50th Anniversary of the Death of Rolling Stones creator: Brian Jones.

The burden of forming one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll bands of all time coupled with a real drink and drug problem, a fast lifestyle of which many wouldn’t be able to cope with. And it was no different for Gloucestershire born Brian Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones.

The year 2019 marks fifty years since the death of the Cheltenham born rock ’n’ roll legend. Brian Jones epitomises the definition of a rockstar with many seeing him as the martyr for the rock genre. He died at the age of 27 with the postmortem identifying the cause of death as drowning. Jones was found at the bottom of his swimming pool on July 2nd.

Jones was a strong figure in the Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham in his short life, he was born in the towns Park Nursing Home on February 28 1942. He later went on to attend Dean Close Prep school as well as the local grammar school. He was always seen as someone not fulfilling their full potential as a student, often finding himself ending up in mischief. As well as the resulting trouble it would cause. As was typical of the era, Jones took it upon himself to leave school.

He didn’t stay in the cotswolds for the entirety of his life, when he took his passion for music to London hoping to secure the big time. They, not yet called the Rolling Stones, began playing at Jazz clubs, where they grew the foundations of their fanbase. With the rumoured ability to play over 15 different musical instruments it was clear to see he would be an influential member of the and. Such versatility and different ways to contribute to the curation of music is an outstanding talent.

With charisma and devilish looks, Jones built up quite the female following. In an era of rebellion and cult followings, Jones played into the rockstar image with ease. With such attention came some certain mishaps. Jones fathered a total of five children out of wed-lock, playing into the persona of a true rockstar if you will. Having his first child at just the age of 17, whilst still at school.

Where his downfall begun was when his drug addiction grew at the same rate as the popularity of the Rolling Stones. It is very cliché, but the phrase ‘sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll’ was very much the mantra Brian Jones appeared to live by. As his drug taking increased the harmony between certain members of the band and Jones dwindled. Hostilities grew in the band, with Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards claiming the behaviour of Jones after his drug use was having repercussions on the band. And it was, his actions often led to him not showing up for gigs and/or getting arrested. With already ropey health, his continuous use of LSD, Cocaine and Cannabis, not only hurt him, but also the Rolling Stones.

Enough was enough for the rest of the Rolling Stones. It was time to make a decision on what they were going to do with Jones and his erratic behaviour. They chose it was time to move on without him. It was after his second arrest for possession of cannabis that it was decided. Mick Jagger and Ian Stewart were the ones to inform Jones of their decision, with a press release making it appear as if Jones left voluntarily. Despite being frozen out, a detail not known until after his death.

It was on the Evening of July 2 1969 that Jones was discovered by his Swedish girlfriend, Anna Wohlin, at the bottom of their pool. Coroners and police stated the cause of demise was ‘death by misadventure’. His life did come around full-circle, he was buried 3 metres deep in the Cheltenham Cemetery. It was seen that as Mick Jagger was a no-show at Jones’ funeral, that the rift was still present. It was later confirmed that he was travelling to Australia and could not delay his work as his contract would not allow so.

An ever promising career hindered by drugs, alcohol and childish behaviour. Still, Brian Jones is considered one of the greatest names to have come out of the Gloucestershire town.