The Brian Jones Museum and Exhibition.

It’s a fact that there is no significant, permanent memorial to Brian Jones.

Under a tree in a Cheltenham cemetery there is a wooden bench, paid for by fan club members but sadly neglected by locals with bird droppings making it more of a health hazard than the original intent, a quiet retreat for visitors to Brian’s grave.

There is a blue plaque at the entrance to ‘Rosemead’, Brian’s childhood home; again paid for by fan club members but, does a small plaque do justice to the young man from Cheltenham who moved on to London and, through his own tenacity and inspiration, formed the phenomenon that 45 years on, still tour the world as the Rolling Stones?

Then there is the statue; or that was what fan club members donated many thousands of pounds for but ended up, despite all their efforts, with a small bust tucked away in the rear of a Cheltenham shopping mall. And we all know what bad press resulted as a result of the appalling unveiling ceremony with guest of honour Tom Keylock leading the so called VIP’s banal praise for Brian!

Finally we were given ‘Stoned’, which, according to producer Stephen Woolley, was the definitive portrayal of the hedonistic lifestyle of Brian Jones and the fictional account of his demise. Again, the negative press of the time said it all……

Over the past couple of years dwindling support for the Brian Jones Fan Club might be largely attributable to true fans apathy for the above low points and who can blame members for falling away? Many people have made huge contributions in time and effort to keep things going but with membership dropping to just over 60 for 2006/7 it’s a sad fact that financially things are extremely difficult for the BJFC. All the negativity over recent years might just disillusion the strongest of supporters but be assured, the BJFC will never cease to exist, and we need to persuade people to come back, believing that we are the real deal for those who support Brian’s achievements and memory.

Over the last few months however there has been a significant development which, with your support, might change things for the better. It’s long been a pipedream that we might establish a permanent home for the BJFC in Brian’s hometown of Cheltenham, but financially impossible with the cost and/or rental of bricks and mortar being so prohibitive.

However, on the 1st July, after meeting up at the cemetery BJFC members went on to the Wheatsheaf Inn, a mile or so from Cheltenham town centre in Leckhampton. The afternoon’s events and evening gig were a fantastic success. Up and coming band Circus, all teenagers, opened the gig supported by ‘Janis Joplin influenced’ Maria Daines who, with her own band and led by Pat Townshend performed ‘Long Live Brian Jones’ and ‘What Fame Can Do’, both songs written and recorded by Pat. Incredible harp player John O’Leary accompanied Pat also and showed his support for the fan club and visitors with some fine solo pieces. In amongst everybody and enjoying the evening, chatting, signing autographs and having his photograph taken was P J Proby, Brian’s good friend from the mid 60's.

Part way through the evening somebody put a call in and out of the blue the Ramrods turned up, guitars in hand and their impromptu performance just made the night!

But read on…….

‘CLUB 66 at the Venue’ – The Wheatsheaf, Leckhampton, Cheltenham.

Gloucestershire Echo press report.

Press release, July 2007.

It’s the late 1950’s, and nestling deep into the Cotswold hillsides genteel Cheltenham is experiencing a never-seen-before teenage revolution as American style coffee bars and basement jazz clubs start to cater for the increasing import of devil’s music from the United States. Local historian John Appleby recorded this exciting time for the town’s youngsters in his rare booklet ’38 Priory Street’, one of the more infamous meeting places for the avant garde of Cheltenham.

Another establishment soon to catch onto this phenomena was the Wheatsheaf Inn out on the Old Bath Road, Leckhampton. A family run pub on the main arterial route between London and the West Country, landlord Mr. Webley realised that giving an outlet for the local youngsters to ‘let their hair down’ might seriously increase his turnover. The pub’s skittle alley soon became ‘Club 66’ and started to attract many local jazz, swing, jive and rock and roll bands including The Ramrods, still gigging today and others going onto national fame like the wacky Temperance Seven.

In 1958 and amongst this burgeoning music scene, sixteen year old Brian Jones, himself to go on to fame and fortune with the Stones started to experience the birth of popular music in the UK. A regular visitor to Club 66, Brian soon started to tote his guitar around, taking every and any opportunity to get up on stage with his older contemporaries, and to save himself the entrance fee he often sat on the door collecting admission money as well as issuing and signing Membership Cards.

It was at Club 66 that Dick Hattrell, an early influence on Brian, first met the youngster with an insatiable appetite for the Blues. Dick recalls: “My earliest recollection of Brian was when I visited a jazz venue known locally as Club 66. Brian was on the door collecting entrance fees and checking membership cards, he had this heady responsibility which included issuing membership cards and I guess this was his first tentative step on the ladder to fame and fortune. I remember we chatted very briefly about the music on offer that evening but a few weeks later he sought me out at The Rotunda in Montpellier, another music venue quite near to the town centre. He’d heard through the grapevine that I had a collection of Muddy Waters records and wanted to borrow a couple to get to know the lyrics as well as the music. He was totally absorbed with Muddy’s unique version of Rhythm and Blues and after mentally absorbing everything from those few discs, he gradually went through the rest of my collection, which included the music of Elmore James, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Howlin Wolf. I was extremely impressed with Brian’s retention and his almost obsessive interest in these artists, and their kind of music. Our common interests, at this very early stage, really cemented our friendship. When Brian died in 1969 I felt such an enormous loss and to this day remember with fondness the friendship we had all those years ago”.

