Brian at his
home at Cotchford Farm, 1968
photo by Ethan Russell
Go
there, click here: http://www.ethanrussell.com/
Lewis
Brian Hopkin-Jones was born in The Park Nursing Home in Cheltenham,
England on Saturday, 28 February, 1942 to Lewis and Louisa Jones. He had
one sister Pamela, born on October 3, 1943. She passed away 2 years later
on October 14, 1944. His sister Barbara was born 2 years later.
Brian at Sympathy
for the Devil Sessions
Photo
by Tony Gale/Pictorial Press/Pictorial Press Photo Agency/Canberra House,
313 Regent St. london W1R 0BL/Tel: 0171 255 1468/Fax: 0171 436 2582 http://www.pictorialpress.co.uk
Brian
however, did not want to just play piano and soon added clarinet lessons
as well, which he later played in the school orchestra at Pates Grammar
School. By 1955, Brian had traded in his clarinet for a second-hand saxophone.
Brian
started school in 1947, attending Dean Close Public School near his home
at 335 Hatherley Road in Cheltenham. He later attended Pates Grammar School
in 1953. Brian was a very bright student and especially adept at music,
mathematics,
science and English. He did, in fact, have an IQ that was remarkably above
average; in the top 3% of the British population. When the young
Mr. Jones chose to work to his full capacity, he shone as a student, often
even passing exams in spite of himself.
Brian at unknown
concert date
It's
rather doubtful that the young Brian carefully planned all this; much more
likely that there was in him a strong desire to be exactly who he was within
himself. This natural sense of non-conformity served him very well musically
in later years, leading him to both innovative and original musical contributions,
although it must be said that it is relatively certain that at least in
part, that character trait was also a contributing factor in his difficulties
with others.
Continued
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This
web site is dedicated not in "affectionate memory", but in loving memory
to the man who started the "Greatest Rock and Roll Band" in the world.
Rare colour photo
of Brian at Monterey
Pop Festival, June 18th, 1967
From
a very young age, Brian was interested in music. He started piano lessons
around the age of 6. His mother, Louisa was a musician and taught Brian
up until that age. He learned so quickly, that she soon had to find another
teacher, the first of whom was Mrs. Grace Stone. Shortly after Brian began
taking lessons from her, he also began composing his own pieces of music.
Mrs. Stone was quite aware that Brian had a rare musical talent and
told his parents such and that she felt he was truly gifted. All of his
succeeding music teachers agreed with her observation.
Brian at TV show,
1966
photo by David
Redfern
Often
however, he was "difficult" and purposely went out of his way to break
rules that he saw as stifling and too regimented.
Many
of the transgressions Brian committed would be laughed at today; but in
the context of the time, they were taken as deadly serious offenses. Such
things as "losing" his spectacles,destroying his mortarboard which
was part of the school uniform, wearing sports shoes in the classroom...all
contributed to an image of a rebel, a non-conformist, a bad boy, a troublemaker.
Publicity shot..mid
60's
photo
by The Brampton Group
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