Remembering Brian Jones: The Rolling Stones’ Founding Member & Musical Architect

Today (July 3) marks the anniversary of the untimely death of Brian Jones, a founding member of The Rolling Stones, multi-instrumentalist, style icon, and the original architect of the band’s sound. As a lifelong Stones fan and a devoted disciple of rock and roll, it’s impossible to let this day pass without paying tribute to the man who helped light the match that started a musical revolution. Some remember Brian as Elmo, the misfit, but me? I remember him as the foundation of Stones’ early sound. He was so ahead of his time.

Before the worldwide fame and before the screaming fans and stadium tours, it was Brian Jones who had the vision. Truly. He formed the band, named them after a Muddy Waters song, and handpicked the players that would soon become legends. Sidebar: One of my favorite stories is how Mick and Keith met, too. Another story for another day! Brian wasn’t just a guitarist; he was a sonic alchemist. Sitars, dulcimers, marimbas, harmonicas…whatever sound the moment called for, he summoned it. His fingerprints are all over the band’s early records, especially the psychedelic textures of "Between the Buttons" and "Their Satanic Majesties Request." Like I said, he was the curator. The original.

Brian Jones was wild, brilliant, and beautifully unpredictable. That’s what we would call the perfect storm for a rock and roll trailblazer. He lived fast, loved deeply, and gave everything he had to music. His contributions helped catapult the Stones from a blues cover band into one of the greatest rock acts of all time. Even in his troubled final years, his presence remained magnetic.

We lost Brian far too soon on July 3, 1969, at just 27 years old, a tragic early entry into the infamous “27 Club.” But his legacy? That lives on, every time a riff growls out of a speaker, every time a Stones fan like me blasts "Paint It Black" or *Ruby Tuesday* and remembers the soul behind the sound. So, here’s to Brian Jones...the golden-haired Stone who helped shape the soundtrack of rebellion. Your spirit still echoes through rock and roll. You’re NEVER forgotten.

We’ll pay tribute to Brian on my show, of course. Miss you, Elmo.

Xoxoxo BamBam