73 Facts About Brian Jones

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones.

When Brian 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.

Less than a month later, Brian Jones died by drowning at the age of 27 in the swimming pool at his home at Cotchford Farm, East Sussex.

Brian Jones's death was referenced in songs by many other pop bands, and Pete Townshend and Jim Morrison wrote poems about it.

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was born in the Park Nursing Home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on Saturday, 28 February 1942.

Brian Jones had two sisters: Pamela, who was born on 3 October 1943 and died on 14 October 1945 of leukaemia; and Barbara, who was born on 22 August 1946.

Brian Jones attended local schools, including Dean Close School from September 1949 to July 1953; and Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys, which he entered in September 1953 after passing the eleven-plus exam.

Brian Jones enjoyed badminton and diving at school and became first clarinet in the school orchestra.

Brian Jones reportedly obtained seven O-level passes in 1957, thence continuing into the sixth form and obtaining a further two O-levels.

Brian Jones passed A-levels in physics and chemistry, but he failed in biology.

Brian Jones was able to perform well in exams despite a lack of academic effort.

Brian Jones listened to classical music as a child but preferred blues, particularly Elmore James and Robert Johnson.

Brian Jones persuaded his parents to buy him a saxophone, and two years later, his parents gave him his first acoustic guitar as a 17th birthday present.

Brian Jones began performing at local blues and jazz clubs while busking and working odd jobs.

Brian Jones reportedly stole small amounts of money from work to pay for cigarettes, for which he was sacked.

Brian Jones's first child was born in 1958 to a female friend.

In November 1959, Brian Jones went to the Wooden Bridge Hotel in Guildford to see a band perform.

Brian Jones met a young married woman named Angeline, and the two had a one-night stand that resulted in her pregnancy.

In 1961, Brian Jones applied for a scholarship to Cheltenham Art College.

Brian Jones was initially accepted, but the offer was withdrawn two days later after an unidentified acquaintance wrote to the college, calling Jones "an irresponsible drifter".

Brian Jones moved in with them and sold his record collection to buy flowers for Andrews and clothes for the newborn.

Brian Jones agreed she said, telling her she would have to "put up with it for a few months" until the band had had some success.

In early 1963, Brian Jones began a relationship with Linda Lawrence.

In 1965, Brian Jones met German singer Nico and began a three-month relationship with her.

Brian Jones introduced Nico to Andy Warhol and recommended she show him her music; through this she later received her role in The Velvet Underground.

Brian Jones became pregnant during the affair but decided to have an abortion in London that same year.

Brian Jones became extremely abusive, at one point breaking his hand on Pallenberg's face.

Brian Jones had subsequent relationships with English model Suki Potier and Swedish seamstress Anna Wohlin, as well as a short relationship in 1968 with American model Donyale Luna, who appeared with him in the concert film The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus several months before his death.

Wohlin has stated that during his last year Brian Jones had expressed immense guilt over not being there for his children.

Brian Jones wished to start over and become a "real father" and raise future children in the house he had bought.

Brian Jones wished for his sons, who had not been adopted away by their mothers, Mark and Julian, to come and live in the house.

Brian Jones's youngest known child is a daughter named Barbara Anna Marion, born in 1969 to Elizabeth, a married American woman who raised the girl with her husband.

Brian Jones has referred to the baby as Johanna, a name she and Jones had picked out previously for when they had a daughter while planning for a family.

Brian Jones left Cheltenham and moved to London, where he became friends with fellow musicians Alexis Korner, future Manfred Mann singer Paul Brian Jones, future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, and others who made up the small London rhythm and blues and jazz scene.

Brian Jones became a blues musician, for a brief time calling himself "Elmo Lewis" and playing slide guitar.

Brian Jones started a group with Paul Jones called the Roosters.

Brian Jones was a gifted multi-instrumentalist, proficient on a wide variety of musical instruments.

Brian Jones became bored with the guitar and sought exotic instruments to play, and he was increasingly absent from recording sessions.

