Early life Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was born in the Park Nursing Home in
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on Saturday, 28 February 1942. An attack of
croup at the age of four left Jones with
asthma that lasted for the rest of his life. His middle-class parents, Lewis Blount Jones and Louisa Beatrice Jones (
née Simmonds), were of Welsh descent. Brian 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. Jones attended local schools, including
Dean Close School from September 1949 to July 1953; and
Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys, (now
Pate's Grammar School) which he entered in September 1953 after passing the
eleven-plus exam. He enjoyed badminton and
diving at school and became first clarinet in the school orchestra. Jones reportedly obtained seven
O-level passes in 1957, thence continuing into the
sixth form and obtaining a further two O-levels. He passed
A-levels in
physics and
chemistry, but he failed in
biology. Jones was able to perform well in exams despite a lack of academic effort. However, he found school regimented and disliked school uniforms and
conformism in general; Jones himself said: "When I made the sixth form, I found myself accepted by the older boys; suddenly I was in." His hostility to authority figures resulted in his suspension from school on two occasions. According to Dick Hattrell, a childhood friend, "He was a rebel without a cause, but when examinations came he was brilliant." Both Jones's parents were interested in music; his father was a piano teacher in addition to his job as an
aeronautical engineer, and his mother played the piano and organ and led the
choir at the local church. Jones listened to classical music as a child but preferred
blues, particularly
Elmore James and
Robert Johnson. In 1957, he first heard
Cannonball Adderley's music and took an interest in
jazz. 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. Jones began performing at local blues and jazz clubs while
busking and working odd jobs. He reportedly stole small amounts of money from work to pay for cigarettes, for which he was sacked.
Relationships and fatherhood Jones's first child was born in 1958 to a female friend. The baby, of unknown sex, was given up for
adoption and, in contrast to Jones's other children, has either not learned of the relationship to Jones, or has not publicly identified themself as Jones's child. In the summer of 1959, Jones's girlfriend – a Cheltenham schoolgirl named Valerie Corbett – became pregnant. Although Jones purportedly encouraged her to have an abortion, she carried the child to term, giving birth on 29 May 1960. She soon placed the baby for adoption. The adoptive parents renamed the boy. During this period, Jones lived a
bohemian lifestyle abroad,
busking with his guitar on the streets for money and living off the charity of others. Eventually, he ran short of money and returned to England. In November 1959, Jones went to the Wooden Bridge Hotel in
Guildford to see a band perform. He met a young married woman named Angeline, and the two had a
one-night stand that resulted in her pregnancy. Angeline and her husband decided to raise the baby, born on 4 August 1960. Jones never knew about the pregnancy or her birth. In 1961, Jones applied for a scholarship to
Cheltenham Art College. He was initially accepted, but the offer was withdrawn two days later after an unidentified acquaintance wrote to the college, calling Jones "an irresponsible
drifter". Later that year, on 22 October, Jones's girlfriend Pat Andrews gave birth to his fourth known child, a son. Jones moved in with them and sold his record collection to buy flowers for Andrews and clothes for the newborn. In a television interview, Andrews stated that in the early days of their relationship, although she and Jones were both working, his interest in the guitar meant he did not have much money to buy food or anything beyond paying the rent. According to Andrews, Jones was initially proud of the son, but when the Rolling Stones acquired a manager, Jones was instructed not to be seen with either mother or child. 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. However, once the Stones did become successful, she noted Jones "just seemed to drift away", becoming more interested in famous people he met, and that she "never received a penny from Brian at all". In the same interview, Andrews also noted she felt sorry for Jones as "he just uses people". In early 1963, Jones began a relationship with
Linda Lawrence. On 23 July 1964, Lawrence gave birth to Jones's fifth child. Later, after his mother's marriage to the Scottish folk/pop singer
Donovan, the child was adopted by Donovan and his last name was changed to Leitch, Donovan's last name. In early October 1964, Jones's occasional girlfriend Dawn Molloy announced to Jones and the Rolling Stones' management that she was pregnant by him. She received a cheque for £700 () from group manager
Andrew Loog Oldham. In return, she signed an agreement that the matter was now closed and that she would make no statement about Jones or the child to the public or the press. The undated statement was signed by Molloy and witnessed by
Mick Jagger. Molloy eventually gave the boy up for adoption. A year later, while on tour, Jones met Italian-German model and actress
Anita Pallenberg backstage and began a significant relationship with her. Jones became extremely
abusive, at one point breaking his hand on Pallenberg's face. In 1967, Pallenberg left Jones for his bandmate Keith Richards, which added to tensions between the bandmates. Jones had subsequent relationships with English model
Suki Potier and Swedish seamstress (1946 - 2019), 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 was living with Jones in 1969 when he died and has written two books about her time with him. Wohlin has stated that during his last year Jones had expressed immense guilt over not being there for his children. He wished to start over and become a "real father" and raise future children in the house he had bought. He also wished for his sons who had not been raised by adoptive parents to come and live in the house. Jones's youngest known child is a daughter, born in 1969 to Elizabeth, a married American woman who raised the girl with her husband. Wohlin stated in her first book that she
miscarried a girl in August 1969.
