Ian Anderson

Ian Scott Anderson MBE (born 10 August 1947) is a Scottish[1] musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as lead vocalist, flautist and acoustic guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to flute, plays keyboards, acoustic and bass guitar, bouzouki, balalaika, saxophone, harmonica, and a variety of whistles.[2] His solo work began with the 1983 album Walk into Light; since then he has released another five works, including the sequel to the Jethro Tull album Thick as a Brick (1972) in 2012, entitled Thick as a Brick 2.

Ian Anderson was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the youngest of three brothers. His father, James Anderson, ran the RSA Boiler Fluid Company in East Port, Dunfermline.[3] Anderson spent the first part of his childhood in Edinburgh. He was influenced by his father’s big band and jazz records and the emergence of rock music, but was disenchanted with the “showbiz” style of early American rock and roll stars like Elvis Presley.[4]