Brian Jones was arrested for drug possession on 10 May 1967, shortly after the Redlands bust at Richards's Sussex home.

Brian Jones confessed to marijuana use but said he did not use hard drugs.

Brian Jones was one of those people who did everything to excess.

Brian Jones can be seen in the Jean-Luc Godard film One Plus One playing acoustic guitar and chatting and sharing cigarettes with Richards, although Jones is neglected in the music-making.

Where once Brian Jones played multiple instruments on many tracks, he played only minor roles on a few pieces during the latter stage of his time with the band.

Brian Jones was arrested a second time on 21 May 1968 for possession of cannabis, which he said had been left by previous tenants of the flat.

The Rolling Stones wanted to tour the United States in 1969 for the first time in three years, but Brian Jones was not in a fit condition to tour, and his second arrest exacerbated problems with acquiring a US work visa.

In March 1969, Brian Jones borrowed the group's Jaguar and went shopping in Pimlico Road.

In May 1969, Brian Jones crashed his motorcycle into a shop window and was secretly taken to hospital under an assumed name.

On 8 June 1969, Brian Jones was visited by Jagger, Richards and Watts and was told that the group he had formed would continue without him.

Brian Jones released a statement on 9 June 1969, announcing his departure.

Brian Jones is known to have contacted Korner, Stewart, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, Alan Price, and Jimmy Miller about intentions to put together another band.

Brian Jones was reportedly buried 10 feet deep in Cheltenham Cemetery to prevent exhumation by trophy hunters.

Brian Jones's body was embalmed, with hair bleached white, and was placed in an air-tight silver and bronze casket.

Brian Jones is a legend, and his legacy is there for all to hear.

Theories surrounding Brian Jones's death developed soon afterwards, with associates of the Stones claiming to have information that he was murdered.

In 1993, it was reported that Brian Jones was murdered by Frank Thorogood, a builder who was doing construction work on the property.

Brian Jones was the last person to see Jones alive.

The killing is alleged to have been covered up by senior police officers when they discovered how badly the investigation into Brian Jones's death had been botched by the local police.

Barbara appears in the 2019 documentary Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones which pushes the theory of the murder.

Unsure and insecure as a composer, Brian Jones was not a prolific songwriter.

Faithfull reported that Brian Jones wrote an early version of the melody for "Ruby Tuesday" and presented it to the group.

Victor Bockris reported that Richards and Brian Jones worked out the final melody in the studio.

Additionally, Brian Jones is credited for the instrumental piece "Hear It".

However, in 1966, Brian Jones composed, produced, and played on the soundtrack to Mord und Totschlag, an avant-garde German film with Anita Pallenberg, adding the majority of the instrumentation to the soundtrack.

The only known released Brian Jones song is " For Being There", which is a poem by Brian Jones put to music by Carla Olson.

In 1967, Brian Jones played alto saxophone on the Beatles song "You Know My Name ", which was released in March 1970, eight months after his death.

Brian Jones played percussion on the Jimi Hendrix song "All Along the Watchtower".

Brian Jones's main guitar in the early years was a Harmony Stratotone, which he replaced with a Gretsch Double Anniversary in two-tone green.

Pallenberg has stated in an interview that Brian Jones wanted to look like Francoise Hardy, loved "dressing up and posing about" and that he would ask her to do his hair and make-up.

Brian Jones was a fantastic cat; he handled the group beautifully.

Brian Jones's death was followed within two years by the drug-related deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Alan Wilson, and Janis Joplin, all of the same age.

Alvin Youngblood Hart's song "Watchin' Brian Jones" appeared on his 2014 single release Helluva Way.

Many of Brian Jones's contemporaries admit to idolising him as young musicians, including Noel Redding, who, according to Pamela Des Barres's book I'm With the Band, contemplated suicide after hearing about his death.

The part of Brian Jones was played by English actor Leo Gregory.