Forming the Rolling Stones Jones left Cheltenham and moved to London, where he became friends with fellow musicians
Alexis Korner, future
Manfred Mann singer
Paul Jones, future
Cream bassist
Jack Bruce, and others who made up the small London
rhythm and blues and jazz scene. He became a blues musician, for a brief time calling himself "Elmo Lewis" and playing
slide guitar. He also started a group with Paul Jones called the Roosters. In January 1963, after both Joneses left the group,
Eric Clapton took over Brian's position as guitarist. Jones placed an advertisement in the 2 May 1962 edition of
Jazz News, a
Soho club information sheet, inviting musicians to audition for a new
R&B group at the Bricklayer's Arms pub; pianist
Ian Stewart was the first to respond. Later, singer Mick Jagger also joined this band; Jagger and his childhood friend Keith Richards had met Jones when he and Paul were playing Robert Johnson's "
Dust My Broom" with Korner's band at the
Ealing Jazz Club. Jagger brought guitarist Richards to rehearsals; Richards then joined the band. Jones's and Stewart's acceptance of Richards and the
Chuck Berry songs he wanted to play coincided with the departure of blues purists guitarist
Geoff Bradford and singer
Brian Knight, who had no tolerance for Chuck Berry. As Richards tells it, Jones came up with the name the "Rollin' Stones" (later with the 'g') while on the phone with a venue owner. "The voice on the other end of the line obviously said, 'What are you called?' Panic!
The Best of Muddy Waters album was lying on the floor—and track five, side one was 'Rollin' Stone Blues'". The Rollin' Stones played their first gig on 12 July 1962 at the
Marquee Club in London, with a line-up of Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart, bass player
Dick Taylor (later of
the Pretty Things) and drummer
Tony Chapman. From September 1962 to September 1963, Jones, Jagger and Richards shared a flat (referred to by Richards as "a beautiful dump") at 102 Edith Grove,
Chelsea, with James Phelge, a future photographer whose name was used in some of the group's early "
Nanker/Phelge" writing credits. Jones and Richards spent day after day playing guitar while listening to blues records (notably
Jimmy Reed,
Muddy Waters,
Willie Dixon and
Howlin' Wolf). During this time, Jones also taught Jagger how to play harmonica. The four Stones went searching for a bassist and drummer, finally settling on
Bill Wyman on bass because he had a spare
VOX AC30 guitar amplifier and always had cigarettes, as well as a bass guitar that he had built himself. After playing with
Mick Avory, Tony Chapman and
Carlo Little, in January 1963 they finally persuaded jazz-influenced
Charlie Watts to join them. At the time, Watts was considered by fellow musicians to be one of the better drummers in London; he had played with (among others) Alexis Korner's group
Blues Incorporated. Watts described Jones's role in these early days: "Brian was very instrumental in pushing the band at the beginning. Keith and I would look at him and say he was barmy. It was a crusade to him to get us on the stage in a club and be paid
half-a-crown and to be billed as an R&B band." While acting as the band's business manager, Jones received £5 a week more than the other members (), which did not sit well with the rest of the band and created resentment. Richards has said that both he and Jagger were surprised to learn that Jones considered himself the leader and was receiving the extra £5, especially as other people, like
Giorgio Gomelsky, appeared to be doing the booking.
Musical contributions Jones was a gifted multi-instrumentalist, proficient on a wide variety of musical instruments. His ability to play a wide variety of instruments is most evident on the albums
Aftermath (1966),
Between the Buttons (1967) and
Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967). As a guitarist, in the early days, he favoured a white
teardrop-shaped electric guitar produced by the
Vox company, especially in live performances; he also played a wide variety of electric and acoustic guitars from companies such as
Rickenbacker,
Gibson, and
Fender. As a slide guitarist, he favoured the
open E and
open G tunings. Richards maintains that what he calls "guitar weaving" emerged from this period, from listening to
Jimmy Reed albums: "We listened to the teamwork, trying to work out what was going on in those records; how you could play together with two guitars and make it sound like four or five."
