Brian Jones is almost the “forgotten” Rolling Stone; and yet
he was the founding member. A strong case can be made for Ian Stewart holding
that position, but it was Brian Jones relationship with Alexis Corner which
spawned the Rolling Stones. It was also Brian who named the band after the
Muddy Waters hit of the same name.
A devoted champion of the blues way before Clapton or even
John Mayall; an early explorer of the sitar at same time as George Harrison;
and even the open tunings which Keith
Richards uses today and credits to Ry Cooder ; all came from Brian Jones. You
can listen to the early albums and hear for yourself. And the African drums on
Midnight Rambler; just a few months before his death; were his, in idea as well
as execution.
He virtually wrote the final music for “Ruby Tuesday”, “Under
My thumb” and “Paint It Black”; never receiving written credit or royalties for
any one of those iconic recordings; which would both become smash hits and earn
millions for Jagger-Richards. The early Nanker-Phlege musical collaboration; which
was named by him and incorporated all of their musical efforts; was conveniently
abandoned, further diminishing his perceived role in the group; and marginalizing
him in his own eyes, as well as the public’s.
Slide guitar playing was the provence of African-American
blues up until that time. Championed by Jones
long before anyone else was doing it in Europe, he influenced everyone around
him and set the course for pop music’s entry into serious blues. He even introduced
Howlin’ Wolf on American TV during prime time on “Shindig”.
Style wise, his clothes sparked the fashions of Oxford
Street as he exchanged clothing with anyone; male or female; he met during the
day. This resulted in an array of styles which became iconic of Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards, as well as the uni-sex fashions which emerged at the time. His “pageboy
like” haircut was the basis for The Byrds hairstyle; not the Beatles. Even
Ringo Starr copied that long pageboy look from Brian Jones for a short while in
1965. And let’s not forget to mention the granny glasses and vests predating
Sonny Bono’s.
But in the bands history; chronicled for the 5oth
Anniversary of its founding; his influence has been minimized, and in some
cases erased altogether. Even in the book “Life” by Keith Richards; which is one of my
favorite autobiographies; he is reduced to almost a side note; never receiving
his just due.
The celebrated drug busts by Detective Sgt. Pilcher and the
Flying Squads; who counted John Lennon and George Harrison among their other
celebrity conquests; also hit the guitarist in a hard way. The harassment of
Mr. Jones by Scotland Yard rivals any of the later problems faced by Keith
Richards.
The controversy surrounding his death and the resulting conspiracy
theories are explored and debunked. The deathbed confession of the man who
claims to have drowned him in the swimming pool does seem to be as Mr. Richards
describes it in “Life”; just something that can never be verified.
Jones had 4 children; all born out of wedlock. Linda Lawrence; who was pregnant with Jones
child when she married Donovan; provides some interesting insights into the way
the guitarist dealt with relationships at the time. How he avoided paternity
suits and legal actions concerning support for those children is a mystery to
me. He even had one father coming to his house demanding money for support of
one of his children. Surely, this is no flattering portrait of Mr. Jones, which
makes the book all that more credible.
If you enjoyed Keith Richards “Life”, then you owe it to
yourself to read this book. They belong side by side. It will not detract from
the former; rather it will give you a clearer picture of what happened to one
of the most talented of the original Rolling Stones; the one who actually put
the ad in the paper which resulted in Ian Stewart meeting Keith Richards and
Mick Jagger, and which gave birth to the band.
