Ian Anderson - flute/vocals, Mick Abrahams - guitar, Clive Bunker - drums, Glenn Cornick - bass guitar

Jethro Tull was formed towards the end of 1967 with members having come through various groups including the John Evan Smash, The band played the Marquee and recorded three tracks at Regent Sound Studios. Following a couple of personnel changes and a number of band name changes before they settled on Jethro Tull after the 18th Century agriculturalist.

The first single Sunshine Day was released in February 1968 although it was credited to Jethro Toe in error! Around this time Anderson took up the flute rather than being an average guitar player. The first album This Was was recorded during the summer and released in October 1968. Despite the LP reaching number 10 in the charts, Abrahams left in December to form Blodwyn Pig. He was replaced by Tony Iommi who was present when the band played at the Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus on 11 December 1968. The band played Song for Jeffrey although only the vocals and flute were played live. However, Iommi left to found Black Sabbath and he was replaced by Martin Barre. He played his first gig on 30 December 1968 at the Penzance Winter Gardens.

The band undertook a number of tours as support spot to major acts, firstly touring Scandinavia with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and then across the US with Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge. By now Ian Anderson was becoming an accomplished songwriter and he delivered Living in the Past as the next single. The second LP, Stand UP, was released in September 1969 and it became the group's only number 1 album in the UK, no doubt helped by the success of Living in the Past. The band returned to the US to play the Newport Folk Festival but declined to play at Woodstock.

Jethro Tull released a series of classic albums during the 1970s and the occasional hit single. The band's style evolved to a mix of progressive rock and folk and this guaranteed a strong audience and impressive record sales. There have been numerous line-up changes over the years although Ian Anderson has been a constant and with Martin Barre a long-term member.

The original bass player Glenn Cornick died in 2014 from heart failure.

Mick Abrahams died 19 December 2025 aged 82.

• Blodwyn Pig

Making Time Recommendation

• This Was