Every instrument Brian Jones played on a Rolling Stones song
Sessions musicians aside, no major figure in rock and roll’s golden age during the 1960s contributed a greater variety of parts to recorded music than The Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones. While his role as the group’s leader was quickly usurped by songwriting partners Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Jones still had plenty to offer as a multi-instrumentalist.
In the band’s early days, he could rival Jagger on the blues harmonica any day of the week. And Richards couldn’t come close to mastering the slide guitar part Jones laid down on their second UK number one single ‘Little Red Rooster’, which rivals Howlin’ Wolf’s original version for depth of feeling.
As the Stones broadened their horizons into baroque pop and psychedelic rock, Jones made use of an increasingly unusual array of instruments to expand the group’s sound palette. These instruments included the vibraphone and marimba on ‘Out of Time’ and ‘Under My Thumb’, the 19th century Appalachian dulcimer of Irish-American origin on ‘Lady Jane’, and the Indian sitar on ‘Paint It Black’. He even lent his services to rival band The Beatles, playing the Italian ocarina on ‘Yellow Submarine’.
By 1967, it was difficult to keep up with everything Jones was playing in the studio, from saxophone and flute parts to the kazoo and Japanese koto. Right up to his untimely death in 1969, he always had something different to add to a Stones recording. His final contributions were to two songs on Let It Bleed, which was released a few months after he died. He played the autoharp on ‘You’ve Got the Silver’, and can be heard on the congas in sections of ‘Midnight Rambler’, which is the last Stones recording with him in it.
So, how many instruments did he play?
There are many more instruments to add to the total Brian Jones played for the Rolling Stones. Aside from the bass guitar and drums, which were exclusively the territory of Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts during Jones’ lifetime, he played pretty much everything. Most commonly, of course, he was the band’s rhythm guitarist, playing both electric and acoustic guitars.
But he also had a go at the piano, organ, harpsicord and mellotron on several occasions, despite the Stones having regular keyboard players in the shape of Ian Stewart and Nicky Hopkins. Then there were the recorder, jaw harp, stringed harp, tambura, tambourine, and other assorted percussion instruments.
All in all, Jones played 23 different instruments for the Stones in a span of just seven years. Although tracks like ‘Gimme Shelter’ and ‘Miss You’ would bring innovative musical elements to the table after his passing, the band’s sound was never quite as varied as when Brian Jones was in the room. Still, we can be thankful he was for some of their most enduring songs.
