Inside wild life of Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones who slept with bandmates’ lovers and had 5 kids before shock death at 27
STUBBING his cigarette out on Bill Wyman’s head in front of the cameras, legendary guitarist Brian Jones was the original rock ‘n’ roll rebel.
This son of strict middle class Baptists not only formed The Rolling Stones, he lived a life of wild excess unimagined by anyone before him.
Brian had five children by five women by the age of 23, swapped girlfriends with bandmates, fended off naked groupies and got kicked out of the band he’d formed for taking too many drugs.
Shortly after being dismissed by lead singer Mick Jagger and lead guitarist Keith Richards in June 1969, he was found dead in his swimming pool.
Brian had inadvertently invented the ’27 Club‘, which would be joined by the likes of Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse who died at the same young age.
Over the past few years theories have emerged that Brian was murdered by a disgruntled builder and that the crime was covered up by the police.
But bassist Bill, who was Brian’s closest friend in the group, insists in a new BBC documentary that there was no foul play.
Bill reveals: “I think he was doing what he was always used to do, and that was taking downers and heavy alcohol, and he fell asleep in the pool.
“It was basically that simple.”
The real mystery is why a determined musician from a respectable family in Cheltenham, Gloucs, put himself on a path to self-destruction.
Teen dad
In the film, titled The Stones and Brian Jones, on BBC Two tonight, award-winning documentary maker Nick Broomfield, whose previous subjects include Cobain and Whitney Houston, tracks down Brian’s girlfriends and unearths never seen before letters and tapes.
They suggest Brian spiralled into a drinks and drugs hell after being rejected by both his dad and his bandmates.
At the age of 17 he was kicked out of home after getting his girlfriend Valerie Corbett pregnant with his first child, Barry David.
Brian’s pal Graham Richie says: “He did offer to marry her, but the parents wouldn’t let it happen.”
His jet engine designer dad Lewis was already despairing at his son because he’d been expelled from two schools and was “wrapped up” in jazz music.
Brian invited his parents to Rolling Stones gigs, but they never accepted the invitation.
Lewis Jones would later come to regret turning his back on his son.
Letters found in one of the musician’s former girlfriend’s lofts reveal that the disciplinarian dad told him: “I don’t suppose you will ever forgive but all I ask is some of that affection you once had for me.”
Having found his belongings on the driveway, Brian moved in with his latest girlfriend Pat Andrews, who had his third child, Julian, in October 1961.
In between he’d had daughter Belinda following a one night stand.
Founding the Stones
Rather than focusing on being a dad, Brian followed his dream of forming a rhythm and blues band.
In May 1962 his advert for musicians in Jazz Weekly led to Mick, Keith and original keyboardist Ian Stewart joining him.
Drummer Charlie Watts, who’d played with Brian in a previous group, and Bill signed up later.
Bill, 86, who is a consultant on the documentary, says Brian “dedicated himself to the band. It meant more to him than the rest of us” and that most of the initial fan mail was for the blonde mop-haired guitarist.
At that point he was said to be the most accomplished musician in the fledgling group.
Bill claims: “Brian taught Keith to play.”
Brian’s next girlfriend Linda Lawrence, who gave birth to another son called Julian in 1964, says: “Brian and Keith was like a brother relationship, Brian showing him certain guitar things.”
But that dynamic shifted as Keith and Mick’s songwriting powers grew, with the pair coming up with most of the Stones’ biggest hits.
In one letter to a fan, Brian writes: “Mick is the head of the group, at one time I was, but Mick took over, don’t ask me why.”
He was further side-lined when Andrew Moog Oldham took over as manager.
Bill claims Oldham insisted that only Mick and Keith would speak to the press because he wanted to “dismiss Brian”.
Groupies
Linda believes that Oldham destroyed her relationship with Brian.
She says: “I thought we were getting married. It was a bit of a shock when Andrew Oldham came in and said they couldn’t have girlfriends or wives. I really loved him.”
Brian moved onto Dawn Molloy, who gave birth to his fifth child Paul in 1965.