Trumpeter John Keen remembers Brian’s devotion to the Blues music he so loved: “Back then it was incredible to see the energy that Brian put into, not only his music but more importantly his organisational skills. I can’t think of many sixteen year olds these days who could run and organise a jazz club like he did. He ended up managing and promoting the whole show”. The John Keen Jazz Band often included Brian Jones in their ‘Club 66’ line-up and, as the band progressed into the early 1960’s Brian stared to get more of his own Blues gigs and the four piece band, John Keen, Brian Jones, Graham Ride and Dick (Duck) Pond would, for these particular venues, perform under their alternate pseudonym, the Brian Jones Blues Band.

Today, landlord Maurice Dominey has regular bookings for The Venue, once the pub’s skittle alley and for a brief period in the late 1950’s, ‘Club 66’. Recently, on July 1st the Brian Jones Fan Club held one of their bi-annual get-togethers with guests including The Ramrods, Pat Townshend (one time business partner of Mick Jagger and member of the Rolling Stones inner circle) and legendary 60’s trouser-splitting singer P J Proby.

First to take the stage were progressive rock band Circus, five 16 – 18 year olds from Norwich who recently have so impressed Pat Townshend with their precocious talent and Blues/rock pedigree, that he has sponsored their backline with an ice-white Staccato drum kit saying: “These boys have an amazing talent, and I think Brian (Jones) would definitely approve their playing the Club 66 stage".

So taken with The Venue, Pat Andrews, Brian’s Cheltenham girlfriend and mother to their son Mark who together with Brian were at the birth of the Stones commented, “What a great place this would be for the fans from all over the world who visit Cheltenham to see the places where Brian lived and hung out; to have a permanent living museum for Brian would be absolutely wonderful”. And over the past few weeks a long held idea has now become a reality.

An agreement between landlord Maurice Dominey and the BJFC has now established Club 66 at The Venue. The ex-skittle alley has been completely refurbished; exhibits and memorabilia have started to appear and are now being wall mounted for permanent display. Artist Ben Riley has donated a number of his favourite paintings to add to the exhibition and approaches are being made to people who might want to loan and exhibit their own personal Brian Jones memorabilia.

Songwriter and guitarist Pat Townshend, whose 1960’s formative years in music were so influenced by Brian Jones later went on to design and manufacture the revolutionary Staccato drums that rock pundits might recall being played by sticks legends John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Keith Moon (The Who). The Staccato drums also featured in Paul McCartney’s ‘Rockestra’ filmed at Abbey Road Studios in 1978 as well as making appearances in Bow Wow Wow’s ‘I Want Candy’ (1982) and Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Me Entertain You’ (1997) videos.

Centrepiece of the museum will be a replica white VOX Teardrop guitar, designed to the exact specification as Brian’s own Teardrop by Pat Townshend. Hutchins Guitars, a company specialising in replica guitars have agreed to produce a limited edition Brian Jones Teardrop and # 001 will be donated to the museum. Teardrops # 010 thro 250 will be available exclusively through the BJFC and the Brian Jones museum. Contact either for more details.

12 months ago Pat Townshend joined the team from the BJFC researching the death of Brian Jones and contributed valuable information. Representing the research team Trevor Hobley comments: “It’s been almost five years now that we’ve been investigating the suspicious death of Brian Jones. Along the way people have come forward who’ve never been interviewed before, new evidence and discoveries have been made proving that Brian’s death was not accidental nor a death by misadventure. Our work is now finished and everything is in the hands of our legal representatives ……….”

Getting back to Club 66, future plans for this living museum include gigs to fund the Brian Jones exhibition. It’s planned to have a grand opening night in late October with Brian’s good friend P J Proby doing the honours and sharing his own memories of ‘hanging out’ with Brian, John Lennon and many others in the swinging London of the 1960’s.

If you’d like to contribute ideas or have something to loan to the exhibition please contact Trevor Hobley either through the BJFC website www.brianjonesfanclub.com or his e-mail address editorbjfc@aol.com.

Anybody from Cheltenham and the surrounding area who knew Brian personally back in the 50’s and 60’s, and who might want to come along as our guest is invited to contact the BJFC’s Trevor Hobley.

Alternatively take a look at the fan club’s website for news of progress, photographs and upcoming events and then, if you’d like to help in any way, please make contact and support the fan clubs efforts in keeping Cheltenham’s most infamous rock star’s light shining. If you just happen to be in Cheltenham, come along and take a look - you're all invited.