Not a Drummer

To the Editors:

I bow to no-one in my admiration for Richard Holmes and his work, but he should surely know that Brian Jones was the lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones until his untimely death; not their drummer, who was—and is—Charlie Watts [“He Doth Not Sleep,” NYR, September 24].

Jim Huggon
Suffolk, England

Richard Holmes replies:

No fan of the Rolling Stones, let alone Shelley, will ever forgive me for forgetting, through the miasma of middle age, that the late-lamented Brian Jones was the group’s lead guitarist (not their drummer, who was, and still is thank heavens, Charlie Watts). I can only add that Shelley was particularly fond of guitarists. See his poem of 1822, “With a Guitar, to Jane.”