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JETHRO TULL has blazed a unique trail in the history of rock music.
By avoiding trends since their official formation in November 1967, the
band has become one of the few 1960s survivors. The name JETHRO TULL is
most commonly but incorrectly attributed to frontman, Ian Anderson, who
was born August 10, 1947 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland. The genesis
of the group can be traced to Ian Anderson's meeting of Jeffrey Hammond
and John Evans at grammar school in Blackpool, England in September 1963.
They quickly formed a group called THE BLADES that played teen parties and
the like. At the time, Ian was playing guitar and singing while bassist
Hammond formed the rhythm section with Evans on drums. In 1965, they became
THE JOHN EVAN(S) BAND when Evans switched to his natural instrument - keyboards
- and Barrie Barlow came in as their drummer. Over the next two years, THE
JOHN EVAN BAND added horn players and numerous bass players took the place
of Hammond, including their final bassist, Glenn Cornick. The band decided
to move closer to London in order to get more lucrative work. They made
their first recordings in 1967 with producer Derek Lawrence and were racking
up huge debts because their infrequent gigs were not covering their living
expenses. Things came to a head in November 1967 when nearly the entire
band moved back home. Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick stayed near London
and recruited two new members, guitarist Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive
Bunker - both from the band McGREGOR'S ENGINE, who they had met at gigs.
Ian Anderson had started playing flute just after his 20th birthday in August
1967, and his skills on the instrument grew rapidly. These skills would
be called upon immediately.
The lineup of the band still did not have a name. They played The Marquee
Club in London under the names BAG O'BLUES and NAVY BLUE. In January 1968,
an employee at their Ellis/Wright concert booking agency gave them the name
JETHRO TULL, who was an 18th Century agriculturist. JETHRO TULL (the band)
was scoring heavily with audiences, playing exciting electric blues with
Ian Anderson grabbing the spotlight on flute, harmonica and vocals. Meanwhile,
their first single "Sunshine Day" c/w "Aeroplane" joined
a new Mick Abrahams song with a JOHN EVAN BAND leftover. Released on MGM,
the record sold very poorly, and things were not helped by the fact that
they were incorrectly shown as JETHRO TOE on the record label! Another single, "A
Song For Jeffrey", also failed, but their fanbase was increasing. Their
greatest early success was at the Sunbury Festival in the summer of 1968.
Their first album "This Was" was started before the festival and
was finished for the Island label afterward. It was an immediate Top 10
success in England. Their first singles success came with "Love Story",
a British Top 30 hit. Before they could come to the US for their first tour
to promote the album on the Reprise label, Ian Anderson felt that Mick Abrahams
had to be replaced. Tony Iommi (of the group EARTH, soon to become BLACK
SABBATH) briefly filled in for TULL's appearance on the unaired TV special "The
Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus". Auditions were held and Martin
Barre was the new guitarist for JETHRO TULL.
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The lineup of the band still did not have a name. They played The Marquee
Club in London under the names BAG O'BLUES and NAVY BLUE. In January 1968,
an employee at their Ellis/Wright concert booking agency gave them the name
JETHRO TULL, who was an 18th Century agriculturist. JETHRO TULL (the band)
was scoring heavily with audiences, playing exciting electric blues with
Ian Anderson grabbing the spotlight on flute, harmonica and vocals. Meanwhile,
their first single "Sunshine Day" c/w "Aeroplane" joined
a new Mick Abrahams song with a JOHN EVAN BAND leftover. Released on MGM,
the record sold very poorly, and things were not helped by the fact that
they were incorrectly shown as JETHRO TOE on the record label! Another single, "A
Song For Jeffrey", also failed, but their fanbase was increasing. Their
greatest early success was at the Sunbury Festival in the summer of 1968.
Their first album "This Was" was started before the festival and
was finished for the Island label afterward. It was an immediate Top 10
success in England. Their first singles success came with "Love Story",
a British Top 30 hit. Before they could come to the US for their first tour
to promote the album on the Reprise label, Ian Anderson felt that Mick Abrahams
had to be replaced. Tony Iommi (of the group EARTH, soon to become BLACK
SABBATH) briefly filled in for TULL's appearance on the unaired TV special "The
Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus". Auditions were held and Martin
Barre was the new guitarist for JETHRO TULL.
With Barre now in the lineup, JETHRO TULL developed an enormous worldwide
following, especially in the UK and US. "Living In The Past" was
a big UK hit for the band, but it would take three years for the song to
succeed in the US. It was followed up by the hit singles "Sweet Dream" and "The
Witch's Promise". The albums "Stand Up" (including "We
Used To Know") and "Benefit" exhibited a great progression
in their musical accomplishments. Glenn Cornick was replaced on bass by
Ian's old friend Jeffrey Hammond, who became Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond upon
rejoining!
The "Aqualung" album was for many their finest achievement,
in both musical and commercial terms. It also marked drummer Clive Bunker's
departure from the band. Clive was replaced by another of Ian's former associates
- Barrie Barlow - who became Barriemore Barlow when he joined again. John
Evans had dabbled in some TULL sessions and became a full-fledged member
with this album. He lost the "s" in his name when he joined!
For those that mistakenly perceived "Aqualung" as a concept
album, Ian Anderson came up with two real concept albums - "Thick As
A Brick" and "A Passion Play". In between, the "Living
In The Past" collection gathered together out-of-print singles material,
studio outtakes and unreleased live material. Numerous successful original
albums followed in succession - "War Child", "Minstrel In
The Gallery", "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die", "Songs
From The Wood", "Heavy Horses", "Jethro Tull Live -
Bursting Out" and "Stormwatch" - before the wheels finally
started to come off the JETHRO TULL machine. The "A" album in
1980 contained just Ian Anderson and Martin Barre from the hit-making lineup,
but the pair have been on every TULL album since. Their landmark 1982 album "The
Broadsword And The Beast" was produced by former YARDBIRDS bassist
Paul Samwell-Smith, and carried the band into more modern directions.
Numerous players have come and gone from JETHRO TULL since their glory
days in the '70s, but JETHRO TULL continues to perform to thousands of devoted
fans in diverse countries every year.
Greg Russo
Author of "Flying Colours: The JETHRO TULL Reference Manual"
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