Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the lyrics, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.
Initially playing blues rock with an experimental flavour, they have also incorporated elements of classical music, folk music, jazz and art rock into their music.
One of the world's best-selling music artists, the band has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide in a career that has spanned five decades.
" I didn`t have to play it all the time, I just had to wave it around and look good " - Ian Anderson 2003.

Eccentric on stage yet rather thoughtful, reserved and even sombre at times when not in the limelight, the Jethro Tull image was the brainchild of flute wielding frontman Ian Anderson. Clad in scruffy vagabond apparel, and looking more like an anachronism out of a Charles Dickens tale, Anderson conveyed an old English aura during the band`s formative years in the late 60`s and early 70`s which would persist throughout the band's 40 year career both visually and musically.

Born on August 10, 1947 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Anderson was augmented by a revolving door of colourful musicians over the years which added to the flamboyance of the Jethro Tull phenomenon. Conceived as a psychedelic blues band in late 1967 the music of Jethro Tull has always been dauntingly intricate embracing many styles including blues, jazz, folk, medieval, classical, hard rock along with forays into electronic music, sometimes referred to as "space age prog". The lyrics were equally as sophisticated and sometimes reached new heights of grandiloquence commenting on depressing world events such as drug abuse, the oil crisis, modernisation, third world troubles and a deteriorating economy.. Other topics included fads, spy novels, environmental and social issues as well as metaphysical musings. With lyrics and music which ran deep Jethro Tull have often been over-analysed by both fans and critics alike and many of their albums have been erroneously interpreted as autobiographical due to the fact that many of their record covers featured artwork which seemed to depict Ian Anderson's likeness, something which he has vehemently denied in numerous interviews.

Jethro Tull can trace their origins back to 1963 when as a young art student in Blackpool, England Anderson formed a band called THE BLADES (after a club in a James Bond novel). By 1965 as a 7-piece they had changed their name to THE JOHN EVAN BAND and subsequently to THE JOHN EVAN SMASH (his mother supplied their tour van) Evan, whose real name was Evans, would eventually become the band's keyboard player for most of the seventies. The band relocated to London in`67, the centre of the British blues movement of the sixties in search of more lucrative gigs. However the band was gradually dissolved after which Anderson and bass player Glen Cornick joined up with guitarist Mick Abrahms and drummer Clive Bunker who had played together in a couple of Luton based bands, THE TOGGERY FIVE and McGREGOR`S ENGINE. The newly formed band toured the local club circuit and the only way they could get re-bookings was to pretend to be someone else, changing their name from gig to gig. Some of the more outlandish names they used during this period were IAN HENDERSON`S BAG OF BLUES (an error on part of an agent ), CANDY COLOURED RAIN, NAVY BLUE and finally JETHRO TULL.