on 2-3 July 1969, Brian, aged 27, was discovered motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm. His Swedish girlfriend, Anna Wohlin, is convinced he was alive when they took him out, insisting he still had a pulse. However, by the time the doctors arrived, it was too late, and he was pronounced dead. The Coroner’s report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Anna Wohlin claimed in 1999 that Jones had been murdered by a builder who had been renovating the house the couple shared. The builder, Frank Thorogood, (played in the film ‘Stoned’ by Paddy Considine) allegedly confessed to the murder on his deathbed to the Rolling Stones' driver, Tom Keyloc, who later denied this. Witnesses who claim to have seen the "murder" have been interviewed by journalists; however, these witnesses have almost always used pseudonyms, and none has been willing to go on record or report to the police.

Brian Jones is buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, Bouncers Lane at a depth of 12 feet (3.7 m) (to prevent exhumation by trophy hunters) in a lavish casket sent by his friend Bob Dylan.

Web sites:

http://www.myspace.com/brianjonesmusicclub

http://www.brianjonesfanclub.com/

http://www.beatzenith.com/the_rolling_stones/bjones.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~hobhead/

http://www.angelfire.com/ny/JonesStones/

http://www.forever27.co.uk/27/index.php?op...6&Itemid=69