Brian Jones: The Original Rolling Stones Guitarist and His Role Before the Fall

Brian Jones wasn’t just the original guitarist — he was the band’s founder. In 1962, Jones placed an ad in Jazz News for musicians to join a new rhythm & blues group, and that ad brought in Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and eventually Ian Stewart. For the first few years, Jones was the clear leader: he chose the name “Rollin’ Stones,” booked the gigs, and dictated the setlist. He was also the most musically adventurous of the early lineup, playing slide guitar, harmonica, and later branching into sitar, marimba, dulcimer, and Mellotron. His contributions to songs like “Paint It Black,” “Under My Thumb,” and “Ruby Tuesday” gave the Stones’ mid-60s sound its exotic, druggy edge.

As Jagger and Richards began writing their own material, Jones’s role shrank. He resented being pushed aside and struggled with drugs and paranoia, showing up late to sessions or not at all. By 1968, Richards had effectively taken over guitar parts, and Jones’s playing was often overdubbed or replaced. The tipping point came during the recording of Let It Bleed: Jones contributed only a bit of percussion and guitar on a few tracks. He was asked to leave the band in June 1969 and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Less than a month later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool. The tragedy cemented his status as the fallen architect of the Rolling Stones — the guy who assembled the pieces but couldn’t hold them together.