Rolling Stones "murder" enquiry takes another turn

Tue, 15 Sep 2009

As LickLibrary detailed previously (01/09) police have been re-examining evidence in the case surrounding the death of Brian Jones. The former guitarist and co-founding member of the Rolling Stones was found dead in a swimming pool in 1969. Now, Sam Cutler (the former Stones road manager) has spoken out and pointed the finger at who he believes is responsible.

Cutler, who was alienated from the Stones camp in the aftermath of the Altamont Free Concert tragedy in 1969, has written to his blog, what he believes are the contributing factors that police need to re-examine in the suspected “murder.”
Jones’ cause of death was determined by coroners as “death by misadventure,” however a succession of theories, all intimating that Brian Jones was actually murdered, have been ever-present since the former Rolling Stones guitarist’s tragic demise. Speculation and rumour have been rife, and books even published so as to determine what actually happened during the fateful early hours of 3rd July 1969.

Cutler has now thrown his 2 cents into the bargain, and contrary to popular theory, refuses to point the finger at builder Frank Thorogood. Thorogood was in charge of building work taking place at the Cotchford Farm residence where Jones ended up spending his final days. The former Rolling Stones tour manager accuses the coronial enquiry of being “absurd and inadequate,” with “police incompetence” leading to a less than satisfactory investigative result.
He goes on to write: “Brian Jones was murdered. Of this there is little doubt. He was not murdered by the man who was in charge of the building work at Brian’s farm, a gentleman by the name of Thorogood…” before sensationally implicating the Rolling Stones’ co-founder’s own driver.

Cutler continues: “He was almost certainly murdered by the very man whose role it was to protect him, Tom Keylock. The man who less than forty eight hours after the murder, emptied the house of its valuable contents, and burnt substantial amounts of papers and personal items of Brian Jones on a bonfire in the front garden.”

Tom Keylock was minder for the Rolling Stones until 1968, when Keith Richards (pictured) sacked him for charging items to the Rolling Stones for himself. It was shortly after this that Keylock went to look after Brian Jones. Cutler’s sensational testimony details how investigators were sent to locations in Europe to interview 2 eye-witnesses, who both discounted Keylock’s claim that he was not at the Cotchford Farm on the night of Brian Jones’ death.

Cutler goes on to write: “Keylock finally admitted to journalists that he had indeed been present at the scene, tho he denied being in the pool or anywhere near the pool. Two men who had worked on the farm, and who were also present at the pool that evening, were never located or interviewed by the police.”

Cutler states that the investigators who were hired to find out exactly what happened that night, were actually hired by Beatles / Rolling Stones manager Alan Klein. It is the Klein report that Cutler believes holds the key to naming Tom Keylock as the man behind Brian Jones’ death.

The former Rolling Stones tour manager concludes: “Tom Keylock was the prime (and only) suspect named in that report. Keylock was never formally interviewed under caution by the British police. Keylock died on July 2nd 2009 at the age of eighty two, EXACTLY forty years to the day after Brian died." LickLibrary will keep you updated as the situation progresses.

The Rolling Stones have recently released a post-1971 re-masters boxed set.

Related Material:

Learn to Play The Rolling Stones
Rolling Stones - Jamtrax
"Paint it Black" - Tutorial
Learn to Play The Beatles Vol 2