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John Richard 'Jackie' Lomax (b. 10 May 1944, Wallasey, Cheshire, England) is a British guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his association with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. He currently lives in Ojai, California, USA with his wife, Annie (previously Norma Richardson),^[1] mother of fashion photographer Terry Richardson.^[2]

History 1962–1970[link]

In early 1962, Jackie Lomax left Dee and the Dynamites to join Merseybeat band The Undertakers. They followed the same route as The Beatles through local venues before setting out for Hamburg, Germany and finally securing a record deal. From that point onwards, they were dogged by ill-luck and lack of success. They signed with Pye Records and released four singles which only managed to place one week on the British charts between them. In 1965 they moved to America to try their luck there.

After two years in America with The Undertakers and a couple of other groups, Jackie Lomax's latest band, The Lomax Alliance, were taken back to Britain in 1967 by Brian Epstein to showcase them at the Saville Theatre in London. He arranged for a single and an album to be recorded and they signed to CBS. Epstein's untimely death ruined the plans for the band. During that period CBS released two Lomax Alliance singles and one solo Jackie Lomax single. More than enough tracks for an album were recorded but it was never released.

After Brian Epstein's death, the Beatles' new record label Apple took over responsibility for Jackie's recording career, with George Harrison becoming heavily involved on the production side. Despite having 75% of the Beatles on the record as well as Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Nicky Hopkins, success remained elusive. The shambles which was Apple, after the break-up of the Beatles, made matters even worse. During that period Apple released three singles—including the song "Sour Milk Sea", written by George Harrison—and the Is This What You Want? LP. By 1970, the break-up of the Beatles had badly affected Apple Records. Apple artists found themselves under contract to a label who had no interest in them.

History 1970–1977[link]

After leaving Apple, Jackie Lomax joined a band called Heavy Jelly featuring bassist Alex Dmochowski, guitarist John Moorshead and Carlo Little (drums), who released a single on Head Records ("Chewn In"/"Time Out", Head HDS4001, 1969). During that period a Heavy Jelly LP, made up entirely of Jackie Lomax songs, was recorded but issued for promotional purposes only. It was never commercially released.

In 1971 Jackie Lomax returned to America to live and work in Woodstock, New York. He signed to Warner Bros. Records and reunited with members of the Lomax Alliance and The Undertakers. They returned to the recording studio but his efforts continued to fall on deaf ears. During this Warner period two Jackie Lomax albums were: Home Is In My Head and Three.

Disappointed with his lack of success in America, Jackie Lomax returned to Britain at the end of 1973, where he joined Badger, a progressive rock band originally formed by ex-Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye. He proceeded to turn them into the type of R&B/soul band he had used on his solo albums. The band became a vehicle for Jackie's songs and singing but was short-lived. During the period in which Jackie Lomax was a member of Badger, they released only one LP, White Lady, on Epic Records, which was produced by Allen Toussaint.

Jackie Lomax crossed the Atlantic again to resume his solo career and Capitol Records signed him in 1975. He continued playing the R&B/soul which he had perfected during his recording career but which the public stubbornly refused to embrace. Unfortunately he has been without a recording contract since he left them in 1977. During his time at Capitol, he recorded two albums, Livin' for Lovin' and Did You Ever Have That Feeling?, the second of which was released only in the USA.

Living in America 1978–2000[link]

The 1980s were a very quiet time in the musical career of Jackie Lomax. The mid-1980s saw Jackie playing guitar and singing background vocals on demos for various artists produced by longtime friend Patrick Landreville. During this time Jackie briefly played with the short lived "Tea Bags" a group based in Los Angeles composed at various times of Brit musicians Ian Wallace, Kim Gardner, Mick Taylor, Brian Auger, Terry Reid, Peter Banks, Graham Bell, David Mansfield and others. The 1990s saw an increase in activity for Jackie. He spent periods playing with other British artists on the west coast of America and toured as the bass-player with some of the acts that were big when he first chose to play music - The Drifters, The Diamonds, The Coasters. In California, and Ventura County in particular, Jackie played live with a succession of line-ups, including Tom Petty drummer Randall Marsh, Jim Calire, Patrick Landreville, Mitch Kashmar and many other well respected musicians, as he returned to playing guitar, with a heavier emphasis on the blues side of R&B.

In 1990 he was seen in very good company on a compilation album which featured unique singers covering a wide range of songs, and he appeared on albums for other artists, both as a singer and as a guitarist. Recordings, however, were few and far between.