Changes in band dynamics and estrangement from bandmates ,
Mick Jagger,
Marianne Faithfull,
Shepard Sherbell, and
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (at the front) in Amsterdam, September 1967 Oldham recognised the financial advantages of band members writing their own songs, as exemplified by
Lennon–McCartney, and that playing
covers would not sustain a band in the limelight for long. Further, he wanted to make Jagger's flamboyant charisma a focus of live performances. Jones saw his influence over the Stones' direction wane as their repertoire comprised fewer blues covers than he preferred; more
Jagger/Richards originals developed (although many still had a bluesy sound), and Oldham increased his own managerial control, displacing Jones from yet another role. In March 1967,
Anita Pallenberg, Jones's girlfriend of two years, left him for Richards when Jones became violent towards her while the three were on a trip to
Morocco, further damaging the already strained relations between Jones and Richards. Jones was later hospitalised in Morocco. As tensions and Jones'
substance abuse increased, his musical contributions became sporadic. He grew bored with the guitar, sought out exotic instruments to play, and became increasingly absent from recording sessions. In
Peter Whitehead's promotional film for
We Love You, made in July 1967, he appears extremely groggy and disoriented. Jones was arrested for
drug possession on 10 May 1967, shortly after the
Redlands bust at Richards's Sussex home. Authorities found
marijuana,
cocaine, and
methamphetamine in his flat. He confessed to marijuana use but said he did not use hard drugs. On June 16–18, 1967, Jones attended the
Monterey International Pop Festival and introduced the
Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hostility grew among Jones, Jagger, and Richards, further alienating Jones from the group. Although many noted that Jones could be friendly and outgoing, Wyman, Richards, and Watts have commented that he could also be cruel and difficult. By most accounts, Jones' attitude changed frequently; he was one minute caring and generous, the next making an effort to anger everyone. As Wyman observed in
Stone Alone: "There were at least two sides to Brian's personality. One Brian was introverted, shy, sensitive, [and] deep-thinking. The other was a preening peacock, gregarious, artistic, desperately needing assurance from his peers." Wyman added: "He pushed every friendship to the limit and way beyond." Charlie Watts recalled that Jones indulged in drinking and drug taking, "but they weren't very good for him...he wasn't strong enough mentally or physically to take any of it. Brian was one of those people who did everything to excess." Watts also remarked that Jones was sometimes not very pleasant and that he upset other people very easily. Jones's last substantial sessions with the Stones occurred in the spring and summer of 1968 when the Stones produced "
Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the
Beggars Banquet album. His final lead guitar part was on the song "No Expectations": he plays slide guitar to Richards's acoustic rhythm. He 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. The film chronicles the making of "
Sympathy for the Devil". Where once 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. Jones's last formal appearance was in the December 1968
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a part-concert, part circus-act film organised by the band. It went unreleased for more than 25 years because Jagger was unhappy with the band's performance compared with others in the film, such as
Jethro Tull,
John Lennon,
the Who, and
Taj Mahal. Commentary included as bonus material indicated that almost everyone at the concert sensed that Jones's time with the Rolling Stones was nearing an end, and
Roger Daltrey and
Pete Townshend of the Who thought it would be his last live musical performance. This behaviour was problematic during the
Their Satanic Majesties Request and ''Beggar's Banquet
sessions and had worsened by the time the band began recording Let It Bleed''. In March 1969, Jones borrowed the group's
Jaguar and went shopping in Pimlico Road. After the parked car was towed away by police, Jones hired a chauffeur-driven car to get home. In May 1969, Jones crashed his motorcycle into a shop window and was secretly taken to hospital under an assumed name. From this point, he was still attending recording sessions but was no longer a major contributor to the band's music. By May, he had made two contributions to the work in progress:
autoharp on "
You Got the Silver" and percussion on "
Midnight Rambler". Jagger informed Jones that he would be fired from the band if he did not turn up to a photo session. Looking frail, he nonetheless showed up, and his last photo session as a Rolling Stone took place on 21 May 1969, first at
St. Katherine Docks,
Tower Bridge, London, and then at
Ethan Russell's photographic studio in
South Kensington. The photos would appear on the album
Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) in September 1969. The Stones decided that following the release of the
Let it Bleed album (scheduled for July 1969 in the US), they would start a tour of North America in November 1969. However, the Stones' management was informed that Jones would not receive a work permit owing to his drug convictions. At the suggestion of Stewart, the Stones decided to add a new guitarist. On 8 June 1969, Jones was visited by Jagger, Richards and 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 dismissed, 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." He was replaced by the 20-year-old guitarist
Mick Taylor, formerly of
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. During the period of his decreasing involvement in the band, Jones was living at