She recalls: “I was 18. I don’t think I had ever been in love before.
“Being a Catholic I was very inhibited. He got that out of me, not to be ashamed of my body. The way he made love, he was just insatiable.”
Being a Catholic I was very inhibited. Brian got that out of me, not to be ashamed of my body. The way he made love, he was just insatiable
Dawn Molloy
Dawn saw first-hand how obsessed Brian’s screaming female fans were.
She says: “In the hotel there’s a girl in the room on the bed stark naked and there was another in the bathroom. They were willing to give anything to them.”
Dawn also witnessed how jealous and hot-tempered Brian could be.
When Mick caught hold of Dawn to save her from being crushed by fans, the guitarist shouted “get your hands off my girl”.
Drink and drugs
Bill was well aware of Brian’s mean streak. He says: “He would be really horrible sometimes, he was really cruel.
“He was embarrassed about his size, if he didn’t get his way he’d get aggressive.
“Then he’d be all apologetic, sorry for stubbing that cigarette out on the back of your hand.”
As Brian’s influence on the band waned, he filled that void with drink and drugs.
Brian was embarrassed about his size, if he didn’t get his way he’d get aggressive. Then he’d be all apologetic, sorry for stubbing that cigarette out on the back of your hand
Bill Wyman
Ex-girlfriend ZouZou, a singer and actress, says: “He was doing so many stupid things, speed. Once a week we were sleeping one night. All night clubs.”
On tour he’d miss gigs due to illness.
Bill admits: “He was very unreliable in maybe the last three years. He was very paranoid about them talking about him.”
Those tensions were amplified by band members sleeping with each other’s girlfriends.
Brian had a fling with Mick’s ex Marianne Faithfull, and Keith went off with Brian’s great love Anita Pallenberg.
Volker Schlondorff, who directed Anita in Degree of Murder, claims: “In the Cannes hotel it was from one room to another. She arrived with Brian and a couple of days later left with Keith.”
In the Cannes hotel it was from one room to another. Anita arrived with Brian and a couple of days later left with Keith
Volker Schlondorff
Brian then went out with Vogue model Linda Keith, who was no longer with Keith.
Bill says: “It was all very mixed up, girls would end up being with another member of the band.”
By the time the five piece group came to record their revered eighth album Let It Bleed, Brian was in such a state that he could no longer play his instruments properly.
His amp was turned off without his knowledge during recording sessions.
Marianne Faithfull said of Brian: “I thought he was someone who needed help, not to be ground under foot. That’s when I realised what was going on, that kind of ruthlessness, when they would pretend to be recording Brian and not have him plugged in.”
Tragic end
On June 9 1969 Mick and Keith told Brian he was fired.
Just over a month later on July 3, he was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool in East Sussex by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin.
Anna has accused Brian’s minder Frank Thorogood, who died 30 years ago, of accidentally killing him in a violent scuffle.
But Nick, who spent two and a half years making the documentary, concluded it was an accident.
Bill told him that Anna had not mentioned foul play when she went to stay with him and his girlfriend immediately after Brian died.
Nick says: “Anna said ‘I fished him out, he was really heavy, I tried to resuscitate him’.”
The filmmaker met Brian at the age of 14 on a train and also attended a free concert held by The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park in memory of the dead guitarist.
Nick felt it heralded the end of the ‘free love’, the Sixties’ ‘do whatever you feel like’ attitude.
He comments: “Brian’s death was very much a wake-up call; if you don’t look after yourself, you are going to die. The dream and the drugs had changed.”
With Charlie Watts having died almost two years ago aged 80, Mick and Keith, both 79, are the only two original members of The Rolling Stones still in the group.
Nick concludes: “You have to admire them for being the most incredible survivors. I think it is phenomenal they are still going.
“If you want to keep going it takes a certain relentlessness. But there were a lot of casualties along the way, including Brian.”
Arena: The Stones and Brian Jones will play on 15 May at 9pm on BBC Two and on BBC iPlayer.