2001–present[link]

In 2001 Jackie Lomax completed the recording of his first solo album since 1977, The Ballad of Liverpool Slim. 2002 saw him continuing to play on the West Coast of America. In autumn of 2003, he made a triumphant return to The Cavern in Liverpool where it all began more than 40 years earlier. He can often be seen helping out at 'The Hub' bar in E. Ojai Avenue. In 2004 Jackie was a special guest for 3 hours on the 'BeatlesandBeyond' Radio Show in Walsall hosted by Pete Dicks. Pete later wrote the sleeve notes for, and organised, the UK release of Jackie's 'Ballad of Liverpool Slim...and Others' CD. Jackie has since returned to Liverpool on several occasions, playing in the 'Liverpool' pub in James St/ on August Bank Holiday Mondays. On 13 April 2012 Jackie Lomax played on the 50th Anniversary of the Hamburg Star-Club in the Kaiserkeller with the Star Club All-Star-Band and members Brian Griffiths (Big Three), Bobby Thompson (Dominoes) and Joe Fagin ( Strangers) and also with The Undertakers from Liverpool.

Recordings[link]

• The Undertakers Unearthed 1963-65
• The Lomax Alliance and CBS Recordings 1966-1967
• Is This What You Want? 1968 #145 US
• Heavy Jelly 1970
• Home Is In My Head 1971 #211 US
• Three 1972 #208 US
• White Lady /Badger 1974
• Livin' For Lovin' 1976
• Did You Ever Have That Feeling? 1977
• True Voices (Various Artists) 1991
• The Ballad of Liverpool Slim 2001 & 2004
• The Ballad of Liverpool Slim...and Others (Angel Air Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Jackie Lomax at artistdirect.com
• [1]

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Brian Jones
Jones, before The Rolling Stones' performance at Georgia Southern University on 4 May 1965
Background information
Birth name	Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones
Also known as	Elmo Lewis
Born	(1942-02-28)28 February 1942 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Died	3 July 1969(1969-07-03) (aged 27) Hartfield, Sussex, England
Genres	Rock, rock and roll, blues rock, psychedelic rock, rhythm and blues
Occupations	Musician, composer, bandleader, record producer
Instruments	Guitar, harmonica, keyboards, Appalachian dulcimer, trumpet, vocals, bass, trombone, mellotron, sitar, tambura, recorder, saxophone, percussion, autoharp, marimba, slide guitar, clavinet, oboe, banjo, clarinet, steel-string acoustic guitar, xylophone, flute, accordion, cello, theremin, harp
Years active	1961–69
Labels	Decca Records, Atco Records, London, Rolling Stones Records
Associated acts	The Rolling Stones, Master Musicians of Joujouka
Notable instruments
Harmony Stratotone H46 Vox Mark VI Gibson Firebird

Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969), was an English musician and a founder member of the Rolling Stones.^[1]

Jones' main instruments were the guitar and the harmonica, but he played a wide variety of other musical instruments and was a talented multi-instrumentalist. His innovative use of traditional or folk instruments, such as the sitar and marimba, was integral to the changing sound of the band.

Originally the leader of the group, Jones' fellow bandmembers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards soon overshadowed him; especially after they became a successful songwriting team. He developed a serious drug abuse problem over the years and his role in the band steadily diminished. He was asked to leave the Rolling Stones in June 1969 and guitarist Mick Taylor took his place in the group. Jones died less than a month later by drowning in the swimming pool at his home on Cotchford Farm in East Sussex.

Original Stones bassist Bill Wyman stated about Jones: "...he formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs ... Very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it - highly intelligent - and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away."^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life and fatherhood[link]

Jones was born in the Park Nursing Home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on 28 February 1942. An attack of croup at the age of four left him with asthma, which lasted for the rest of his life.^[3] His middle-class parents, Lewis Blount Jones and Louisa Beatrice Jones (née Simmonds) were of Welsh descent. Brian had two sisters: Pamela, who was born on 3 October 1943 and who died on 14 October 1945 of leukaemia; and Barbara, born on 22 August 1946.^[3]

Both Jones's parents were interested in music: his mother Louisa was a piano teacher, and in addition to his job as an aeronautical engineer, Lewis Jones played piano and organ and led the choir at the local church.^[3]

In 1957 Jones first heard Cannonball Adderley's music, which inspired his interest in jazz. Jones persuaded his parents to buy him a saxophone, and two years later his parents gave him his first acoustic guitar as a 17th birthday present.^[4]

Jones attended local schools, including Dean Close School, from September 1949 to July 1953 and Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys, which he entered in September 1953 after passing the Eleven-plus exam. He enjoyed badminton and diving at school and became first clarinet in the school orchestra. In 1957 he reportedly obtained seven O-level passes, then he continued into the sixth form and obtained a further two O-levels. He also took three A-levels in Physics, Chemistry and Biology and passed in Physics and Chemistry, but failed in Biology.^[5] Jones had an IQ of 135 and was able to perform well on exams despite a lack of academic effort.^[5] Despite academic ability, however, he found school regimented and disliked conforming. He disliked the school uniforms and angered teachers with his behaviour, though he was generally popular among students.^[5] Jones himself said: "When I made the sixth form I found myself accepted by the older boys; suddenly I was in."^[5]

His hostility to authority figures resulted in his suspension from school on two occasions.^[5] According to Dick Hattrell, a childhood friend: "He was a rebel without a cause, but when examinations came he was brilliant."^[5]