Cotchford Farm in East Sussex, the residence formerly owned by
Winnie-the-Pooh author
A. A. Milne, which Jones had purchased in November 1968.
Alexis Korner, who visited in late June, noted that Jones seemed "happier than he had ever been". Jones is known to have contacted Korner, Stewart,
John Lennon,
Ringo Starr,
Mitch Mitchell,
Alan Price, and
Jimmy Miller about intentions to put together another band. Jones had apparently demoed a few of his own songs in the weeks before his death, including "Has Anybody Seen My Baby?" and "Chow Time".
Death At around midnight on the night of 2–3 July 1969, Jones was discovered motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm. His Swedish girlfriend, Anna Wohlin, was convinced he was alive when he was taken out of the pool, insisting he still had a pulse; however, by the time the doctors arrived, it was too late, and he was pronounced
dead on arrival at the hospital at the age of 27. The coroner's report stated it was a drowning, later clarified as "
death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were greatly enlarged by past drug and alcohol abuse. Upon Jones's death,
the Who's
Pete Townshend wrote a poem titled "A Normal Day for Brian, A Man Who Died Every Day" (printed in
The Times);
Jimi Hendrix dedicated a song to him on US television; and
Jim Morrison of
the Doors published a poem titled "Ode to L.A. While Thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased". Coincidentally, Hendrix and Morrison both died within the following two years, with Morrison's death falling on the same date as Jones's. All three died at the
age of 27. On 5 July 1969, which was only two days after Jones's death, the Rolling Stones had been scheduled to perform
a free concert in
Hyde Park. The concert had originally been promoted weeks earlier as the first public appearance of Mick Taylor as the band's new guitarist. The band decided instead to dedicate their upcoming Hyde Park performance to the memory of Jones. At the beginning of the concert, Jagger took the stage to read excerpts from "
Adonais", a poem by
Percy Bysshe Shelley about the death of his friend
John Keats. Stagehands then released hundreds of white butterflies from the stage area as a tribute to Jones. Afterwards, the band played a
Johnny Winter song that was one of Jones's favourites, "I'm Yours and I'm Hers", with Taylor on slide guitar. Watts and Wyman were the only Rolling Stones who attended the funeral. Mick Jagger and
Marianne Faithfull were travelling to Australia to begin the filming of
Ned Kelly and stated that their contracts did not allow them to delay the trip to attend the funeral. When asked if he felt guilty about Jones's death, Mick Jagger told
Rolling Stone in 1995: "No, I don't really. I do feel that I behaved in a very childish way, but we were very young, and in some ways, we picked on him. But, unfortunately, he made himself a target for it; he was very, very jealous, very difficult, very
manipulative, and if you do that in this kind of a group of people, you get back as good as you give, to be honest. I wasn't understanding enough about his drug addiction. No one seemed to know much about drug addiction. Things like
LSD were all new. No one knew the harm. People thought cocaine was good for you." Wyman said in 2002, "As the years go by, I become even more convinced that he's entitled to a free pardon. Brian Jones is a legend, and his legacy is there for all to hear. While the Rolling Stones damaged all of us in some way, Brian was the only one that died."
Murder theory Theories surrounding Jones's death developed soon afterwards, with associates of the Stones claiming to have information that he was murdered. According to rock biographer
Philip Norman, "the murder theory would bubble back to the surface every five years or so". who later denied this. The Thorogood theory was dramatised in the 2005 film
Stoned. Thorogood is alleged to have killed Jones in a fight over money; he had been paid £18,000 for work on Cotchford Farm but he wanted another £6,000. The killing is alleged to have been covered up by senior police officers when they discovered how badly the investigation into Jones's death had been botched by the local police. Jones's children John and Barbara believe that their father was murdered. Barbara appears in the 2019 documentary
Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones which pushes the theory of the murder. ==Songwriting credits==