366Art | Brian Jones

Today is the birthday of Brian Jones, founder of The Rolling Stones (1962), who tragically passed away at the age of 27. The edited portrait above and his portrait on my musical reference book / birthday calendar  below are made by me.

Today, a modified image of the Stones above, wherein I've adjusted Brian Jones's hairstyle, it’s his birthday. Brian Jones was the founder of The Rolling Stones; he tragically passed away at the age of 27. His portrait is featured in my musical reference work / birthday calendar below.

The eccentric Brian Jones was born on February 28, 1942, in Cheltenham, England. Jones was a talented multi-instrumentalist and played a crucial role in shaping the sound and style of The Rolling Stones in their early years. He was a gifted guitarist, noted alongside Keith Richards for his guitar riffs on Mothers Little Helper in 1966. While Jones wrote a few songs, his contribution to The Rolling Stones' songwriting process was generally smaller compared to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. However, he played a significant role in composing melodies and guitar work. Songs like Under My Thumb,Paint It Black or Let's Spend The Night Together would have sounded very different without Jones's influence. In 1967, The Stones moved into a more psychedelic direction, and here too, Jones's influence is unmistakable, for example in the 1967 release 2000's Light Years From Home or the brilliant psychedelic rock track We Love You featuring Jones on the mellotron. Jones mastered wind instruments such as the saxophone, oboe, trombone, and harmonica. He was also proficient on the keys, playing the organ on "Let's Spend The Night Together" and the marimba on "Under My Thumb." Of course, he also mastered all string instruments, including slide guitar on No Expectations and sitar, unmistakably heard on Paint It Black.

Despite his musical contributions, tensions arose between Jones and other band members, and his contributions began to diminish as his personal problems, including drug use and legal issues, increased.

On June 8, 1969, Jones was dismissed from The Rolling Stones due to his increasing unpredictability and lack of involvement in the music. Mick Taylor took his place. After Jones's departure, The Stones never sounded as versatile again.

A month later, on July 3, 1969, he was found dead in his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm, East Sussex. It was a mysterious death. His demise was referenced in songs by many other pop bands. Pete Townshend and Jim Morrison wrote poems about it. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Rolling Stones.

Brian Jones is often remembered as one of the most influential figures in the history of rock music, whose talent and creativity have had a lasting impact on the music world.