Brian Jones was one of the original members of the Rolling Stones and the person who gave the band its name. When formed in 1962, the group played rhythm and blues in pubs and clubs around London. Jones was a multi-instrumentalist but mainly a lead guitar player and occasional back-up vocalist.
When the group hit the big time in the later 1960s, Jones, who had been its manager in the early days, was moved into the background.
Brian Jones Splits from the Stones
In his 2004 book Stoned, Andrew Loog Oldham (he had replaced Jones as the group’s manager) wrote about how Brian Jones became estranged from his fellow band members. The young man had some serious mental health issues including low self-esteem and like many in his situation turned to drugs as a release.
In the group’s early days on the road Oldham wrote that “life was becoming more desperate for him day by day. None of us were looking forward to Brian totally cracking up.” He was using alcohol and most of the street drugs available in the late 1960s.
Eventually, the group asked him to leave and, in June 1969, he retired to live on his farm in East Sussex, south of London.
Jones Found Dead in his Swimming Pool
On July 3, 1969, a nurse who lived in Jones’s home, Janet Lawson, discovered his body in the swimming pool. An inquest was held and as reported by Rolling Stone magazine (August 31, 2009) “While the coroner originally ruled that Jones had drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, it’s long been rumoured that he was possibly murdered.”
Janet Lawson said she had seen Jones and a building contractor, Frank Thorogood, who also lived at the farm, horsing around in the pool. According to Rolling Stone, “Soon after, Lawson saw Thorogood shaking badly as he reentered the house, and then she found Jones in the pool.”
Murder Suspicions Lead to Books
Rumours that Brian Jones had been murdered started to circulate soon after his death.
In the 1994 book Who Killed Christopher Robin?, author Terry Rawlings wrote that Thorogood confessed on his deathbed to killing Jones. The 2001 book The Murder of Brian Jones was written by Anna Wohlin who was his girlfriend at the time of his death. She also points the finger at Thorogood, saying he and Jones had a vicious argument shortly before the musician’s death.
Stephen Woolley’s 2004 docudrama Stoned plays out the same theme as reviewed by The New York Times (March 24, 2006): “Although the official cause was ‘death by misadventure,’ the film’s version of his demise comes from the supposed 1994 deathbed confession of Frank Thorogood, Jones’s assistant, who is said to have admitted drowning him by holding him underwater.”
Police Re-open File on Jones’s Death
Now the police have decided to re-investigate the death of Brian Jones. On August 31, 2009 Reuters News Agency reported that “A spokesman for Sussex police said on Monday the force had received new information about the musician’s death from an investigative journalist.” There are said to be at least 600 documents relating to the incident that have been gathered by journalist Scott Jones, who is no relation to Brian Jones.
At the time of his death, (Jones was only 27) a verdict of misadventure seemed to fit the picture of a young man who lived recklessly and experimented with drugs. Subsequent revelations have changed the perspective and attracted the attention of police.
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