Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull, famous for its unique brand of progressive rock, was formed in Blackpool, England in the 1960s. Their music is marked by the quirky vocal style and unique lead flute work of frontman Ian Anderson, and by unusual and often comp

Jethro Tull, famous for its unique brand of progressive rock, was formed in Blackpool, England in the 1960s. Their music is marked by the quirky vocal style and unique lead flute work of frontman Ian Anderson, and by unusual and often complex song construction, mostly after Anderson made his name as a pop songwriter of the more usual kind. Their music, though starting with blues rock with an experimental flavour, has incorporated elements of classical and celtic folk music, as well as the art rock and alternative rock phases of rock music. Despite this, it is difficult to point to specific artists who have directly influenced or been influenced by Jethro Tull, though they have been lauded by many, notably Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pete Townshend. More than most other rock bands, their music stands apart from the rest of rock music. In interviews, Ian Anderson has attributed this "difference" to the fact that Tull never used drugs. In addition, while other music groups did influence them, they stuck with their own style of progressive rock tinged with classic forms of music.

Ian Anderson's first band, started in 1963 in Blackpool, was known as The Blades. It developed by 1966 into a seven-piece white soul band called the John Evan Band (later the John Evan Smash), named for pianist/drummer John Evans, who dropped the final "s" from his name to make it sound less ordinary. At this point, Barriemore Barlow was the band's drummer, as he would later be for Tull itself beginning in early 1971. However, after moving to London, most of the band quit, leaving Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick to join forces with blues guitarist Mick Abrahams and his friend, drummer Clive Bunker. At first, they had trouble getting repeat bookings, and took to changing their name frequently to continue playing the London club circuit. Band names were often supplied by the staff of their booking agents, one of whom, a history buff, eventually christened them Jethro Tull after the 18th century agriculturist who invented the seed drill. This name stuck simply by virtue of the fact that they were using it the first time a club manager liked their show enough to invite them to return.