In 1969, the world lost one of the greatest rockers in modern times, Brian Jones. Known best as the founder and OG leader of The Rolling Stones, Jones would perform everything from the sitar to the piano during their live shows.
"He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs... he was very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent." - Bill Wyman
On July 3rd, 1969, Jones joined the 27 club, leaving behind a legacy that still holds up strong 51 years later. That's why today we're remembering Jones' very last show with The Stones, which happened on this very day 52 years ago.
It took place on May 12th, 1968 at Wembley Empire Pool in London for the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert. They performed a two-song set, which fired off with the live debut of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Since the debut, The Stones have played it over 1100 times, and ranks as their number one most performed song live.
Their last song was another classic Stones banger - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." This track is their fifth most performed song to date, with over 900 live plays.
The Stones' sound is forever defined by Jones and Keith Richards' "guitar weaving" style, combing both rhythm and lead loosely and effortlessly.
Jones also contributed his talents to other legendary tracks such as "Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles and "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix. He made up to 8 studio albums with the Stones, the last being 1969's Let it Bleed, where he is featured on two songs.
RIP Brian Jones!
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