By Gregory Crofton
When Brian Jones, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, first moved to London from the burbs of Britain he took “Elmo Lewis” as a stage name, a tribute to his heroes legendary bluesmen Elmore James and Robert Johnson.
Jones drew Mick Jagger and Keith Richards into his orbit with an ad in the trades. They began practicing together, and in 1962 they formed The Rolling Stones, a blues-rock band that still tours today, albeit without Jones, who died suddenly in 1969.
The band chose its name from the back of a Muddy Waters album at the last minute, ripping it from the track “Rollin’ Stone.” The Rolling Stones soon became internationally known, and with success came drugs and alcohol, a staple for Jones who liked to experiment.
“Rolling Stone: The Life and Death of Brian Jones” paints a picture of the state of Jones’ life around the time of his death at 27. Jones was increasingly difficult to work with, and his life had begun to fall apart after Keith Richards began dating his girlfriend, the love of his life. Jones was also facing multiple drug charges.
Determined to start another band, Jones left for the countryside to sort things out on a small estate called Cotchford Farm, once owned by A.A. Milne, author of “Winnie-the-Pooh.” But within months, Jones turned up dead in the deep end of his swimming pool. Police reports indicated there was a party at his place the night he died.
Friends and associates of Jones agreed, on camera, that he had been at odds, actually had fired a builder named Frank Thorogood, who had been living in his house and doing work for him. His dismissal took place on the same day Jones’ lifeless body was pulled from the pool.
Director Danny Garcia does his darnedest to unravel the mystery in all of 96 minutes. Was Thorogood to blame? Watch and see what you think.
Garcia wasn’t able to license any Stones music for the soundtrack, but he did incorporate music from the era, and that helps drive the story.
Watch the trailer below, film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.