Remembering Brian Jones: Marking 54 Years Since the Death of the Rolling Stones Founder

Today we remember Rolling Stones founder and multi-instrumentalist Brian Lewis Hopkin Jones on the 54th anniversary of his death.

Source: Morgan Media Partners/Ed Caraeff

Jones, who had already established himself as a blues musician at the time, posted an advertisement in the May 2nd, 1962 edition of Jazz News looking for musicians to audition for an R&B group. Pianist Ian Stewart was the first to respond (and was a member of the band until his removal in 1963) and Mick Jagger followed soon after, bringing his childhood friend Keith Richards to rehearsals, where he joined as well. The three members shared a flat for a year, and recruited bassist Bill Wyman due to the fact that he always had cigarettes as well as a spare VOX AC30 guitar amp. In January of 1963, the four stones had convinced drummer Charlie Watts to join. It was at that moment that a significant piece of rock history was truly born.

In the band's early days, Jones proved to not only be a gifted multi-instrumentalist, but he also acted as the band's leader. He named them after the Muddy Waters song, "Rollin' Stone" while on the phone with a concert venue owner. There was a copy of The Best of Muddy Waters lying on his floor, and he had just happened to glance at that specific track. 

Overtime, his drug and alcohol use decreased his reliability as a band member, to the point where he was fired almost a month prior to his death. He was found in the bottom of his swimming pool around midnight. The coroner's report stated he drowned, but later clarified to "death by misadventure".

Following his death, murder theories would begin to surface, making their rounds every few years until they reached their peak in 1993 when Frank Thorogood, a builder working on his property on the day of his death, was accused of murdering Jones over monetary issues. It was said he wanted £6,000 from the musician, who had already paid him £18,000. Thorogood relocated the blame to the Rolling Stones' driver, Tom Keylock, who denied the claims. The case was reviewed in 2010, but the Sussex Police Department did not find any evidence against the coroner's original ruling.

Ridiculous conspiracy theories or not, I hope today can be a day to remember Brian Jones's contributions to rock music. Without him, there would be no Rolling Stones.

Happy listening!