Brian Jones

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones 28 February 1942 3 July 1969 was an English musician and composer best known as the founder and original leader of the Rolling Stones Initially a slide guitarist Jones went on to play a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones recordings and in concerts including rhythm guitar lead guitar sitar dulcimer various keyboard instruments such as piano and mellotron marimba wind instruments such as harmonica recorder saxophone as well as drums vocals and numerous others After he founded the Rolling Stones as a British blues outfit in 1962 and gave the band its name Jones fellow band members Keith Richards and Mick Jagger began to take over the bands musical direction especially after they became a successful songwriting team Jones and fellow guitarist Richards also developed a unique style of guitar play that Richards refers to as the ancient art of weaving where both players would play rhythm and lead parts together Richards continued the style with later guitarists and the sound became a Rolling Stones trademark Jones however did not get along with the bands manager Andrew Loog Oldham who pushed the band into a musical direction at odds with Jones blues background When 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 In June 1969 the Rolling Stones dismissed Jones guitarist Mick Taylor took his place in the group Jones died less than a month later drowning in the swimming pool at his home at the age of 27 Jones death was referenced in songs by many other popbands and was the subject of poems by Pete Townshend and Jim Morrison Referring to Jones the Rolling Stones Bill Wyman lamented the waste of a great innovator In 1989 the Rolling Stones including Jones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Description above from the Wikipedia article Brian Jones licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia