A banda de rock chamada Jethro Tull formou-se em Blackpool, Inglaterra em 1967. Das cinzas da John Evan Band, o cantor Ian Anderson e o baixista Glenn Cornick aliaram-se ao guitarrista Mick Abrahams e ao baterista Clive Bunker para formar um novo grupo, cujo nome mudava todas as semanas para aumentar a espectativa. Depois de assinarem pela MGM Records, a banda ficou como Jethro Tull, o nome de um inventor do sec. 18, e lançou um "single" chamado "Sunshine Day" que falhou no "chart". Insatisfeitos com esta derrota, os Jethro Tull deixaram a MGM e assinaram pela Reprise, que hesitou em aceitar o seu estranho Rock, com influencias de "Blues", "Folk", rock progressivo e a estranha maneira como Ian tocava a flauta. A banda lança, em 1968, o seu primeiro album: This Was. Este teve pouco êxito. Após a saída de Mick Abrahams, Martin Barre foi apressadamente substituir o seu lugar. O segundo album, de nome, Stand Up, lançado um ano depois alcançou o 1º lugar no chart Inglês, graças ao single, Living In The Past. No fim do mesmo ano, os produtores, Terry Ellis e Chris Wright formam a Chrysalis Records e o seu primeiro trabalho é o novo albúm dos Jethro Tull, Benefit lançado em 1970. Este alcança o 3º lugar no chart Inglês e o 11º no Americano, indicando assim o potencial da banda para o estrangeiro. Shortly after Benefit was released, Glenn Cornick quit the band due to personal reasons, and was replaced by Anderson's old friend Jeffrey Hammond. Hammond made his debut on 1971's Aqualung, which reached No. 7 in the U.S. and spawned the classic rock hits "Aqualung" (inspired by photos of the homeless) and "Locomotive Breath." When Clive Bunker quit the band to marry, Anderson's old John Evan bandmate Barriemore Barlow joined 'Tull, just in time to appear on their sprawling 1972 concept album Thick as a Brick, which featured one 45-minute song (split into two parts for the LP) and reached No. 1 in the U.S. To capitalize on Jethro Tull's surprise popularity, Chrysalis reissued a collection of older tracks in mid-1972 as Living in the Past. Overconfident of their artistic skills because of the success of the epic Thick As a Brick album, Jethro Tull released A Passion Play in 1973, an incredibly complex recording slammed by critics for its overblown grandiosity yet embraced by loyal fans, who pushed it to No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 13 in Britain. The American tour that followed featured intense, three-hour sets which tried the patience of fans and further irritated critics, who attacked 'Tull at every opportunity. Upset at media attacks, Ian Anderson threatened to cancel the rest of the sold-out tour, but after reconsideration the tour went on. Returning to England, Jethro Tull began working on a new set of songs originally intended for a film score; the film was never made, but the songs were released as WarChild in 1974, going gold as soon as it was released (due to pre-orders) and reaching No. 2 in the U.S. With the Top 15 song "Bungle in the Jungle," WarChild, though darkly conceptual in nature, marked a departure from the lengthy compositions that defined the band's previous few albums. Their next album, 1975's Minstrel in the Gallery, was heavily influenced by British folk, a growing interest of Anderson's, and recorded in a mobile studio. The record sold well, but already Jethro Tull was beginning to decline in popularity, even in the U.S., where they were most popular. In 1976 Jeffrey Hammond left Jethro Tull to return to painting. He was replaced by John Glascock for the 1976 album Too Old to Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young to Die, a semi-autobiographical concept album about an aging rock star written by Ian Anderson with long-time collaborator David Palmer, a classically-trained musician who had orchestrated string arrangements for other 'Tull albums. Palmer officially joined the band as keyboardist in 1977, beginning with Songs From the Wood, another folk-oriented effort. After a British tour, the group went on hiatus for nearly a year, returning in 1978 with Heavy Horses, another rustic album. Tragically, not long after returning from a U.S. tour supporting the album, bassist John Glascock died from complications following heart surgery. Stormwatch, a darker album, was released shortly before his death, though Glascock only appeared on three tracks due to his heart ailment; it was the first Jethro Tull album in a decade to not reach the U.S. Top 10. With former Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg taking over Glascock's position on bass, Jethro Tull immediately went on hold so Ian Anderson could work on a solo album. Backed by Pegg, Martin Barre, and session musicians, Anderson recorded A, only to release it under the Jethro Tull name. With a harsh electronic sound, the album turned off many fans. Retaining only Pegg and Barre, Anderson reformed 'Tull with a swiftly changing cast of musicians. After 1982's The Broadsword and the Beast, Anderson recorded his first official solo album (Walk Into Light) before returning to his group for 1984's Under Wraps, a commercial failure. Jethro Tull's waning popularity was compounded by the development of a severe throat infection by Ian Anderson, forcing them to cancel most of their tour dates and suspend the band's activities for nearly three years while Anderson healed. Jethro Tull returned in 1987 with the harder-edged album Crest of a Knave, widely considered their best recording in years. Amazingly, the group beat out the critics' favorite, Metallica, for the "Best Hard Rock Performance" Grammy award. Several new albums followed in the late '80s, as well as several compilations of older material, including two commemorative four-CD boxed sets. Jethro Tull, essentially Ian Anderson and a cast of backing musicians, continues to tour, playing for a loyal, if dwindling, fan base worldwide. Biografia
