Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull are a British rock band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1967. Emerging from the 1960s British blues scene, the band soon developed a distinctive progressive rock sound, blending hard rock, English folk music and classical music, while undergoing numerous stylistic shifts throughout its history. The band was founded and has been continuously led by Ian Anderson, its principal composer, lead vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his flute playing. The group has featured a succession of musicians throughout its history, including significant contributors such as long-time guitarist Martin Barre, bassists Glenn Cornick, Jeffrey Hammond, John Glascock, Dave Pegg and Jonathan Noyce, drummers Clive Bunker, Barrie “Barriemore” Barlow and Doane Perry, and keyboardists John Evan, Dee Palmer, Peter-John Vettese and Andrew Giddings.

After gaining attention on the London club circuit, Jethro Tull released their debut album This Was in 1968. After a key line-up change which saw original guitarist Mick Abrahams replaced by Barre, the band achieved their first major success the following year with their folk-influenced second album Stand Up, which reached No. 1 in the UK. Aqualung (1971) marked the band's international breakthrough and became their most commercially successful album, while subsequent releases such as Thick as a Brick (1972) fully established their progressive rock identity. Throughout the 1970s the band maintained an intense schedule of touring and recording, releasing one studio album every year and expanding their musical scope through concept albums and increasingly complex arrangements. In the late 1970s the band shifted towards folk rock, before a major line-up change led to a period influenced by electronic rock in the early 1980s. The band returned to a hard rock sound with Crest of a Knave (1987), which earned them their only Grammy Award, and explored world music influences in the 1990s. Jethro Tull have sold an estimated 60 million albums worldwide, with 11 gold and 5 platinum albums. They have been described by Rolling Stone as “one of the most commercially successful and eccentric progressive rock bands.”

The band ceased studio recording activity in the 2000s, but continued to tour until disbanding in 2011. Following the band's split, Anderson and Barre both pursued separate solo careers, with Anderson's band billed variously as both “Jethro Tull” and “Ian Anderson” solo. From 2017 onward, Anderson revived the Jethro Tull name without Barre's involvement and returned to releasing new studio albums in the 2020s, presenting the group as a continuation of the band under his sole leadership rather than as a reunion of past line-ups.