Fans often remember The Rolling Stones by the legendary frontman Mick Jagger and immortal guitarist Keith Richards as the faces of the world’s greatest rock band. However, true fans of the group will also recognize the role of iconic guitarist Brian Jones in developing the Stones’ sound with his distinct playing style, leaving a huge mark on the band even though he was in the line-up for 7 years, until his premature death in 1969.
Bill Wyman reveals which star was the brain behind success
In a new interview with Classic Rock, iconic bassist Bill Wyman went one step further and called Jones the real mind behind the band’s success:
“Whenever the Stones would go on tour, me and Brian would always share a room. He could be really sweet and lovely and was more intelligent than any of the others. He was very articulate. But he could also be a little bastard sometimes.”
“He had an evil streak which a lot of people only remember him for. Brian would do nasty things, like steal my girl or something one night. So he’d do the dirty, then you’d end up forgiving him because he’d have that little innocent, angelic smile: ‘Sorry, man. I didn’t mean it.’ So you’d love him and hate him.”
“I’ve always said good things about him because he was the creator of The Rolling Stones. I don’t care what you say about Mick and Keith, if it hadn’t been for Brian they probably would have had a different band in Dartford, out in the sticks where they lived. They weren’t Londoners, though Mick always tries on his cockney accent, which he doesn’t deserve, really. The only working-class ones in the Stones were me and Charlie [Watts, drummer].”
Wyman had a stint with The Stones between 1962 and 1993, and even though he now keeps a good relationship with the surviving members of the group, his departure wasn’t very well received, as he noted:
“Keith still sends me scented candles at Christmas. We all send each other birthday and Christmas presents. It’s still a family thing, social not business, and it works really well. It’s like distant relatives – you’ve got an Auntie Elsie and an Uncle Fred who are really charming but you don’t want to see them all the time.”
“When I first left the Stones it took a few months to rebuild that relationship with them. It was quite stressful and they didn’t want me to leave. So they became bitchy. Instead of being nice and saying: ‘Great 30 years. Cheers mate,’ Mick would say the most absurd, stupid things, with that spoilt attitude he had. He’d say things like: ‘Oh well, if anybody has to play bass I’ll do it. It can’t be that hard.'”
“And Keith said: ‘No one leaves this band unless they’re in a wooden box.’ Anyway, they left the door open for me for two years. Charlie and Mick would phone and say: ‘You’re not really leaving are you? Have you re-thought it?’ Then when it came time for them to do the ’94/’95 tour they had to make a final decision. Mick and Charlie came over and spent the evening with me, trying to talk me into staying. Have I had any regrets about not going back? None whatsoever.”
