Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson recently opened up about the origins of the band’s iconic name. He revealed his initial unawareness of its historical significance in an interview shared on AXS TV.
Anderson explained that the name was simply suggested by a booker at their management office. This happened during a period when the band was frequently changing its name — and he accepted it without knowing who Jethro Tull actually was.
“To me, it was a nice made-up name invented by the booker in our manager and agent’s office,” Anderson said. “We kept changing our name in the very early days. And when they suggested Jethro Tull, I said, ‘Okay,’ because I was anxious to be seen to be taking advice and accepting management encouragement.”
“Nobody told me at that time that Jethro Tull was an 18th-century agriculturalist who invented the seed drill, and of course is in the history books,” he continued. “When I was at school, I only did a very small amount of history, and we didn’t cover that particular era. So, I didn’t know that Jethro Tull was a real historical character.”
Anderson recalled the moment he discovered the truth. The timing was awkward enough that turning back was no longer an option.
“I think it was a couple of weeks later that I found that out,” he said. “I was rather embarrassed to realize we were named after a dead guy who invented the seed drill, but at that point, we’d just been given the residency at the Marquee club.”
The revelation also came with an unexpected twist — the historical Jethro Tull was himself a musician. Anderson admitted that the guilt over the unintentional “identity theft” has stayed with him over the decades.
“He, too, was a musician as it turned out,” Anderson said. “Over the years, I’ve always felt rather guilty about the identity theft. It’s just as well I don’t have his credit cards. But I feel kind of embarrassed about it. So a couple of years ago, I thought, ‘I should really try and push Jethro Tull, the historical character, back to number one on Google Jethro.'”
The comments offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of rock’s most recognizable band names and the accidental history lesson that came with it.
The story of the name is inseparable from the band’s chaotic early identity — a period defined by constant reinvention before anything stuck. Anderson has remained the only constant member since the band’s formation in 1967. He has steered a revolving lineup through decades of stylistic shifts while keeping the Jethro Tull name alive.
Before the name Jethro Tull was adopted, Anderson’s first band was called Blade. The group went through several lineup changes and name variations before eventually settling on the name that would define their career. Anderson had served his apprenticeship in various blues bands, developing the musical instincts that would later shape the band’s distinctive sound.
The Marquee Club residency that Anderson mentioned was not a minor footnote — it was the launchpad. The band started their residency at the legendary London venue in January 1968. It was there that Jethro Tull began building the live reputation that would carry them to mainstream success. The Marquee was one of the most important stages in British rock history. Landing a residency there so early was a significant break for a band that had only just settled on a name.
Anderson took up the flute in 1967 — the same year the band formed — on a whim. He had previously played as a singer, guitarist, and harmonica player. That spontaneous decision ended up defining not just his own identity, but the entire sound of Jethro Tull for generations.
The band blended hard rock, English folk music, and classical influences into a progressive rock sound unlike anything else of the era. The name chosen almost by accident became one of the most enduring in rock history — a fact that Anderson has clearly never stopped thinking about.