In the spring of 1959, Jones's 14-year-old girlfriend, a Cheltenham schoolgirl named Valerie Corbett, became pregnant. Although Jones is said to have encouraged her to have an abortion, she placed the baby boy up for adoption and he was adopted by an infertile couple.^[5]

Jones quit school in disgrace and left home, travelling through Northern Europe and Scandinavia for a summer. During this period, he lived a bohemian lifestyle, busking with his guitar on the streets for money, and living off the charity of others. Eventually, Jones ran short of money and returned to England.^[6]

Jones grew up listening to classical music, but he preferred blues, particularly Elmore James and Robert Johnson. He began playing at local blues and jazz clubs in addition to busking and working odd jobs. He was also reported to have stolen small amounts of money from work to pay for cigarettes, which tended to get him fired.^[7]

In November 1959, Jones went to the Wooden Bridge Hotel in Guildford to see a group. He met a young married woman named Angeline, and the two had a one-night stand that resulted in her pregnancy. Angeline and her husband decided to bring up the baby together, a girl, born on 4 August the following year. Jones never knew about her birth.^[6]

In 1961, Jones applied for a scholarship to Cheltenham Art College. He was initially accepted into the programme, however the offer was withdrawn two days later. Someone had written to the college saying Jones was an irresponsible drifter, and the college reconsidered the offer.^[8]

On 23 October 1961, Jones's girlfriend Pat Andrews gave birth to his third child, Julian Mark Andrews.^[9] Jones sold his record collection to buy flowers for Pat and clothes for the newborn and lived with them for a while. On 23 July 1964, another woman, Linda Lawrence, gave birth to Jones's fourth child, also named Julian Mark.^[10]

Brian's fifth child was born in Wimbledon on 24 March 1965, to teenager Dawn Molloy. He was originally named Paul Andrew Molloy. Dawn was forced to give the baby up for adoption and Paul's adoptive parents renamed him John. Finally, on 23 February 1969, Brian's sixth and youngest child was born to a married but separated American model named Elizabeth.^{[citation needed]} Brian met Elizabeth on 12 May in Wembley and saw her a few times between 12 and 20 May. She and her husband were reunited in November 1968 and flew back to the United States. The baby, Brian's second daughter, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and named after Brian's surviving sister, Barbara. Barbara was brought up by Elizabeth and her husband.

Forming the Rolling Stones[link]

Jones left Cheltenham and moved to London where he became friends with fellow musicians Alexis Korner, future Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones, future Cream bassist Jack Bruce and others who made up the small London rhythm and blues and jazz scene there. He became a blues musician, for a brief time calling himself "Elmo Lewis", and playing slide guitar. Jones also started a group with Paul Jones called the Roosters and in January 1963, after both Brian and Paul left the group, Eric Clapton took over Brian's position as guitarist.^[11]

Jones placed an advertisement in Jazz News (a Soho club information sheet) of 2 May 1962 inviting musicians to audition for a new R&B group at the Bricklayer's Arms pub; pianist Ian "Stu" Stewart was the first to respond. Later singer Mick Jagger also joined this band; Jagger and his childhood friend Keith Richards had met Jones when he and Paul Jones were playing Elmore James' "Dust My Broom" with Korner's band at the Ealing Jazz Club.^[12] Jagger brought guitarist Richards to rehearsals; Richards then joined the band. Jones's and Stewart's acceptance of Richards and the Chuck Berry songs he wanted to play coincided with the departure of blues purists Geoff Bradford and Brian Knight, who had no tolerance for Chuck Berry.^[7]

As Keith Richards tells it, Jones came up with the name the "Rollin' Stones" (later with the 'g') while on the phone with a venue owner. "The voice on the other end of the line obviously said, 'What are you called?' Panic. The Best of Muddy Waters album was lying on the floor—and track one was 'Rollin' Stone Blues'".^{[13][page needed]}

The Rollin' Stones played their first gig on 12 July 1962 in the Marquee Club in London with Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart, bass player Dick Taylor (later of the Pretty Things) and drummer Tony Chapman.^[14][15]

From September 1962 to September 1963 Jones, Jagger and Richards shared a flat (referred to by Richards as "a beautiful dump")^[16] at 102 Edith Grove, Chelsea, with James Phelge, a future photographer whose last name was used in some of the group's early "Nanker/Phelge" writing credits. Jones and Richards spent day after day playing guitar while listening to blues records (notably Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf). During this time, Jones also taught Jagger how to play harmonica.

The four Rollin' Stones went searching for a bassist and drummer, finally settling on Bill Wyman on bass because he had a spare VOX AC30 guitar amplifier^[17] and always had cigarettes, as well as a bass guitar that he had built himself.^[18] After playing with Mick Avory, Tony Chapman and Carlo Little, in January 1963 they finally persuaded jazz-influenced Charlie Watts to join them. At the time, Watts was considered by fellow musicians to be one of the better drummers in London; he had played with (among others) Alexis Korner's group Blues Incorporated.